firmly in the grandma years, acted as young as Lilly sometimes.
“Good glorious morning, all,” Ruby said as she entered the kitchen. She caught sight of Sara’s face and grimaced. “Okay, maybe not for all. What happened to you?”
“Wee disagreement among drinking buddies got out of hand at the Beach Bum.”
Ruby examined the bruise a bit more closely. “Girl, I think dating might be safer on your next night off.”
Sara snorted and pointed toward her proof of fisticuffs. “I don’t think I’ll be attracting any men anytime soon.”
“I don’t think Adam would mind,” Tana said, mischief in her voice.
“Who’s Adam?” Ruby asked.
Sara gave Tana the evil eye, which only made her smile her “Ha, ha, I got you” smile.
“No one,” Sara answered Ruby.
“He’s this totally good-looking guy Mom met when she had to investigate a prowler at his house.”
Ruby shoved her tanned hands into the pockets of her white capri pants. “Do tell.”
Tana started to speak, but Sara jumped in before she could get a word out. “Contrary to Tana’s wild imagination, there is nothing to tell. It was Adam Canfield.”
“Oh, he is easy on the eyes.”
“And knows it,” Sara mumbled.
“There was definite sparkage going on between them,” Tana said, amusement in her words.
Sara’s mouth fell open before she caught herself. “Tana, don’t lie!”
“I’m not. I may be thirteen, but I’m not blind.”
Sara rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation. She took a long drink of coffee and dreaded the next few years of hormonal teenage girl.
“He’d be a catch if someone managed to do it,” Ruby said with an eye twinkle of her own.
“Yeah, he’s a real catch. He ‘works’ at the pier and hangs out at the Beach Bum as his main form of recreation.”
“So he’s a laid-back type of guy. Too many uptight people in the world, if you ask me.”
Sara looked at Ruby. Did the older woman think Sara was among the uptight throng?
“You should ask him to the Helping Hands Ball,” Tana said, her voice going up in excitement.
“I think not.”
“Why not?” Tana asked.
“Because he’s not the type of guy I’m looking for, okay, Miss Pushy. Now go get ready for school.”
Tana might be getting old enough to notice guys, but Sara didn’t feel like trying to explain how she didn’t want to let herself think about Adam in a romantic way. She tended to care for a guy too easily, and she didn’t want to fall for someone who would only end up hurting her. She’d seen how it had hurt her father.
Tana threw her hands up in exasperation then headed for her room.
Lilly tired of the grown-up conversation and took her doll into the living room and parked herself in front of the Cartoon Network.
“I think a date with Adam might work out better for you than drinks with coworkers,” Ruby said as she gestured toward Sara’s bruise.
Sara turned and poured the last few drops of her coffee down the sink and rinsed the cup. “He’s good-looking, yes. Looks aren’t important though when compared to other attributes.”
“He saved a child’s life.”
“I’m aware of that.” As if that negated the entire con column about dating him.
She walked past Ruby and ushered the girls toward the door. “Come on, I’ve got to get to work.”
The girls went out the door, but Ruby paused before stepping over the threshold. She nodded toward Sara’s collection of classic TV shows on DVD. The Andy Griffith Show. Little House on the Prairie. The Waltons.
“You need to stop looking for Mr. Perfect because he doesn’t exist. He’s fiction. If you keep passing up real guys for the myth, you’re going to grow old alone. And trust me, you don’t want to do that.”
It was the first time Sara had ever heard Ruby express any sort of hint of dissatisfaction with her life.
“I just don’t think he’s the sort of guy for me. You know his reputation.”
“It’s a date, Sara.” Ruby squeezed Sara’s hand. “Stop pressuring yourself to find the perfect daddy for those girls. And stop thinking that taking time for yourself in some way makes you a bad mother. You need space.” She nodded in the direction the girls had taken. “They need space.”
With that, Ruby made her exit, leaving Sara searching for a response that never came. Slowly, she closed the door and leaned against it. Adam was delicious…
“Arrggh,” she said and pushed away from the door. She couldn’t let Ruby and Tana’s tag-team matchmaking get to her. There was a perfect guy for her, she knew it. She