All Your Loving (Bachelors & Bridesmaids) by Barbara Freethy

in his eyes. "Well, whatever your reason, I'm grateful."
    "Good. That should make my next question easier."
    "What's your next question?" she asked warily.
    "I want to take you to dinner."
    "It's only four-thirty."
    "Well, I didn't mean we were going to eat right this second. The place I have in mind is a bit of a drive. But I think you'll like it."
    "There are a lot of restaurants about five minutes away," she said, feeling more than a little tempted to say yes to his invitation despite her intention to stay away from him. On the other hand, going back to work didn't really appeal, nor did going home hold much interest, because then she'd be faced with that unopened envelope filled with her father's letters.
    "Just say yes," Matt told her.
    She stared back at him. "Okay, yes."
    He smiled with satisfaction. "Great. I'm going to change. I'll meet you by the car in twenty minutes?"
    "All right."
    He paused. "Don't change your mind, Julie."
    "I won't. Like you, Matt, if I say I'm going to do something, I do it."
    "Good."
    As Matt left, an older man walked toward her. She knew that weathered, lined face and those cheerful brown eyes. They belonged to Dale Howard, the General Manager of the Cougars and one of her father's best friends.
    "Is it you, Julie?"
    She blew out a breath. "Mr. Howard."
    "Oh come on now, call me Dale. You're all grown up."
    "I am."
    "It's great to see you. You're working with the charity Matt is supporting this month?"
    She nodded. "We just finished an interview."
    "I saw that. I couldn't believe it was you."
    The last thing she wanted to do was talk to Dale, but she was a grown-up now, as he'd just reminded her, and she had to stop running away from things and people that reminded her of the past. "It's me."
    "I want to apologize. I saw your name on my callback list a few days ago, but I had to go out of town. My daughter just had a baby."
    She remembered Lucy Howard. They'd hung out together when they were twelve and thirteen. "Is it her first child?"
    "Second. She got married right out of college. They live in Maine. She and her husband run an Inn up there."
    "That sounds like a lovely life."
    "It's a beautiful place, a long way from here though. Molly and I miss her all the time," he added, referring to his wife. "How's your mother?"
    "She's good. She got remarried a few months ago."
    "Well, that is excellent news. I know she had a hard time with things." His smile faded. "I didn't want to take sides, but your mom wouldn't talk to any of us once she and Jack split up. It was sad. I felt bad for her and for you."
    "It was a long time ago," she said, starting to actually feel like it was a long time ago. Even though the past had popped back up in full glory in the past week, revisiting it had somehow made it seem less dramatic and painful than she'd thought. Or maybe it was just that she was starting to remember some of the good moments, too.
    "So you're working in San Francisco now?"
    "Yes, and I love what I do."
    "Well, I know I wasn't responsive before, but if you need anything in the future, you let me know, and I'll try to help you out if I can," he said.
    "That's great. We fund a lot of good causes. Your support would always make a difference. In fact, we still have some tickets left for the Celebrity Cook-Off. Wouldn't you like to see Matt in action in the kitchen?"
    Dale laughed. "Now that does sound too good to pass up. Can you leave the details with my assistant?"
    "Absolutely. Maybe you can bring Molly."
    "She'll love it. She's a big fan of those cooking shows on television. And now that it's just the two of us, she's always trying out crazy recipes on me."
    Dale's words reminded her that he'd managed to stay married to his wife for at least thirty years, and he'd been a player before moving into management some twenty years ago. Then again, there was always an exception to prove every rule.
    "You speak to your dad at all?" Dale asked, a cautious note in his voice.
    "No, I don't," she said