Page 3 of Return To Love

She nodded and slid into the semi-circular booth until she sat on his left. Placing her clutch on the table, she rubbed her cold palms together and looked around.

Set over a small set of stairs and apart from the rest of the tables, the cozy booth had a nearly three-sixty-degree view of the restaurant and of the snow transforming the streets into winter wonderland. The cheery atmosphere made her keenly aware of the little bubble of tension between them.

When the waitress appeared, they chose a bunch of appetizers—a habit leftover from when they could ill afford expensive dishes.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Dom said, without meeting her eyes.

Nodding, Mona took in the familiar light brown flecks in his eyes, the sharp angle of his jaw, the dent at the end of his long beak of a nose that he had gained during freshman year at UW.

Then there were all the ways he’d changed in eight months. His thick wavy hair piled on top with the sides shaved. The designer cut suited him as did the contacts replacing his nerdy glasses. The red sweater sat snugly across his shoulders.

Apparently, her husband had gotten quite the makeover.

Had he thought she’d left him because she didn’t find him attractive anymore? Or was this the sustainable change she’d hoped for in his lifestyle?

She took a sip of her ice-cold water to arrest the questions piling up.

Arm thrown over the seat behind him, Dom faced her. “So, tell me about yourself.”

“Like what?” Mona demanded sharply, then sighed. “I’m not used to first dates either,” she said, aiming for honesty.

“I’ll go then.” He grinned, his enthusiasm apparently endless. “Recently, I’ve discovered carpentry as a new hobby.”

That explained the calluses on his palms. “You don’t look like the pic you shared on the app either,” she said, borrowing his idea.

His expression turned sheepish. “My life fell apart a few months ago. I lost something…precious, and it became a wake-up call. I’ve been focusing on eating better and working out and…on being present for those who need me.”

A tight ache clamped her throat, and she cleared it. “You look great.”

His grin bloomed wider. “Thanks.”

If curiosity was her first flaw, being competitive about everything was her second. No way was he going to show her up with his transformative summer. It was high time she shared her dreams and needs too. “My summer has been full of research and just plain fun for a project. It’s been challenging but also a dream come true. I’m finally doing something I’ve wanted to do for years.”

“A dream come true.” His grin dimmed. “Care to share it?”

“Far too intimate for a first date,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s a privilege to know all of me.”

His thick brows drew down into a frown. Slowly, something utterly wicked lit up his gaze.

Their waitress appeared, her tray teeming with their drinks and appetizers.

When she left, Mona picked up the glass of red wine and held it up. “To starting over.”

Dom muttered, “Wait.”

He dove into the insides of the navy blazer lying on the seat and pulled out a package of the sulfite removing sticks she used to carry around before she’d gotten sick and stopped drinking.

Her wine glass shook as she stared at him. “You’re carrying those?”

“Don’t want you to get that blasted headache tomorrow,” he said, opening one and dipping it into the wine.

Mona looked away as tears prickled.

Not a big surprise that her responsible, super-protective, ultra-provider husband remembered she got awful headaches on red wineorthat he would carry them in case she showed up tonight,and in caseshe wanted to drink her favorite wine. And yet, when she’d truly needed him…he had let her down.

“Mona?”

She swallowed her doubts and clinked her glass against his. “I don’t know what to say.”

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