Page 188 of Sing with Me

“It’s in the Bible.” Skye realized she had reached into her purse with her sticky fingers. “Aargh. Let me go wash my hands and I’ll look up the verse for you.”

Diehl also took the opportunity to run to the men’s restroom. When he returned, the server had brought them the dessert menu. He was debating between peach cobbler and pecan pie when Skye returned, texting on her way.

“Seb texted to say he arrived safely in Athens and asked how dinner was.” Skye sat down. “He’s waiting for Em to get ready so they could go to a seafood restaurant.”

Something about that idea made Diehl all warm inside. A simple dinner out with the one he loved meant all the world to him—more than luxury vacations, new fast cars, and expensive jewelries.

Ah, why did he compare Skye with his deceased wife? Skye was nothing like Isobel. While Isobel lived from party to party, drink to drink, burning holes in their fortune, Skye was down to earth, practical, and sensible.

Here they were, having a pleasant dinner without it erupting into a big fight and different bedrooms afterwards—as it had been for years with Isobel. If she didn’t get her way, there would be a price to pay for months on end. Isobel never forgave a grudge. She carried them around with her for years, like precious little cargos.

“What’s on your mind?” Skye smiled. “Something amiss?”

“No, no. I was thinking of how…” His voice cracked. He wanted to be stronger, but it hit him at his rib cage. He cleared his throat. “About how nice it is to be have a pleasant dinner conversation.”

“Shouldn’t this be a normal thing?” Skye asked. “Stress makes digestion harder.”

“Not just physiologically, but I haven’t had peace of mind until I got saved. Now I see all the things that are possible. Like a nice dinner with someone I love.”

Diehl waited for her reaction.

She sat there, looking at him.

“Have I ever told you that?” Diehl asked.

“No.”

“I have thought of it for a while.”

“Three weeks?”

“I realized it last week.” Diehl kept his voice down. “Whenever we weren’t together, I wanted to be with you.”

Crowds of people were being seated all around them.

“Let’s vacate. Someone’s probably waiting for this table.” Skye waved to their server who seemed to have forgotten to drop off the check.

“What about dessert?” Diehl asked.

“I’m on a diet. I ate too much this week.”

“You still look good.”

“Wait until next week.” Skye chuckled.

When the server came over, Diehl reached for the check. “Let me take that.”

“I’ll get the tips.” Skye unzipped her purse.

“No. It’s on me.”

“Then let me pay for gas,” Skye said.

Diehl looked up. “I have a full tank.”

“I need to do something.”

Diehl found it interesting that Skye wanted to pay for something. Didn’t she realize that he didn’t need any help at all? This dinner was nothing to him. The entire cost of dinner was way below any tip he had given a server in the last year he’d gone out to meals with Dad or a colleague. And yet it was the best dinner conversation he’d had in a long time.

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