The glug of water she’d just taken to wash down the bitterness of disappointment came back out on a cough and ran down her chin. Gently, he mopped her face with a napkin.

She swallowed what was left in her mouth. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I heard you correctly.”

He grinned. “That’s not the reaction I was expecting. It’ll be a fun story to tell our grandkids, though.”

Gloria’s head was spinning. “Back up a minute?”

He nodded amiably. “Sure. See, I’ve had a crush on you for a touch over a decade. And I didn’t make my move for a variety of reasons. But I’ve never stopped crushing on you. So, when I get back in six months, I’d like to take you out.”

“You want to go on a date with me in six months?” She couldn’t date someone! She couldn’t date Aldo. She didn’t even know how to be attracted to a man let alone date, be in a relationship.

“I can see I’ve swept you off your feet.” He reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “The choice is yours. If you think I’m a hideous beast with no redeeming qualities, say the word, and I promise to go back to admiring you from afar.”

What was there to admire? Was there some kind of victim fetish that existed out there in the dark corners of the internet? Gloria made a mental note to check.

“I don’t think you’re a hideous beast,” she assured him. “But I’m not sure why you’d want to date damaged goods.”

He squeezed her hand tighter. Not so that it hurt or made her give in but so that she could feel his strength and take comfort in it. It was nice. “I know why you think that, sweetheart, but I hope you know I could never think of you that way,” he said softly. The gentleness in his tone, his touch, brought the burn of tears to the backs of her eyes. “That’s why I’m not begging for a date now. You just got your freedom back. You need to build a life that works for you. And when I come home—if you’ll have me—I’m going to fit myself into that life.”

“Did you forget to take some kind of medication today? Maybe hit your head?”