Ruthie uses her body as a shield to protect the fresh platter of cheeseburger sliders from the town’s new, sexy playboy. When Davis tries to reach behind her for a slider, she smacks his hand away. “Stop that! You’ve already had three. Save some for others.”
Davis presses his hands together under his chin. “Please, Ruthie. Just one. Then I promise I’ll go away.”
Ruthie doesn’t want him to go away. She enjoys flirting with him, even if he is ten years younger than she is. The new owner of the local hardware store is positively swoon worthy, with chestnut wavy hair, chiseled features and ice-blue eyes.
“Fine. You may have one more.” She steps out of the way of the platter.
He grabs a slider, stuffs it into his mouth, and raises his pointer finger. “One more,” he says with food in his mouth.
“Absolutely not.” She grabs his arm and pulls him away from the food table. “Go mooch off some other unsuspecting merchant.”
“None of them are as pretty as you.” Placing a hand on her hip, he presses his body to hers. “Stop denying our attraction and have dinner with me.”
“I’ve told you a million times, I’m old enough to be your mother.”
He fingers a lock of hair off her forehead. “That would mean my mother gave birth to me at age ten. Which she obviously did not. Besides, I’m attracted to older women. How about next Wednesday night? I have tickets to Vino Bistro’s grand opening.”
Ruthie raises a manicured eyebrow. “But the opening is tonight.”
“No. I’m pretty sure it’s Wednesday.” Davis tugs his wallet out of his back pocket and removes two printed tickets. “Yep. Wednesday. See?” He hands her the ticket.
She lowers her pink readers from the top of her head and scans the printed information. Sure enough, the grand opening is scheduled for Wednesday. Maybe the restaurant is having a soft opening tonight. Or maybe Daniel is up to his old tricks.
Ruthie hands him back the tickets. “Seriously, Davis. I just got out of a long-term relationship. I’m not interested in starting up with someone new.” Which isn’t entirely true. She’s looking for a man to grow old with, someone to share her golden years. Their age difference makes Davis a poor candidate for the position.
“And I’m just the new guy in town looking for companionship. One date. No strings attached. I promise.”
She’s finding it increasingly more difficult to deny his infectious charm. Why not go on one date with him? Besides, the grand opening sounds like fun. “Okay. One date, no strings attached.”
He fingers an X across his heart. “You have my solemn vow. By the way, a group of us are heading over to the Blue Saloon for drinks later. Care to join us?”
“I can’t. I have a date,” she says, busying herself with collecting empty trays from the food table.
“I’m jealous. Who’s the lucky guy?”
“I never kiss and tell,” Ruthie says, and saunters toward the diner with hips swaying for his benefit.
* * *
When Spring Fling ends at six, Ruthie rushes home to change into a black wrap dress before driving out to Love-Struck. While dim lights burn from inside the bistro, the parking lot is empty. Daniel must have his dates mixed up. She read somewhere that confusion following a massive stroke is normal. She’s backing out of the parking space to leave when Daniel emerges from inside.
He holds up his hand to stop her and approaches the car. She rolls down the window. “Where is everyone? Isn’t the opening tonight? Or is it Wednesday?”
A devilish smile tugs at the left side of his lips. “We’re having our own private soft opening tonight.” He opens her door and helps her out of the car. “I’ve arranged a special evening in your honor. We’ll be the first to sample Chef Michael’s tasting menu, and Bruce will pour the first bottle of our new Brut Blanc de Blancs. For your listening pleasure, a harpist will serenade us with romantic music.” He offers her an elbow. “Shall we? Our table is ready on the terrace.”
Ruthie inspects the new decor as they pass through the inside dining area. A white marble bar takes up the far wall, while a combination of tables with cream chairs and booths with sapphire-blue upholstered benches occupy the rest of the room.
They emerge through sliding doors to the stone terrace where the harpist is playing soft music from a remote corner. Daniel leads her to their table, which is set with linens and candles and positioned near a burning fire pit.
He pulls her chair out, and she smiles up at him as she sits down. “This is very tasteful, Daniel. You’ve outdone yourself.”
“Casey helped a lot. She has exquisite taste,” Daniel says, taking the chair opposite her.
Bruce appears with his bottle of bubbly. He greets Ruthie with a smile but says little as he fills two Champagne flutes.
Daniel waits for Bruce to leave the table before proposing a toast. “To us.”
Her smile fades. “There is no us, Daniel.” Instead of clinking his glass, she brings hers to her lips and sips.
Daniel appears wounded. “Of course, there’s an us. We have history, Ruthie. You can’t erase the ten years we spent together.”
“Our relationship was one of convenience. Your convenience. I was the dirty little secret you kept hidden.” Anger surges through her, and she extends an arm at the empty tables around them. “Apparently nothing’s changed, because here we are alone in your restaurant. God forbid anyone see us together.”
“You’re mistaken, Ruthie. I saw this as an opportunity to wow you, to show you how much you mean to me.”
