I’d gone to bed giddy, despite my best efforts. My mind wouldn’t turn off; wouldn’t stop playing over the images of the dinner party. Sleep eluded me for nearly an hour, and when it came my dreams were haunted by the past.



His mouth was warm as he planted feverish kisses on my lips. My hands were tangled in his hair, longing to pull him closer. This was a memory of the past, but it felt so real, so alive.

I awoke several times that night, subconsciously trying to push the dreams from my mind. But each time I fell asleep again the image of his face played on the back of my eyelids as if they were a movie screen.

-------------------------------------

In the morning I woke refreshed, after finally giving into my fantasies in the interest of sleep. But as I sat there remembering my dreams, I shook my head in disappointment. I shouldn’t be having these thoughts about Sean. I didn’t know I still had these feelings. I guess Sean walking back into my life had unlocked something I’d buried deep inside.



I could smell the rich aroma of coffee wafting throughout the house. Sophia was up already. I glanced at my alarm clock. One o’clock?! How had I slept so long? I quickly got dressed and ran downstairs.

“Hey sleepyhead!” Sophia greeted me in the kitchen as I poured myself a cup of coffee.

Just then the phone rang, and I jumped so hard I spilled hot coffee down my hand. Hadn’t Sean said he’d call today?



Sophia stifled a laugh as she walked past me to grab the phone. I stood there for a moment, my eyes locked on the receiver, before I remembered the pain in my hand. I made a dash for the sink and shoved my stinging hand under a stream of cold water, telling myself I was being childish. I would NOT get my hopes up about Sean.



“Hello?... Yes, she’s right here.”

My heart skipped a beat.

“… Okay, I’ll let her know… Bye!” Sophia hung up the phone and turned to eye me suspiciously. I dried my hands and sat down to finish my coffee, trying to look uninterested.

“Kat? Are you okay? You’re acting strange.”



“I’m fine. Why?”

“That was Momma,” she said, pausing to gauge my reaction. When I didn’t flinch, she continued. “She said Gracie Malone called to cancel Abigail’s playdate with the girls tomorrow.”



“Huh? Why didn’t Gracie just call me herself?” I asked, confused.

“She did. About an hour ago. You left your phone down here last night. By the way, you ringtone is SO annoying!” she rolled her eyes.

“What?! Why didn’t you answer it?”

“Yeah right! And have you yell at me for being nosy?”

I let out a frustrated sigh.

“Were you expecting an important call?” she asked, looking at me innocently.

“No.” I snapped. “Why? Did anyone else call?”

“No, not at all… Unless you count Sean,” Sophia said casually, with a wave of her hand.



My eyes widened, but I remained calm as I walked over to where my phone lay on the counter. I flipped it open and sure enough I had a voice mail from Sean.

Hey Kat, it’s Sean. Sorry for calling so early, but I’m on my way to a job interview and thought, hey why not? Guess you’re not near your phone... Well, call me when you get this, I was hoping you could meet me for lunch tomorrow. Okay, I’ll talk to you later. Bye.

Grinning at how awkward his message sounded, I eagerly returned his call.



--------------------------------------------

I’d been hesitant to accept his lunch invitation, since the girls play date had been canceled, but Sophia had happily volunteered to watch them for a couple of hours while I went out. So there I was the next day, sitting across from Sean at a local café.



“So how was your interview yesterday?” I asked him, remembering his voicemail.

“I’m hopeful. I think it went well. I have excellent references from the hospital that I did my residency at, so I’m sure I’m a prime candidate.”



“What kind of medicine do you want to get into now?”

“I’d love to work in an emergency room. It’s a tough job, but I want to be in the heat of things, where I can really help people.”

I listened attentively and smiled. Sean had a huge heart and it was evident in his career goal.



He looked at me curiously for a moment. “So how about you? You said you weren’t working right now, but what were you doing after college?”

I could tell he was hesitant to ask about my personal life, but it was surprisingly easy to talk to him.

“Well, you probably know that I stayed in New York after school when I… got married. I got a job as a nurse in the oncology department at the general hospital and things were great. Emilio – “I paused, choking on Emilio’s name. “… he was always working, and after my pregnancy I had to quit my job so one of us would be home with the babies. I don’t regret it though, my girls are my world. They needed me… almost as much as I needed them.”



I stopped talking and looked down, examining my hands. Talking about Emilio and our divorce was no longer painful, but I felt oddly embarrassed to be opening up so much to Sean. I felt like a failure next to him.



“I’m sorry. I must sound like a miserable simpleton, right?”

“No, Kat. Not at all. I don’t know what he did to you, but I’m certain that he didn’t deserve you. No man in this world does. You’ve always been the most incredible person I know. And you have those two little angels in your life,” he said, referring to Izzy and Gabby. “I’m insanely jealous of you.”



“Jealous?”

“Believe it! I’d love to have kids some day.”

“So, have you ever come close to settling down and making that happen?”



The question had just slipped out, but the sudden sadness that briefly flickered through Sean’s eyes made me instantly regret asking.

“Yes.” He paused, looking away from me. I was going to change the subject, but before I could speak he sighed heavily and started to elaborate. “Kat, after you relationships came and went…”


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Next: Sean tells us about his past. What has he been up to since Kat broke his heart?