with and enjoy the rest of your dinner.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
I meant losing you just to spite him. She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, I suppose. You’re not all that chatty yourself.”
“It’s been a rough week. Tends to wear me down.”
“Clients?”
He nodded.
“I thought it might be the case when you didn’t call.”
He looked at her. “It’s not the reason I didn’t call. I figured you were done. I didn’t want to bother you.”
“We…haven’t yet said goodbye. This isn’t over.”
“It ended last week. This…” He looked around the restaurant. His chest moved, falling with a silent sigh. “This is just a favor between friends. You don’t owe me anything for tonight.”
“But—”
“I don’t want anything from you, Vera. When I first asked you out, I wanted to help you get back on your feet again to date other men. Somewhere along the way, I lost my noble intentions, but last week reminded us both of where we stand. You’re not ready to move on, and I’m ready to settle down. In fact, I’ve been ready for a long time. We’re at different stages in life, that’s all.” His gaze moved past her. “Darren’s just arrived with his date.”
Vera’s eyes widened, and she fought the urge to turn around. “Is it the same woman from last week?”
“No, a different one.” Rowan looked back at her. “Are you ready?”
She inhaled deeply. “Yes, I am.”
“All right.” Rowan pushed back his chair, but instead of standing, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a large flat rectangle wrapped in white tissue. “I was going to give it to you tonight, after dinner, as a goodbye gift, but I think you could use it now.”
With trembling hands, Vera unfolded the tissue to reveal a photograph printed on metal. “Oh…” she breathed. The dim lights of the restaurant could not detract from the natural beauty of the dark-haired woman fast asleep on a blanket spread over the sand. Next to her, a golden-haired toddler, her small fingers wrapped around the handle of a sand-filled bucket, flashed a mischievous grin.
Rowan continued speaking. “I noticed you didn’t have any pictures of you and Allison together. This is one of several I took last week. I’ll e-mail all of them to you, but I thought you might like to have something here, now, before you confront Darren.”
Vera stared at the picture, finally seeing herself through Rowan’s eyes. The woman in the photograph, wearing a T-shirt and jeans, was powerful and unstoppable, because she had felt loved and adored by the man who had taken that photograph.
Vera drew in a deep breath. The foggy and uncertain paths of her future seemed clearer. She set the photograph down where she could enjoy it all through dinner and picked up her menu. “I don’t think I need to see Darren at all.”
Confusion flickered through Rowan’s amber eyes.
She met his gaze. “I’m here at dinner with you. I’m not going to let Darren spoil it for us. Let’s just enjoy this time we have together.”
He studied her for a moment before returning his attention to the menu. She sensed his unasked question though. When would their “time together” end?
Vera wished she knew the answer to that question. It lingered at the back of her mind, like the constant, nagging itch of a mosquito bite, as appetizers, entrées, and desserts passed in a swirl of lively, though impersonal, conversations. Apparently, Rowan was no more certain than she was of jumping back into the deep end of a presumably doomed relationship. Were they on a timer, or weren’t they?
She was no closer to an answer by the time Rowan pulled up in front of her townhouse. He cut the engine and turned to look at her. “Is this goodnight and goodbye?”
“I don’t know,” she said. The honest answer made her stomach ache. “Would you like to come in for a nightcap?”
“Vera, I don’t think—”
“It’s just coffee, Rowan. No expectations.”
Rowan released his breath in a sound that married an ironic chuckle with a sigh. “No expectations? We’re long past that stage. We can’t go back.” He rested an arm on the steering wheel. A muscle twitched in his smooth cheek. “I want you, Vera, but I can still walk away without leaving too much of myself behind.”
“Are you saying that it’s kinder if I let you go?”
“I’m saying it’s kinder if you make up your mind sooner rather than later. So, should I still come in for the nightcap?”
“Yes.” The