“Fantastic,” Dalton said. “Brings back a lot of good memories eating at the Seaside Resort.” He took another bite as if chasing the past. “Our high school football team came by the resort every Sunday afternoon when practice was over. All the guys loved the fried chicken.”

She remembered the boys rolling into the dining room, laughing, smelling of Dial soap hurriedly run over sweaty bodies, as well as clean cotton. She was fourteen with raging hormones and craving a boy’s attention. Dalton was always polite, said “please” and “thank you,” but he never looked at her like he did the cheerleaders.

“Ruth and I cooked double batches during practice season.” Senses invoked the past better than facts and figures. Smell might be the strongest memory trigger, but taste was right behind it.

“I remember you,” he said. “You always looked so serious.”

“Not that serious.”

“Serious.” He grimaced. “Never smiled.”

“How would you know? Beyond seeing me occasionally with Dani, we barely spoke. Your eyes were only for Casey Bailey.” The tall blonde with the lightly tanned skin always looked good on his arm.

He grinned. “True. But that was a long time ago.”

“Where is Casey these days?”

“Married with three kids. Lives in Raleigh.”

“Rumor was you two were going to get married.”

He pulled off a crisp piece of chicken skin. “We talked about it. I even looked at rings.”

“But . . .”

“Like you, I just wasn’t ready to pull the trigger on the life everyone thought I should have.”

“I remember Dani saying you and your dad fought when you refused to go to college.”

“More school wasn’t for me. I wanted to travel, so I joined the navy and saw my share of bases.”

“You weren’t back when I left.”

“We missed each other by three or four months.” He set his chicken down and wiped his fingers on the paper towels. “I appreciate how you’ve handled yourself since you returned. Dani was worried about seeing you again.”

“She seemed pretty relaxed.”

“When she looks like nothing is bothering her, it is.”

“A duck paddling on water.”

“Exactly.” He casually leaned back. “How was your dinner with Matthew?”

“Not bad. He’s looking for a chef to run the kitchen of his new restaurant.”

“You considering it?”

She chuckled. “Working for Matthew? He’s sending over a proposal. It’s supposed to arrive today.”

“Ever considered opening your own place?” His smooth, easy tone mirrored Dani’s.

She wasn’t quite ready to say no out loud. “I know how hard it is. All the creative energy needed for the food gets zapped by the business side.”

“When have you ever been afraid of hard work?”

She let out a breath. “Never. But whatever I make from the sale of this house will constitute my net worth. Gambling it all on a restaurant is a hell of a risk.”