Sharon frowned. “Then why are you going back to hit your head against the same brick wall?”
“Because some walls can be moved with the right kind of force. Quit worrying. I’ll see you tonight.” She turned and started to walk away. She’d just do some browsing before she had to meet up with Derek and Holly for lunch.
“Richard has some nice friends he can introduce you to,” Sharon called out.
Gabrielle merely laughed and waved, ignoring the suggestion. She had spent the past dozen years trying to find a man who compared to Derek, one who could fill her emotionally and physically the way he had. None had even come close.
If she was being offered a second chance with Derek, she had to take it.
DEREK NEEDN’T HAVE WORRIED about lunch being awkward. Not when his daughter and his childhood sweetheart had bonded over hamburgers and french fries. How Holly had talked Gabrielle into trying her favorite food, he still couldn’t figure out.
They had more in common than he’d ever have believed. From books Gabrielle had read as a child to current shows on TV, Gabrielle could relate to his daughter. Derek was so drawn by the animated way his daughter spoke to Gabrielle and fascinated by the serious way Gabrielle listened to Holly, he barely tasted his burger.
Holly, who’d been living with Derek for a few weeks without a female in sight, suddenly blossomed in front of him.
Although his father had introduced her to a few kids in town, the one girl Holly had hit it off with had gone on vacation with her parents almost immediately. She’d be back soon and he hoped then Holly would have someone to hang out with. But until today he hadn’t realized how starved his daughter must have been for female attention.
A short while later, Derek drove them back. Gabrielle’s car was at Sharon’s parents’ house at the far end of town. He turned onto Main Street as he, Holly and Gabrielle talked about the newest hit song on the radio.
“Dad, that’s Grandpa outside the hardware store. Look!” Holly pointed at the window where his father stood talking to a bunch of older men. “Can I go say hi?”
Derek slowed the truck down and pulled over. Rolling down the window, he called for his father’s attention. Hank waved, then returned to his conversation with Burt, the owner.
“If he’s going straight home, I’m going to get a ride with him, okay?”
“Sure. Just make sure you wave, so I know it’s okay with Dad. And remember to look both ways before you cross the street.” There weren’t many cars, but he wanted to make sure she was safe. “In fact, let me help you—”
“Dad!” she said, horrified. “I live in Manhattan. I think I can handle Main Street.”
Beside him, Gabrielle chuckled.
“Sorry. I’m a parent. What can I say?” he said, spreading his hands out in front of him.
“Actually, I think it’s sweet,” she said, her eyes drinking him in with a heat that hadn’t been there while she’d been focused on his daughter.
But Holly was now leaving, and apparently, Gabrielle took that as a sign.
“I had such a good time. Can we take that trip to Target one day soon?” Holly asked Gabrielle.
She nodded. “You bet.”
Holly’s eyes lit up. “Bye!” She leaned into the front and hugged Derek, her earlier mortification over his protective comments forgotten.
Then she was gone. He watched her look both ways before running across the street and exhaled a sigh of relief.
“She’s amazing, Derek,” Gabrielle said, not letting an awkward silence take over.
“Thank you. I like to think so, but I can’t take much credit for it.” As he watched, Holly spoke to her grandfather, then turned and waved, indicating to Derek he could leave.
Suddenly eager to be alone with Gabrielle, at least for a short time, he put the truck in Drive and pulled back into traffic. Maybe it would be easier to tell her more about his daughter while he was occupied driving.
At least then he wouldn’t have to look into her beautiful eyes and admit the truth—he’d been a bad parent. “I wasn’t there for her much,” he said, forcing the words out.
Gabrielle placed her hand on his shoulder. “I can’t imagine that. Why don’t you start at the beginning?”
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He nodded. They both knew that their ending was his beginning and he drew a deep breath before diving in. “I was a mess after we broke up. I threw myself into partying at school, skipping classes…anything to forget.”