been right about him being nice. Any woman would be happy to be out on a date with him. Unfortunately, no matter how much Sam tried to convince herself she should be attracted to him, there was no spark between them yet.
They got their ice cream and walked along the dock, checking out all of the different types of boats moored there.
“Meg’s boyfriend lives on a boat, right?” he asked.
She scanned the marina, then pointed to a sailboat a few docks away. “Yeah, something similar to that sailboat.”
“Ah.” He looked down at his dessert and took a huge bite. “Do you think she’s serious about him?” he mumbled.
Sam stopped abruptly. Now that she was no longer moving, the sway of the dock was much more apparent. “You know, I don’t really know. They’ve been together for a few months, but I’ve only met him once. I only know what his boat looks like because Meg pointed it out to me when we were down at the Willa Bay Marina.” She cocked her head to the side. “Why do you ask?”
“Oh, no reason,” he said quickly, stuffing the rest of his cone in his mouth.
“You’re not interested in my sister, are you?” It seemed like a weird thing to ask on a first date, but the words spilled out before she could censor them.
He choked slightly and swallowed. “Like romantically?” He cleared his throat, avoiding her eyes.
“Yeah.” She peered at him. “Are you?” And if he was interested in Meg, why had he agreed to go out on a date with her younger sister?
“No, of course not. We’re just friends.” He started walking again, this time toward the ramp leading off the docks.
She jogged to keep up with him. When they reached the top of the ramp, she tapped him on the shoulder. “Are you sure?”
“Sure of what?” he asked, nonchalant.
“That you don’t have a thing for Meg.” She stared at him.
He sighed, then said in an irritated voice, “There’s nothing going on between Meg and me.”
Sam noticed he’d sidestepped her question, but she wasn’t going to press the matter further. One thing was for sure though—Taylor had feelings for her sister, whether he knew it or not. The walk back to the restaurant parking lot seemed to take twice as long in silence as it had when they’d chatted amicably on the way to the marina.
On the ride home she again made an effort to entice him into conversation, and this time she was successful. As they chatted, the walls Taylor had erected earlier seemed to melt away. When he reached her apartment complex, he dropped her off at the front of her unit, and they said friendly goodbyes before she got out of the car and walked herself to her door.
Up until she’d asked him about Meg, she’d had a good time, so this hadn’t been the worst date ever. However, it was safe to say there wouldn’t be a second one, as he obviously had feelings for her sister.
Still, her family had been right. Going out with Taylor had made her realize that she needed to have more fun, and that breaking up with Brant hadn’t been the end to her social life. She and Taylor hadn’t been a match made in heaven, but her time would come. Until then, she had plenty of time to figure out the other aspects of her life.
13
Debbie
“You seem like you’ve been feeling a little down lately.” Debbie’s husband Peter set his fork on his empty plate and peered at her from his customary seat across from her at the dining room table. “Is there something going on?”
Debbie pushed strands of noodles around her plate, twirling them into intricate patterns and piles. A thick lump had formed in her throat, making it impossible to eat. “I’ve been kind of out of sorts since finding out about Diana’s death last month.” It had started well before that, to be truthful, but the shock of discovering her friend had died brought her sense of unrest to the forefront.
“I’m sorry, honey. I know her death hit you hard. Is there anything I can do to help?”
She shrugged and met his eyes, which were full of kind sympathy as he regarded her. She swallowed hard, then said, “I don’t know. I’m not used to feeling like this—like I’m not in control of my own life.”
He frowned, deep furrows lining his forehead. “Nobody has complete control over what happens to them.” He got up from his chair