Already Home by Susan Mallery Page B

find them.
    Two days later, filled with guilt and remorse, she’d returned to the agency and withdrawn her name from the registry.
    Her mother hugged her. “You’re all I’ve ever wanted, sweetie. You know that, right?”
    â€œYes. I love you, Mom.”
    â€œI love you, too. Now think about getting a social life.”
    Jenna shook her head. “You can’t ever stop trying to make things better, can you?”
    â€œNo. It’s in my DNA. You’re going to have to suffer through my quest for you to be happy.”
    â€œI will be,” Jenna said.
    But when her mother had left, she stood alone in the store and wondered what was the next step toward happiness. She was making a success of something that could have been a disaster. She was trying new things, making real connections with people. So why did she still feel a gnawing emptiness inside?
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    Violet hesitated outside of Wildfire. The restaurant looked welcoming. There were just enough people to make her feelas if the food was good but not so many as to be intimidating. It was five after seven on Tuesday—which made her fashionably late for her date.
    She’d changed her mind about coming at least seventeen times in the past two hours. Even as she’d dressed, done her makeup and driven to Old Town, she’d kept thinking it was a mistake. She wasn’t even sure she liked Cliff. He wasn’t anything like the guys she usually dated, which was a point in his favor. The actual paying job that included an office and business cards was new. He’d been nice. Not too pushy.
    She smoothed the front of the black dress she’d borrowed from Jenna. Over it she wore a three-quarter sleeve red-and-black cropped jacket. The nubby fabric contrasted with the smooth silk. She’d added a single pair of silver dangle earrings, had backed off on the bracelets and put on ridiculously high-heeled pumps.
    Indecision poured through her. Stay or go?
    She glanced into the restaurant again and saw Cliff. He stood inside the door, watching her. He looked…hopeful, she thought. His mouth seemed to be fighting a smile, but she knew he was wondering if she would come in or walk away.
    Once again he was dressed in a tailored suit. His white shirt collar was open and she saw part of his tie peeking out of his jacket pocket. His sandy brown hair had been recently brushed.
    He had a nice face, she decided. Regular features. He was average-looking—the kind of guy who fit in anywhere. One who most likely paid his bills on time, liked sports and probably considered having an extra beer during the game the extent of being bad.
    Did men like that really exist? She knew they did in other places, like in Jenna’s world. But for her? Not so much.
    Maybe it was time to change that.
    She held her clutch purse more tightly and walked toward him. His smile took over his face, brightening his eyes. He hurried to meet her.
    â€œHi,” he said. “You came.”
    â€œI did.”
    â€œYou look amazing. I remembered you being beautiful, but then I tried to talk myself out of it. I figured it was probably the glow from the olives. But it was you.”
    Her cheeks warmed. It took Violet a second to realize she was actually blushing. She didn’t think she’d blushed since she’d been eleven.
    â€œThank you.”
    â€œShall we?” he asked, motioning to the restaurant. “I was an optimist and asked them to hold a table for us.”
    She nodded and started inside.
    He moved next to her, putting his hand on the small of her back. She felt the heat of his fingers. Usually when a man touched her there it was simply on the way to grabbing her ass, but Cliff’s hand didn’t move.
    They were shown to a corner table. The restaurant was appealing, with white walls and a dark ceiling. Ceiling fans circled lazily above them.
    â€œHave you been here before?” he asked when they were seated. “A few