Page 27 of Second Dance
I understand.
Gillian
I should go to sleep. Morning will come early.
Alex
I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner.
Gillian
Great. I’ll be sure to wear something besides leggings.
Alex
You look good in everything.
Gillian
That’s very sweet. Night, Alex.
Alex
Night. Sweet dreams.
On the patio the next morning I sipped a cup of coffee and ate Sonya’s delicious homemade granola. The ceramic mug warmedmy palms, steam curling up to mingle with the cool marine air. A soft gray blanket of fog muffled the distant crash of waves below. The mist caught hints of gold at its edges, hinting at the beautiful day that would soon emerge. I never tired of watching the fog roll out to sea. Something about it always seemed so hopeful. No matter how dense and cold the fog, soon it would reveal the sunshine and blue sky.
I’d slept later than usual. After the confrontation with Bella, in juxtaposition with the giddiness I felt about Gillian, I’d had trouble falling asleep. I’d finally drifted off close to two a.m. but woke again after a nightmare and was awake for another hour. The dream had taken place at the beach when the children were small. I was alone with them when a tidal wave suddenly headed toward us. I tried to save them, but the wave swallowed them up and carried them out to sea. I’d woken screaming.
Now, Sonya appeared with the coffee pot to pour me another cup. “Señor Alex, are you all right? You seem downcast this morning.”
“I didn’t sleep well.”
“I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
I glanced up at her sweet, round face. She was a tiny person. Couldn’t have been more than a hundred pounds soaking wet. Yet she seemed as if she could pull a car off someone should she need to. “I took your advice and went on that dating app.”
“Oh, I see.” She puckered her lips, waiting.
“I had a date last night. With someone I once knew.” I told her about Gillian as quickly as possible, without going into too many details, and trying to keep my tone from betraying how exhilarating it had been to see her.
“How remarkable.” She still held the coffee pot in her hand, but set it down on the table. “But what is wrong? I can see something’s troubling you.”
“Bella did not handle it well,” I said. “She’s not ready for me to start dating.”
“Miss Bella cannot decide what is best for you or the family. You must do what you believe is right.” She clucked her tongue. “Fourteen is such a hard age. My daughter was a terror at that age.”
“I don’t want to hurt her,” I said. “But I could see this going somewhere with Gillian. We were very much in love back in the day. And the feelings came rushing back the moment I saw her again.”
“Give it a little time. She’ll come around.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bella come through the French doors to the patio. I turned to look, wondering if she would sit with me.
“Miss Bella, would you like breakfast?” Sonya asked.
“No, thanks,” Bella said, sitting at the table next to me. “I’ll grab a banana later.”
Sonya gave me a supportive look before leaving me alone with my daughter. What version would I get today?
