Jillian wore a cute black sleeveless dress. A layer of sheer overlay with soft pleats fanned out over a looser satiny slip underneath. It was, she hoped, sexy and sweet, highlighting her toned arms over her rounded belly.
She didn’t work out at the gym, but she kept herself busy enough that most of the time it wasn’t a complete chore to stay in reasonably good shape. She didn’t want to be nervous. Not about her looks. Levi obviously found her attractive or he wouldn’t kiss her like his life depended on it.
“It’s hard to believe I’m going on a date with Levi Bright.”
Her mom smiled. “He’s just a man, honey. Don’t idealize him or find a way to convince yourself you don’t deserve someone like him.”
Jillian met her mom’s gaze. “Does this mean I’ll still be giving Ollie advice at thirty?”
Her mom pushed off the doorjamb. “Probably. And unlike how it’ll be for the next several years, once she’s older, she might actually think you know a thing or two.”
Jillian laughed. “I can’t imagine that.”
Ollie was getting restless. Summer was coming, she was eager for the break, she was excited to be at the lodge, but a little worried about missing friends. She’d had a lot of freedom at the lodge the summer before but this summer was much busier and she couldn’t do all the things she wanted. Part of Jilly felt guilty about focusing on herself—taking time to explore with Levi when she could be hanging with her kid. But truthfully, her kid had a more active social life than she did.
Her phone buzzed again. When she looked at it, she frowned. Andrew kept calling. Kept leaving messages. It was like he could sense, for the first time in almost five years, she was truly ready to move on.
Her mom came over to stand in front of her so Jilly lowered her phone. Focused on what was right in front of her. “I’m proud of you. I don’t think I tell you that enough.”
An unexpected lump formed in her throat. “Thanks, Mom. What brought that on?”
Edie brushed a lock of Jilly’s hair back over her shoulder. “You’ve always been careful. Measured. I feel like your marriage and divorce made that part of you more… intense. It was like you decided if you weren’t his wife, you’d just be Ollie’s mom. And you’d be the very best one in the world. Then, Gray got the lodge and you let that into your life. But I worried that you wouldn’t let yourself have something just for you again. That you’d be too careful or cautious to take a chance on something for yourself.”
Tears burned under her eyelids. “It’s scary.”
“But you’re doing it. Which is why I’m proud of you. You can’t have what you don’t go after, sweetie. There are no guarantees, but being willing to put yourself out there, especially with someone you’ve cared about for so long, shows how strong you are. How brave.”
Jilly wrapped her arms around her mom, hugged her tight. She wanted to ask if they were selling the house but didn’t want to cry before Levi arrived, so she didn’t.
The doorbell rang. Jillian pulled back, her heart rate spiking. “I don’t feel brave.”
Her mom cupped her cheeks, kind of like Ollie used to do. “You look beautiful. You’re going out with a wonderful man. Enjoy yourself.”
“Your gentleman caller is here,” her dad said, coming down the hallway.
Jilly shook her head, gave her dad a side hug. “Are you that old?”
Her dad kissed the top of her head. “Old enough to know how to scare Levi if he hurts you.”
“Dad.”
“I won’t hurt her, sir,” Levi called from the front room.
Awesome. The date hadn’t started yet and she was blushing. “Ollie’s at her friend Christopher’s. His mom should be dropping her off around eight.” Because Ollie had argued when Jilly said seven. “You two can have a date night as well.”
Her dad laughed. “We just had a two-day date in Michigan. There’s baseball on and your mom is going to book club.”
Levi stood by the door, looking at family pictures hanging on the wall. He turned, and his expression—the light in his eyes and his smile—brightened when he looked her way.
“Hi,” she said, feeling that familiar and unavoidable warmth on her skin.
“Hi.” He held out a small bouquet of pink carnations. “These are for you.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” She took the flowers.
“What she means is thank you, Levi,” her mom said, coming up behind her. She took the flowers from Jillian. “I’ll put these in water for you. Have a good time. We’ll be fine and I’ll tell Ollie to text you goodnight, so don’t rush.”
She kissed her mom’s cheek. “Thank you.”
