Page 54 of The Bachelor's Dilemma

“Yes.”

“Not too tired to go out to dinner, are you?” he asked as they began walking toward her apartment.

“No. Are you?”

“I feel fine. Better than fine. Might be the best thing I’ve done for a while.”

“Good.”

He stopped outside her apartment building.

“I’ll go clean up and be back here at seven.”

“Okay. See you then.”

She hurried to the elevator and only when the doors closed behind her did she sag against the wall. She was so tired she could scarcely keep her eyes open. But she wouldn’t admit that to anyone. She wanted to go out with Myles tonight.

Zack and Edith greeted her. Edith was back to normal and had prepared a small dinner for her and Zack. She asked after the school renovations.

“You went to my school?” Zack asked.

“Yes, Myles and I worked on getting it fixed up. It’s going to look terrific before you know it. And it’ll pass all the inspections the city requires. Myles worked harder than anyone,” she told him.

“I want to go with Myles,” Zack said.

“On Tuesday, when you go to school, you ask the teacher to show you where Myles worked, okay?”

“’Kay.”

As Anna prepared for her date, she felt butterflies in her stomach. She’d been on two other dates since Tom had died, both a bust in her opinion.

The first man was nice enough, but they had so little to talk about.

The second hadn’t been especially fond of children and had during the evening asked if she would stop talking about her son so much. That had been an instant turnoff.

After those experiences, she’d declined other invitations to dinner. She was happier with Zack than with men she scarcely knew.

Myles was different. For one thing, he really liked her son.

For another, he enticed her like no other. His kisses drove her crazy. And his calm approach to life was like a balm. She worried all the time that she alone wouldn’t be able to raise Zack, yet around Myles, she felt confident. He’d told her more than once she was doing a good job.

The dress she put on was new. Was it sexy enough to get Myles to sit up and take notice? She pictured him with eyes for only her. She made a face at her fantasy and brushed her hair. Putting on her lipstick, she was ready.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to quell her nerves. For heaven’s sake, she and Myles had spent hours together over the last couple of weeks. This was merely a time for adults, no Zack around. Not so different.

And she vowed she wouldn’t talk about her son all night. Though what they would talk about other than Zack was beyond her at the moment. If not for Zack, they never would have met.

Edith was talking with Zack, and Anna could hear the soft murmur of her voice. He was annoyed that he wasn’t included in tonight’s outing. While sympathetic, Anna had told him that there were some times he didn’t get his own way, and he needed to learn that young. Edith was reinforcing the sentiment.

She heard the knock at the door as she stepped out of her bedroom. And Zack’s “I’ll get it.”

She started to protest, but it would do little good.

When she could see the door, she was surprised to find Myles down at Zack’s level, talking to him. The little boy was nodding, looking solemn.

Myles stood when he saw Anna and smiled. Her heart fluttered. He looked devastatingly handsome in the dark suit and white shirt. His tie was silver and blue. She’d never seen him in a suit before. He was dynamite. Every woman who saw him tonight would envy her.

Anna smiled. It felt good.

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