“Really?” She folds her hands and rests them on the table. “Then who are you taking to the official grand opening on Wednesday?”
“I was going to ask you to be my date.”
Ruthie softens. He went to a lot of trouble to impress her, and she doesn’t want to spoil the evening by telling him she already has a date for Wednesday. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to jump down your throat. Can we try to enjoy ourselves without talking about us?”
“I would like that.” Daniel’s gaze shifts to something behind her. “And here comes our first courses now.”
Chef Michael arrives with samples of the bistro’s appetizers—artichoke ravioli, peach burrata salad, and fried green tomatoes. Next up, he serves reduced portions of entrees—swordfish and duck breast and hanger steak—followed by a platter of desserts—orange sponge cake and key lime Brulé. Throughout the meal, Bruce hovers nearby, keeping their glasses filled with the vineyard’s newly formulated wines.
They are both tipsy by the time they finished eating. Ruthie waves her wineglass in the air. “I deem Vino Bistro an enormous success. The food was delizioso, as are your new wines. Thank you for allowing me the honor of taking part in your soft opening,” she says with a giggle and a hiccup.
“The honor was all mine.” Daniel gets up from his chair and helps Ruthie to her feet. “Neither of us should drive right now. Why don’t we go sit by my pool while we sober up?”
“What time is it?” Ruthie grabs his arm to look at his watch. “How is it only nine o’clock? It feels much later. I can stay for a few minutes.” She wags a finger at him. “But I’m warning you, Daniel Love, I am not spending the night with you.”
“Fair enough,” he says, and they start off across the lawn toward his house.
They reach the pool, kick off their shoes, and stretch out on lounge chairs, staring up at the half moon.
Ruthie lets out a contented sigh. “This is nice.”
“Yes, it is. There’s something I want to talk to you about. Move over,” Daniel says, nudging Ruthie to make room for him on her chaise lounge.
“Uh-oh. Should I be worried?” Ruthie asks as she slides over.
“Not at all.” He places an arm around her, drawing her in close to snuggle.
Ruthie has missed the feel of his body next to hers. She’s missed his insatiable hunger for sex. And she’s missed lounging in bed with him on rainy Sunday mornings. But she has not missed all the other lonely nights of the week and the constant worry that he was out with someone else.
Daniel kisses her forehead. “I screwed things up for us. I was a real jerk to you. But I learned a lot about myself during my illness, and I’m a different man now. I’m lucky to be alive, and I want to enjoy the rest of my days to the fullest. I can only do that with you, Ruthie.” His free hand produces a black velvet ring box.
Ruthie sits up straight. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Yep.” He opens the box, revealing the biggest, most sparkling diamond Ruthie has ever seen. “No more secondhand rings. I bought this one especially for you.”
Ruthie jumps to her feet. “What is wrong with you? That stroke affected your brain worse than I thought. We’re not even together anymore and you’re proposing marriage.” She strides across the deck and sits down on the edge of the pool with her feet dangling in the water.
Daniel comes to sit beside her. “I’m confused. I thought marriage is what you wanted.”
“Once upon a time, I wanted nothing more than to be your wife. But I don’t know what I want anymore.” Ruthie has worked all her life, and she’s ready for some time off. She could lead a life of wealth and privilege with Daniel. But he’s seven years older, and he’s suffered a massive stroke, which places him at risk for health complications in the years ahead. Ruthie yearns to travel, to see the world. Or at least the country. She can’t do that if she’s married to an invalid.
“Do you still have feelings for me, Ruthie?”
“My feelings for you aren’t the issue.” She shifts her body toward him. “The years we spent together were both the best and the worst of my life. I loved being with you. But I was miserable when we were apart. Your refusal to allow me to be a part of your life had a negative impact on me. My self-esteem is finally recovering, and I’ve enjoyed my freedom these past few months. I’m having fun dating around.”
His mouth turns downward. “Are you serious about any of these other men?”
“All of them are a good time, but none of them are you,” she says, her tone soft and genuine.
“So, there’s still hope for me?”
His sincerity tugs at her heartstrings. She’s never seen this vulnerable side of him. “Of course, there’s hope. Somewhere down the road, maybe. Just not right now.”
He runs his finger down her cheek. “Then I’ll have to court you with flowers and chocolates and elaborate dinners.”
“That will definitely help. As long as you understand I don’t want to be exclusive.”
“I understand.” He closes the ring box and sets it on the pool deck beside him. “I’ll keep this in a safe place for now.”
Ruthie lifts her feet out of the water and stands. “I should go.”
Daniel gets up with her. “Are you okay to drive?”
“Your proposal sobered me right up. Truth be told, I didn’t drink that much. I mostly just sipped.”
“Then I’ll walk you to your car,” he says, offering her his elbow.
Ruthie has a bad premonition as they walk in silence back to the parking lot. Is she making the wrong decision in turning down his proposal? Then again, after all he’s put her through in the past, how can she consider marrying him when she still has so many reservations?