“You can feel fall in the air.” She pointed to the cluster of oaks and pine trees surrounding his yard. “The leaves have all turned, and it smells like pine. How was your day, Hank?”
He hadn’t been asked that by anyone in some time and he realized he liked it. “Pretty good. Saturdays are a little better than the rest of the week. More foot traffic. I’m hoping Sundays will pick up now that the NFL is back.”
“You’re a Jets fan, right? I need to catch up on my local sports. Oh, you made antipasti.”
He settled into his chair. “Vinnie did, but I expect you knew that.”
She put her finger to her delightfully naked lips. “My inner food detective suspected. How long have you two known each other?”
“Ever since kindergarten. I guess it’s only appropriate he’s still feeding me—it started at the lunch table.” He told her the story.
“Those kinds of friendships are priceless,” she said when he finished. “That’s how it was with Sarah—and my friend Warren, who still lives outside Chicago. We used to play together in our neighborhood all the time, and then we bonded over chocolate.”
“She used to order the beers with chocolate notes when I had them on the menu,” he said, testing the waters of talking about the woman who was gone. “But she never once mentioned her love of chocolate or the stand.”
“She was quiet like that. Warren and I are the talkers.” A line appeared between her brows.
He couldn’t bear to see her hurt. “Thank you for bringing the dessert. Not my forte either.”
“You should know Clifton helped with them.” She shook her hair back. “Isn’t it nice that we both had help from a friend tonight?”
“Yeah, it is. Tell me how you met Clifton.”
“Oh, it’s a great story!” And she launched into the story, becoming animated with it. She ended with, “He’s like my grandfather and one of the best friends I could ever imagine having. And he’s so wise about things. I’m lucky to have him.”
She was always so charged with life. He’d remembered that, but it felt different in her presence. Stronger and more compelling. “I look forward to getting to know him better. So… How was your day?”
“Oh, pretty great,” she said with her trademark enthusiasm, “although the closer we get to the shop’s opening, the more butterflies I have in my stomach. I’ve had to do more tai chi lately to calm myself down. Got any other suggestions on how to chill? You’ve been running O’Connor’s for a while.”
But he hadn’t opened it or built the name. His father had done that, which was perhaps why his father gave him such a hard time. In his dad’s mind, he’d given Hank a sure thing, but that hadn’t even been true before the pandemic. His father’s regulars weren’t their core base anymore—they depended on younger people, commuters like Sarah had been, and many of them wanted more than traditional pub fare and a Guinness. Hank had been walking an uncomfortable line between traditional and trendy since he’d taken over, and everything had only gotten more confusing and difficult.
“I’m not the person you want to go to for advice about chilling. Vinnie says I work like a dog when I get stressed. Lately, I’ve been plenty stressed.”
“Of course.” She exhaled in a rush. “It has to be hard right now. Do you want to talk about that?”
“Not really.” He used the bottle opener to uncap the chocolate stout beers he’d selected for them. “I’d hoped for a lighter evening. I figured we could both use—”
“A nice night out,” she finished for him.
They shared a look, and Hank noted how the firelight danced in her eyes. “Exactly.”
“Whew! That’s a relief. I was afraid you’d want to ask how I was feeling about Sarah passing and living in her house without her, and I’d have a meltdown. Okay. Tell me about this beer. Is it a possibility for our chocolate festival?”
Hearing she’d been afraid of crying in front of him made his chest tight. “It is,” he said in answer to her question, and he went on to describe it thoroughly.
“Oh, it sounds heavenly.” She picked up her pint glass after he’d poured their beers with a slow hand. “Cheers.”
“Cheers.”
They drank slowly, and her hum of appreciation was charming.
He realized his chest was still tight, so he circled back and took the opportunity he’d missed. “Also… Alice, there’s always a strong shoulder for you to cry on if you need it. All right?”
Her brown eyes grew wet and she nodded fiercely, drinking again.
The emotion of the moment was palpable, but it didn’t bother him. If anything, the tightness in his chest eased. He set his glass aside and stirred the fire, wishing again he could reach for her. The coals were pulsing red at the bottom, and he threw another log on, inhaling the woodsmoke. “I’ve always loved a good fire. I had a lot of them early on in the pandemic. I didn’t get to enjoy it too much, working late nights, but I feel like there might be a lot of fires this fall and winter in my future, both here and at the restaurant.”
She tucked the beer against her pink jacket, and the firelight flickered over her features. He could feel them both settling into the quiet, and he found himself smiling at her. She returned it.
“Yes, there’s nothing like a good fire. Simple pleasures are everything right now.”
There was wisdom in that, he realized, as he reached for a slice of the smoked mozzarella Vinnie had included on the tray. His friend had said it would complement the woodsmoke of the fire and the grill, and since Vinnie was basically a wizard at this kind of thing, it did. “Tell me about chocolate. You decided to make it your business, so it must be more than a simple pleasure for you.”
Alice telegraphed her moves to the antipasti tray so they weren’t reaching at the same time. He should’ve brought out separate plates, but he hadn’t thought of it. He realized their tray would have been against the health code at the restaurant. “Do you want me to make you a separate plate?”
She waved a hand. “I didn’t think about it until we started eating. I…I think we’ll be okay. I’m only touching the food I take.”
Jesus, this whole thing was awkward. “It’s at moments like this when I really hate what’s going on.”
“I know,” she said, putting her hand to her heart, something he’d noticed her do a lot. Each time, it sent a wave of warmth through him, like his heart was answering the call. “But we have to do our best, you know, and keep hoping things will get better. Hank, I really appreciate you having me over and doing all this.”
“Alice, I’m glad you’re here. Let’s both just relax a little more. Okay? You’re right. We’re doing the best we can.”
“Okay.” She blew out a giant breath. “Initiating my date relaxation program right now.”
“Can you send me an invitation?”
“Sending you one right now,” she said, closing her eyes, everything about her becoming still. It was remarkable, her ability to go from jumping off the walls with excitement to this. He found himself letting out a long breath, and peace settled over him.