woman picked up two menus and then began to lead them into the restaurant. Eric commented, “I wonder if we’ll see Michael Jones.”
“The owner, Michael Jones?” the hostess asked, looking over her shoulder at them. “He’s not here.”
“He’s headed out of town for an away game,” Deanna explained. “My sister went with him.”
The hostess stopped at a four-top table near the window and set the menus down on it. Then she placed her hands on her hips as she looked at Deanna. “Your sister’s— Of course, you’re Deanna Hart.”
“That’s me.”
“I’m Sandra.” She extended her hand, and Deanna shook it. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you as well, Sandra. This is Eric, a friend of mine.”
“I’ve never seen Michael so smitten,” Sandra commented. “He’s really into your sister.”
“That’s good to hear, because she’s really into him.”
“Vivian will be your server tonight,” Sandra told them. “She’ll be out shortly.”
“Sounds like it’s going really well between your sister and Michael Jones,” Eric commented once Sandra walked away. He pulled Deanna’s chair out for her.
“It is,” Deanna said, sitting. “It’s almost like they were destined to meet.” Eric helped push her chair back under the table, and Deanna grinned up at him. “Why, thank you. You are certainly a gentleman.”
Eric sat opposite her. And even though Deanna had lifted the menu and was perusing it, she could sense his eyes on her.
“What?” she asked, looking at him and finding that, yes, he was staring. She touched her hair self-consciously.
“Just thinking about how odd it is that we’re both here, about to have dinner. Given that I thought I’d never see or talk to you again.”
“I know. When I woke up this morning, I never dreamed I’d be here with you this evening.” Deanna paused. “Sometimes life offers you nice surprises.”
“You remember all those talks we used to have?” Eric asked.
“Are you kidding?” Now Deanna made a slight groaning sound. “But most of them, I would rather forget.”
“Why?”
“Why?” Deanna repeated, bulging her eyes. “The way I cried over Marvin like a fool? What you must have thought of me.”
“I thought you were a beautiful woman who’d fallen for the wrong man. It happens. A lot.”
Deanna shrugged and again looked at the menu. But she knew what she was going to have. The last time she’d been here, she had contemplated the Cajun catfish with collard greens but passed it over for the gumbo. “I’m having the catfish,” she announced.
“That’s a great choice,” Eric said. “I’m going to have the same.” He closed his menu. “You want wine?”
“White?” Deanna asked.
“White’s good. Sauvignon blanc?”
“Excellent choice.”
Vivian, the waitress, arrived with a basket of warm corn bread, which Deanna dug into as Eric placed their orders. She then promised to be back with the wine momentarily.
Deanna looked toward the stage area, where an attractive young man had just appeared. He looked stylish in a fedora, cream-colored dress shirt with tie, dark jeans and black loafers. A few people cheered as he sat behind the keyboard, which led Deanna to believe that they were already acquainted with this musician.
“So, what have you been up to for the past nine years?” Deanna asked.
“Other than dedicating myself to work?”
“Certainly it couldn’t have been all work, no play,” Deanna said. “You’re not wearing a wedding ring, but that doesn’t mean you’re not married.”
“Why?” Eric asked, giving her a playful look. “You interested?”
“Just wondering,” Deanna said. “A lot can happen in nine years.”
The musician hit a few keys on the keyboard and then paused. “Evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Trey Martinez.”
There were more hoots and whistles. Then Trey began to play. Moments later, he began to sing. He had a sultry, smooth sound and reminded her of Brian McKnight.
Deanna turned back to Eric. “So?” she prompted. “Are you going to answer my question?”
Eric swallowed the piece of corn bread he’d bitten before answering. “Actually, I was married. But it didn’t last long. Not quite two years.”
Deanna looked at him, into his handsome face and bright eyes. Maybe it was the love ballad that Trey was singing, and the romantic atmosphere with two lit candles on the table. But it struck her just how totally sexy Eric was. She hadn’t truly taken notice of this fact years ago, because she’d been so obsessed with Marvin. But there was no denying it now.
Eric was superfine.
Which prompted the question, why would any woman let him go?
“Why did you divorce?” Deanna couldn’t help asking.
And that was when she saw the first sign of discomfort flash in Eric’s eyes. So much so that she quickly said, “You don’t have to tell me. It’s really none of my business.”
“We just…we just didn’t see eye to eye on everything. Irreconcilable differences, if you will.”
Vivian returned with the two glasses of wine. With an amiable smile, she placed them on the table and then went on her way. She seemed to be the type of server who believed in being unobtrusive, and Deanna appreciated that.
“I made mistakes,” Eric went on, still talking about his marriage. “I was focused on my career. I’m not saying I ignored my wife, but she wanted me to take her out to dinners all the time, to the movies, the theater. And we did go out—don’t get the wrong idea. But not all the time the way she wanted. And one other thing she really hoped for that I hadn’t realized when we got married was that I would travel with her during the summer. She had dreams of going to Italy with me, to a cooking school in Tuscany for a few weeks—which I wasn’t opposed to, but the summer after we married was out of the question. I was working on completing my second master’s, and she wasn’t happy that I wouldn’t go with her.” Eric sighed softly. “I knew that I wanted to achieve certain goals by a certain time. I was focused on that. So focused that I didn’t realize I was losing my wife.”
He had recited these facts so casually that Deanna had to wonder if he had been at all heartbroken over the downfall of his marriage.
“You didn’t even make the two-year mark?” she asked.
“One
