Page 39 of Second Dance
“Not ruined. For one brief, glorious moment, the world was ours.” I spoke lightly to hide how much it was going to hurt to get out of his car and go back to my regular life.
When I reached for the car door, he pressed his fingers into my wrist. “Gillie, I found you again. I’m not letting you go a second time. I’ll figure it out.”
I smiled at him, reaching up to graze my knuckles against his high cheekbone. “You know where I am, if and when you’re ready to explore whatever this is. But if you decide it’s too hard for Bella, then I understand. I’m a mother. Grace’s well-being is my top priority. I know you feel the same about your kids.”
He covered my hand with his, looking at me with soulful eyes. “Thanks, Gillie. For being so gracious and understanding.”
“Always.” I leaned closer, giving him a soft peck of a kiss, before opening the car door and stepping into the fragrant summer night.
The five of them were all together watching a movie when I came into the living room. The girls were on the couch, sharing a blanket while Delphine sat in one of the chairs. Lila was on the floor with a pillow behind her back, leaning against the sofa. However, the moment they saw me, someone switched off the television and they all turned to me.
“Mom, you’re back so early. Did it go badly?” Grace asked, scooting to the edge of the couch.
“It went extremely well … until it didn’t.”
“Tell us everything,” Lila said, already reaching for the open bottle of wine on the coffee table to pour some into an empty glass. She handed it to me. “But first, take off your sandals and have a sip of wine.”
I did as she suggested, sinking into one of the easy chairs.
“What happened?” Delphine asked. “Did he do something to make you uncomfortable?”
“Not at all. He’s the perfect gentleman. Always was. We had a wonderful dinner and then walked downtown. I wanted to show him Seraphina’s books at Ink & Anchor. And we were … um … in the romance section and we kissed.”
The three teenagers cheered, until they saw my face.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” Grace asked.
“Right as we were in the middle of it, his daughter showed up out of nowhere. She was with two friends. And when she saw us, she totally lost it. She said horrible things to Alex and then stormed off.”
“The poor girl lost her mother,” Delphine said. “She’s not going to be able to react rationally to her father dating again.”
“Maybe she just needs a little time?” Lila asked.
“Or for you to show Bella how awesome you are,” Annie said. “Win her over like you do all your students.”
“I don’t know if it’s possible. She wouldn’t even look at me.” I gazed down at my wine, sadder than I should be, given how new this all was.
“Maybe the timing’s just wrong,” Delphine said. “You shouldn’t get your hopes up about this guy.”
“No, we’ll fix it,” Grace said emphatically. “We can invite them over for dinner and Bella will see how great you are. Maybe I could even talk to her—get her to open up. It’s going to be fine.”
“I do feel bad for Bella,” Annie said. “It’s hard to lose a parent. I wish we could help her somehow.”
“Me too,” Lila said.
“Yeah, and I get why Bella’s upset,” Mia said. “Change is really hard.”
“But sometimes change brings great things. Like my mom.” Grace flopped against the back of the couch. “Bella’s just being dramatic. She’ll totally get over it.”
“We can’t expect her to get over it,” Delphine said. “She’s a teenage girl, still mourning her mother.”
“Not everything works out,” Mia said. “Which really sucks.”
“Maybe I could talk to her,” Annie said. “She’s on my soccer team.”
“And say what exactly?” Delphine asked. “Just get over it and move on?”
“Mom, no. I’d tell her how great Gillian is and she’d be so lucky to have her as a stepmom,” Annie said.
