Page 49 of The Bachelor's Dilemma

“I’m not sure how close we’ll ever become if Tom Tucker is in the middle.”

“He’s not.”

Anna realized suddenly it was taking a lot of energy to keep from looking at his picture at this moment. Was she still depending on Tom?

She really enjoyed being with Myles. She looked forward to seeing him, hearing about his day with Zack, learning about his life.

“No one can measure up to him. Especially now that he’s gone forever. No man can compete,” Myles said.

“And are you trying to compete?”

He hesitated a moment, then slowly nodded.

“Maybe.”

That surprised her. Was he really courting her? Panic flared. She wasn’t ready to be more than friends.

“I’d like to think we’re friends,” she said slowly.

“I think I’m jealous,” he admitted.

“Of a dead man?”

“It’s hard to compete with a ghost,” Myles said wryly.

“You don’t have to compete with anyone.”

She turned, stepped closer, erasing the distance between them.

“I think you are very special and I want to go with you. As long as I can get a babysitter. I don’t know if Edith will be up to it by Saturday.”

“Then we go if you can get a sitter,” he said. “I’ll head for home now. I’ll be here again in the morning.”

He stepped around her and left.

Anna spun around, astonished

He hadn’t kissed her goodnight.

Glaring at the door for a moment, she shifted her gaze to Tom’s closest picture.

She did look at them all the time. They kept her connected. But Myles was right, Tom was dead.

Her mother had said clinging to the past wouldn’t bring him back. Tears filled her eyes. Her first love was gone forever. For the millionth time, she wished she could turn back the clock. Hold on to what they had.

She yearned for his touch, his humor, his love. It vanished fourteen months ago, never to be again.

Walking over, she picked up her favorite picture and gazed into the dear face she’d never see again. She could hear the echo of his voice, his laugh. She could see the love in his eyes.

“I loved you,” she murmured. “It about killed me when you died. If I hadn’t had Zack, I don’t know how I could have coped. He’s such a great kid. You would have enjoyed watching him grow up, and would have taught him so much.”

She thought about it for a long moment, then sighed softly.

“Actually, Myles is teaching him things. How to be responsible. How to share. And a bit about families—even though he didn’t have one of his own.”

She hugged the frame against her chest. It was cold and hard.

With a deep sigh, she went slowly around the room and collected the pictures of Tom, reliving all the memories that flooded when she viewed each one. He’d forever be a part of her life.

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