Nathan gestures with a hand. “These are my daughters, Jen and Marie. Girls, this is Abbie MacIntyre. Her dog, Winston, was a patient of mine last year.”

“Cool,” Jen says, smiling up at me. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.” I glance at the younger one, Marie, who looks to be about nine or ten. She wears a sparkly purple headband, and I think it’s the cutest thing ever.

Nathan pats their dog, Dorothy, who sits patiently at his side. “Dorothy is a senior dog who needed a home after her owner passed away, so we adopted her.”

“She’s lovely.”

He nods and meets my gaze. “Are you just visiting? Here for the long weekend?”

“I’m here for three weeks, actually. Mom had cataract surgery, so I’m keeping her company for a bit. And Zack’s coming home from Western on Saturday, so I’m excited about that. He’ll be here for dinner on Sunday.”

“Zack went to Western? I didn’t know that. Good for him. How’s he finding it?”

“He loves it, and I can’t wait to see him.”

“I’ll bet. I don’t know what I’m going to do when these two are ready to zip off to college. It’s hard to imagine.”

“All the more reason to appreciate the time you have with them now,” I say.

He smiles knowingly. “Absolutely.”

Another couple with two smaller dogs pass by us and say hello, and then Winston lies down and rolls onto his back for a belly rub. The girls giggle and stroke him adoringly.

“How’s work going?” Nathan asks me.

I realize how long it’s been since we last spoke. There have been so many changes. “I’m working at a family practice now. I’ve been taking a lot of sleep disorder cases, which is new territory for me, so I’m learning a lot.”

“I can imagine. How do you like it?”

“I love it. Much better hours than surgery at the hospital. And I’ve been doing some research as well. I’ll tell you about it sometime.”

“I’d like that.”

The girls rise to their feet, and so does Winston. They all seem eager to get moving.

“Winston and I should probably mosey along,” I say, looking up at the twilight sky splashed with colorful bands of pink and blue.

“We should get a move on too,” Nathan replies.

Dorothy and the girls start off, leading him away. I start walking in the opposite direction, feeling pleased to have seen him, but at the same time regretting the fact that we didn’t have more time to chat, because there’s so much to catch up on and I really loved rekindling our conversation. My heart sinks a little.

Then Nathan calls my name. There’s a pleasant rush of heat in my belly. I stop and turn.

He hands the leash to Jen and approaches me. “Abbie. This feels weird and awkward . . . seeing you like this. I’d really like to catch up some more. No pressure, and feel free to say no, but would you like to have dinner with me while you’re in town?”

I’m surprised and flattered by his invitation, and I’m glad that I took Winston for a walk this evening. “I’d love to.”

“Great.” His eyes light up. “When would be good for you?”

“Well . . .” I pause and think about it. “Zack’s not coming until Saturday. How about tomorrow night?”

“Tomorrow’s great. I can pick you up at seven, if that works?”

“I’ll be ready. Do you remember where my mom lives?”

“Of course. I remember everything.” He turns to go. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

“Okay. I’ll look forward to it.”

As I continue along the boardwalk with Winston, I can’t stop smiling. Winston looks up at me happily.

“Oh, stop grinning,” I say with a smirk. “It’s just dinner.”

He starts to trot with purpose and exuberance, and I am keen to pick up the pace as well.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

I’m not sure where Nathan will take me for dinner, but I decide to gussy up a bit, just in case it’s somewhere nice. As it turns out, I’m glad I wore heels, because he takes me to my favorite restaurant on the south shore, which overlooks the yacht club in the village of Chester.

By the time we’re seated, I’ve told him all about my involvement with the narcolepsy organization and how I’ve been accepting speaking engagements all over the world.

“That’s fantastic,” he says with genuine admiration as he sits back in his chair across from me. “It sounds like you’ve found your true calling.”

“I know, right? That’s exactly how I feel about it.”

I pick up my sparkling water and take a sip. Then our waiter brings our appetizers, and we admire the presentation before we dig in.

Conversation with Nathan is easy. It flows because there’s lots to talk about, whether it’s our dogs, our careers, or the challenges of being single parents. And there have been so many extraordinary changes in both of our lives since we last saw each other—like my work and Zack going off to college. As for Nathan, his daughters are entering a new preteen phase, and every day brings new challenges for him as a dad.

