Page 33 of Second Chances

She laughed as he showed her that sexy smile of his. “I don’t know; that smile is something.” She moved closer and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

When he kissed her, she felt her entire body become lighter than air. Maybe it was the fact that it was the first time she’d been kissed while on a boat, or maybe it was because it was Todd. Either way, she enjoyed the floating sensation for as long as she could, holding onto him as he slowly unraveled all the worry and stress from her day.

When the ferry pulled into the smaller dock at East Haven, there was a golf cart waiting to take them up to the massive white building. She couldn’t count the number of times she and Simona had been to the resort over the past few years. More so since her divorce.

In the summers, they’d head out here with the other families and spend time at the pool or beach. In the winter months, there were holiday balls or plays and family events such as hayrides or sleigh rides in the snow. But she’d never been out here for a romantic date. After they’d gotten married, Brock had never believed in going out on dates. Not with her, at any rate.

Tonight, there were firefly lights hanging from all of the low tree branches, lighting the way up the pathway towards the building.

She was slightly surprised when the golf cart didn’t stop at the wide porch and instead continued to head down the pathway towards the larger pool. Here, more string lights hung over small tables that had crisp white tablecloths. They had been placed all around the pool deck area. There were other couples dining by candlelight while waiters and waitresses moved silently around, seeing to every need of their guests.

They were shown to a table closest to the water, overlooking the dark waters beyond the grassy yard. With the sun setting, the entire sky was lit up in pastel pinks and purples.

“Wow, I didn’t know they had set tables out here for dinner,” Olivia said as he pulled out her chair for her.

“I ran into Sarah at the store yesterday, and she suggested that we give it a try since it’s their first week serving dinners outside.” He sat down across from her.

“I like it. I think it’s a marvelous idea.” She took a deep breath of the fresh salty air and glanced around.

“Mix great atmosphere with amazing food and they’ll have a winning duo,” he agreed. “Wine?”

She leaned slightly on the table. “I like dry,” she said, looking at a little chalk board on their table, showing the selections.

“Ditto.” He chuckled. “You pick.”

She normally didn’t compare men to Brock, but just having a man who enjoyed the same wine as she did and enjoyed talking about the same topics was a relief. She couldn’t remember ever talking to Brock about her work, her dreams, or even Simona’s future. They ordered food and continued talking. Even when it was delivered, the conversation flowed.

She voiced her concerns as a mother about her daughter getting the best education, the best jobs, and even finding the perfect mate.

Todd asked about Simona’s hobbies, if she was interested in anything special, and Olivia had to admit that she didn’t know herself.

“She likes to color, to watch her shows.” She frowned down into her meal.

“She liked pretending to be a teacher in my old classroom.”

She smiled and nodded. “She did.”

“You know, I never really got to express my interests as a child. When my father was alive, he was molding me to take over his business. After his death, my mother showed zero interest in my life. I often wish I’d had someone to encourage me.”

“What did you want to be?” she asked, curious. Her own parents hadn’t shown much interest in her future, either. There had been times when she’d been very young that she wanted to dance, then ride horses, and when she’d hit high school, she’d thought about becoming a nurse or a doctor. But then she’d voiced those dreams and her parents had informed her that they wouldn’t be paying for anything but community college. Where she’d met Brock.

“When I was younger? I wanted to be a businessman like my father.” Todd took a sip of his wine. “After his death, my mother sold his business.”

“Which was?” she asked.

“He owned several large rental properties, grocery stores chains, and—my favorite—he owned a football team. My dad wasn’t really the outdoor type, but he did love sports.”

“Brock used to think I was weird for watching football.” She remembered him teasing her that girls shouldn’t enjoy sports as much as men. “I’ve always enjoyed watching men run around in tights after a ball,” she joked, and he smiled.

“Did you play sports?” he asked.

“Soccer when I was younger, but after my parents found out that they’d have to shuttle me around the first year, they made me quit.”

“They’re still in Chicago?”

“Yeah.” She took a sip of her wine after finishing off her dinner.

“What do they do?”