MARTHA WAS NERVOUS as hell about having dinner with Dan. She spent an age choosing just the right outfit, settling on a simple black cocktail dress that she had hardly worn.
She busied herself writing Christmas cards and letters, replying to many of the people with whom she had developed a correspondence, later wrapping the kids’ presents, trying to find good places to hide them. It seemed strange to be having her first Christmas without Mike: though Alice and Patrick had begged and pleaded for her to invite him to join them for their Christmas Day meal, Martha was not so sure it was a good idea.
Dan collected her promptly, kissing her full on the lips before even getting into the car.
‘I thought we might get another of those fish suppers we both like,’ he said.
Martha was puzzled until she discovered they were eating in a tiny fish restaurant built on a jetty overlooking the harbour. The waiter led them to a table in the window and Martha’s eyes widened when she saw the price on the menu. Dan burst out laughing at her reaction.
‘Martha, you are some woman!’ he teased. ‘The only one I’ve ever met who doesn’t want me to spend any money on her, which believe me is pretty rare.’
She smiled, telling him to hush up as she considered the menu. When the wine waiter came, Martha blushed from top to toe as Dan threatened to order a bottle of champagne. She stuck to a single glass of dry white wine.
The food was good and they both relaxed and chatted easily, Martha finding it easy to talk to him as she told him about her work and how important it was to her but how emotionally involved she tended to get.
‘It must sure be something to be able to help your fellow man the way you do,’ Dan said, praising her. ‘You have a pretty amazing gift or ability, whatever you like to call it.’
‘Since I discovered the healing gift, my life has totally changed. Mostly it’s all right because I like to help people but other times it’s almost unbearable.’ She told him about Cass and the pain of losing her. ‘No matter what I did there was no saving her.’
‘She was the Lord’s,’ he said simply. ‘So don’t go blaming yourself.’
‘That’s a nice way of putting it, Dan,’ she thanked him, realizing how kind he was.
‘I think you are quite a sensitive being,’ he said gently, ‘and I’m a pretty lucky guy to be sitting here with you, holding your hand.’
She in turn asked him about his work and how it was going.
‘You don’t want to hear!’ he joked. ‘We dropped about ten million dollars in the past two months. Some people say the computer industry is up the Swanee, but I’m not one of them. OK, so we were all probably overvalued and our stock was in for a tumble and a bit of a downfall. As my mother, Lord rest her, would say: Danny, what good is paper money? Give me cash!’
He sounded so matter of fact about it that Martha respected him for it. ‘That’s a good way to think about it. Your mom was right,’ she said.
‘I know we’re in for a rough ride for the next few months, maybe a year or two, but anyone who keeps their head down and doesn’t bullshit should get through it.’
The evening passed far too quickly. Martha was enjoying herself more than she could have imagined as they laughed and shared disaster stories about their kids. Dan told her about his two grown-up sons who both worked in the business and lived in Silicon Valley too.
‘I get to keep a good eye on them and make sure they behave!’
Martha sipped an Irish coffee as Dan settled the bill.
‘Listen, Martha, I fly back to San Francisco tomorrow, and probably won’t be back to the East Coast till mid-January. I’m no young buck but I don’t know how I’m going to last out that long without seeing you again. I don’t know how you feel but I’m a straight talker and that’s the way I feel!’ he said.
Martha looked across at his broad face and hazel eyes, creased with laughter lines, his greying hair cut tight into his head, showing off his strong features, and knew it was a face she could love.
‘I’ll miss you,’ she said simply.
Outside the house she asked him to kiss her, reaffirming her attraction to him.
‘Do you want to come in?’ she asked. ‘The kids are still at their dad’s, and I promise I’m fairly sober.’
Once inside she felt suddenly shy and nervous as Dan pulled her into his arms, asking herself was she ready to become involved with another man? Dan dispelled any such doubts as her body began to respond to his.