We finish our appetizers and sit back again.

“How are you, on a personal level?” Nathan asks tentatively as the waiter clears away our plates.

I know what he’s referring to—the fact that it’s been almost a year since I lost Alan, and the last time Nathan and I texted each other, I’d admitted to being an emotional disaster.

“Well, you were right about one thing,” I say. “It has gotten easier with time. But there are still days when I struggle.”

“There probably always will be. You and Alan were together for a long time.”

I nod my head. “And I suspect it’ll always be hard not to feel hurt by the cheating. But I want to look forward now, not back. I still have the rest of my life ahead of me.”

Nathan raises his glass. “To the future.”

We clink and sip. Then he carefully asks me another question. “What about Zack? Did you ever tell him what really happened?”

I shake my head. “No. I just couldn’t do that to him. I didn’t see what good could come of it.”

Looking back on it, I’m surprised that I’ve managed to successfully shoulder the burden alone for so long, when there was a time I wasn’t sure if I could or if I was doing the right thing by keeping the truth from him.

Wasn’t that what Alan tried to do with me? Hide the truth to protect my feelings? Was there some form of humanity in that? Or did he just not want to get caught?

The waiter brings our main courses, and Nathan and I lean forward to pick up our forks.

“Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday is going to be different,” I say. “This time last year, I was living in a bubble of naivety. It’s going to be very quiet with just Zack, Mom, and me.”

“You’d be welcome to come and join us for dinner, if you like,” Nathan replies. “My mom would love to meet all of you, I’m sure.”

I smile at him. “Thanks, but I think we need to get through this first Thanksgiving on our own.”

And I’m still not ready to introduce a new man into Zack’s life. Not officially. And this is only our first date.

Suddenly I feel a need to change the subject. I don’t want to talk about my marriage anymore, and I’m sure Nathan doesn’t either.

“How about you?” I ask. “What else is new in your life? Your girls are adorable, by the way.”

He grins and tells me about their latest achievements and shenanigans. Then we discuss what it’s like to have parents who are growing older. We talk about all sorts of other things too, and time flies by. Suddenly the restaurant is closing. We’re the last guests to leave.

Later, when Nathan drives me home, he gets out and walks me to the front door, which I find very gallant.

“I had a nice time,” he says as we stand under the bright porch light.

A brief moment of awkwardness ensues, because I’m not sure if he intends to kiss me good night. I suspect he wants to. It’s obvious there’s still an attraction between us.

Yet, I’m nervous about what it might mean if we kiss, because I have a feeling there would be no turning back after that. He’s an amazing man, and I admit . . . I’m a bit infatuated.

Still . . . I’m not sure I’m ready, and I want very much to be ready. I want to be 100 percent prepared to dash out of the gate full speed ahead when the moment presents itself.

“I had a nice time too,” I reply.

Nathan studies my expression. “I’m not sure if it’s too soon, but I’d love to see you again while you’re in town. Maybe we could go to a movie or walk our dogs or something. No pressure, though. I don’t want to rush you.”

He’s reading my mind . . .

“I’d like that,” I reply.

“Great.”

There’s another awkward pause, and then he leans closer and kisses me softly on the cheek—a slow, lingering kiss that sends a wave of heat into my core.

All along, my feelings for Nathan have been an exercise in denial, but now, standing before him under my mother’s porch light with the sensation of his kiss still warm on my cheek, I feel the enormity of my desires and realize there can be no more denying it. I want this man, overwhelmingly.

“Good night, Abbie,” Nathan says with a flirtatious glimmer in his eye.

As he walks down the steps, I feel bowled over by how unbelievably attractive he is—that fit, athletic build and confident swagger as he walks.

He stops at the bottom of my mother’s stairs, looks up at me again, and smiles. My body melts, but somehow I manage to stay on my feet.

He inclines his head curiously. “Any chance you might want to join me and the girls tomorrow night to walk the dogs?” He explains himself further. “Life is short. Like I said, I don’t want to rush you, but I also don’t like to waste time.”