after graduation, all the while planning to get married and start a family. But then life got in the way.
First, SuAnn’s father had unexpectedly died, leaving her to care for her inconsolable mother and little sister. Nicholas had gone into the Army right after high school and served in the Vietnam War. By the time he came home years later, SuAnn was married and pregnant with Janine. She’d heard he was home, but didn’t see him because she knew it would’ve been too hard.
Years later, at their high school reunion, she’d seen him with his wife, and her heart had broken a little. As much as she wanted him to be happy, he’d been her soulmate as far as she was concerned. After that reunion, she’d never gone to another one, not wanting to see him again. It was just too hard.
Even after her husband died, and she’d remarried, she’d thought about Nicky. Where was he? Was he still married? Could old sparks be rekindled?
“Nicholas, why are you here?” She was still standing on the other side of the counter, wanting to keep a safe distance between them.
“Because I never stopped thinking about you, SuAnn.”
She stared at him. “It’s been decades, for goodness’ sakes! And you’re married!”
He shook his head. “Darlin’, I was only married for six years. We never even had kids.”
“What?”
“But you were married. And then, when your husband died, I didn’t figure it was the time to ask you on a date.”
“How did you know my husband died?”
“I kept up through friends from school, as best I could anyway. I know Richard died when your girls were still teenagers.”
She softened a bit at the mention of her precious husband and father of her girls. Richard had been such a solid figure in all of their lives, and he’d allowed SuAnn to be who she was. After losing him when Julie was just a junior in high school, it had forced her to go to work and raise her girls on her own. Sure, they were older, but they’d needed her more than ever after their daddy had died.
“He was a wonderful husband and father.” She didn’t know why she suddenly felt the need to defend his honor.
“I’m sure he was.”
“There were quite a lot of years between my marriage to Richard and my marriage to Buddy. So, if you were so interested in finding me, why didn’t you do it then?”
He sighed. “I got married again. Tricia was her name. She passed away about three years ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Look, Susie, maybe too many years have passed, but I couldn’t keep going through life without checking in on you. And when I did an Internet search and saw you’d opened a bakery in this little town, I decided to take my last shot.”
She couldn’t help but feel flattered. But decades had passed between them. She wasn’t the same girl from high school, and she was sure he wasn’t the same boy either.
“I don’t know what you want me to say, Nicky.”
He smiled, the corners of his weathered eyes turning up like little smiles themselves. “I want you to say you’ll go to dinner with me tomorrow night.”
She poked her lip out and cocked her head like she was deep in thought. In reality, she was about to bust a gut to say yes.
“Well, I suppose that could be arranged.”
Nick laughed. “I’ll pick you up right here at seven.”
As he turned toward the door, she struggled not to giggle like a schoolgirl. The man she’d dreamed about finding her one day actually had. Maybe second chances weren’t just for young people, after all.
* * *
Dixie laid her head on the table. “She hates me.”
“I’m sure that’s not true!” Julie said, rubbing her back. “She’s probably just protective of her daddy. That’s all.”
Dixie sat up and sighed. “I’m telling you, dinner last night was a disaster. I was so jittery that I burned the pork chops. You know I never burn food!”
Julie sat down beside her. “You’ve got to calm down, lady. You’re starting to aggravate your tremors.” Whenever Dixie got nervous, her left hand shook. It always worried Julie because she didn’t want her disease to progress any faster than it had to, and stress was one of the worst things for her health.
“Harry keeps telling me I’m overreacting, but I know when someone doesn’t like me. Especially another woman. You know, you can just tell.”
“Why don’t you talk to her? Clear the air? See what she’s