Faith had invited him to dinner at her house in Seattle. Late in the afternoon he shaved, then slapped on aftershave, the same brand he’d been wearing for decades. Maybe it was time for a change, he reflected. When he’d finished combing his hair, he searched his closet for a dress shirt. Not the starched-collar type; a knit one that would be considered appropriate for church on Sunday morning. Appropriate for a dinner date on Saturday evening.

Ever since that first call, he’d talked to Faith nearly every night. Usually he wasn’t one to while away an hour on idle conversation, yet he and Faith were on the phone that long and sometimes longer. Then they’d hang up and Troy would remember four or five other things he wished he’d said; he’d have to resist the urge to call her right back.

They’d met a week ago in Cedar Cove for hot, greasy French fries and a diet soda—at the PancakePalace, of course. The haunt of their youth, as Faith described it. Afterward, they’d wandered down to the marina. They chatted and laughed and reminisced. By the time Faith drove back to Seattle, night had begun to fall.

Troy had waited until he assumed she was home and then phoned, just to be sure she’d arrived safely. They’d spent almost four hours together, and another hour on the phone once Faith was back in Seattle.

They hadn’t kissed. Not yet, anyway. He hadn’t even touched her in more than the most impersonal of ways—fingers brushing as he passed her a drink, a hand on her elbow as they crossed the street. Frankly, he was afraid. He was determined to put those fears behind him, though, and if the opportunity arose, if the moment was right, he’d approach her for a kiss. She had to want it, too. It’d been so many years since he’d needed to read those signs…. Well, he just hoped he’d know.

Before he left the house, Troy rummaged through the bathroom looking for cologne, which, to his utter frustration, he couldn’t find. His daughter had given him some for Christmas. Nice stuff, expensive. That must’ve been a year ago, maybe two, and he was sure he’d tucked it away somewhere in the bathroom. He’d never even opened the bottle.

Now that he thought about it, Sandy had still been living at home so it would’ve been more than two years. By now, it was probably ruined, anyway. Just as well; he didn’t want to be too obvious. And he probably shouldn’t wear competing scents, not that he’d really notice but women tended to have a better sense of smell. Fine. The aftershave was sufficient.

He straightened some magazines in the living room, trying to calculate when he should leave. He’d rather not show up early, which might look a bit pathetic, but getting there late might be seen as rude. Traffic and the ferry schedule made it difficult to figure out exactly how long the drive would take.

Just as he’d decided it was time to go, he heard the front door open.

“Dad, are you here?”

“Megan?” His heart sank. He hadn’t said anything about Faith to his daughter. Not because he felt guilty, not really. But he wasn’t sure what to tell her. It seemed too soon to describe the relationship as serious. Until he knew whether he and Faith truly had a future, he’d rather keep it to himself.

“There you are,” Megan said, rounding the corner of the kitchen as he stepped into the living room, pocketing his keys. His daughter arched her eyebrows in evident surprise. “Don’t you look good.”

He grumbled something indistinct, wondering what he should say. His instincts hinted that Megan wasn’t ready to hear about any other woman in his life.

Megan continued to study him, arms folded as she surveyed his attire. “What’s the occasion?” she asked.

Troy shrugged uncomfortably. “Nothing much. I’m meeting an old friend.” Now was the time to mention that the “old friend” just happened to be female, yet he hesitated.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were going on a date.”

Troy frowned and shrugged again.

Megan shook her head. “That’s what I thought.”

“What?”

“I can’t picture you dating,” she said with finality. She seemed to think it was too improbable to waste time discussing.

“Why not?” he demanded. He might be close to retirement age but he wasn’t dead.

“Oh, come on, Dad,” Megan joked. “You?”

“I might want to start dating again,” he informed her. “Eventually…” He didn’t find her attitude the least bit encouraging. Nor was he amused.

“No way!” His daughter looked shocked, her response even more uncompromising than he’d expected.

“Why not?” he asked.

“Mom’s only been dead a short while!”

No one needed to tell him that. “I’m well aware of when your mother died.” He didn’t remind Megan that Sandy had been ill for years beforehand. Not once in all those years had he so much as looked at another woman. He’d been faithful to the very end.

“It wouldn’t be right,” Megan said stubbornly, her smile fading. “You wouldn’t do that, would you?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” he returned, struggling to disguise his feelings.

“Like I said, it wouldn’t be right,” she repeated, more loudly this time. “People would talk.”

“I don’t live my life based on other people’s opinions,” he said, his voice sharp with frustration and annoyance.

“You’d be dishonoring Mom’s memory.” Megan was noticeably upset. “Good grief, Dad, it’s barely been two months! You don’t honestly mean—do you—that you’re going out on a date? That’s just…wrong.” Her eyes, so like Sandy’s, filled with horror.

“No, of course not,” he said, his tone as soothing as he could make it.

Megan immediately relaxed. She smiled again, unable to hide her relief. “Thank goodness. For a minute there, you had me worried.”

Troy sighed. No point in asking his daughter’s opinion on the matter of seeing Faith. She’d made her feelings completely clear. As far as Megan was concerned, everything should remain exactly the way it was.

“I stopped by to see if you’d come for dinner,” she announced.

“When?”

“I was going to suggest tonight, but I know you’ve already got plans—with your friend.” Her face revealed her distress. “I should’ve asked you sooner, but it never dawned on me that you might be doing something.” She bit her lip, then made an effort to pretend it wasn’t important. “That’s what I get for taking my dad for granted.”

More than anything Troy hated to disappoint his daughter. “What are you having?” he forced himself to ask.

“Steamed clams and fresh crab I picked up at the Farmer’s Market this afternoon. Craig’s got everything in a huge pot, along with freshly picked corn and new potatoes.”

“What are you celebrating?”

A smile turned up the corners of her mouth. “You’ll have to wait and see. Is there any way you could make it?”

Why, oh, why hadn’t he left the house ten minutes ago? Then he wouldn’t have been here and Megan wouldn’t have known anything about his plans.

“Can you, Dad?” Her eyes shone with hope.

“I’ll have to make a phone call first.” The words nearly stuck in his throat. If there was any alternative, he would’ve taken it. Yes, Megan was spoiled; he admitted that. He guessed it was natural enough, since she was an only child and cherished by both parents. In addition to that, he and Megan had been through so much together during Sandy’s illness. They’d grown close and solicitous of each other’s feelings. Although Megan obviously had her limits…

“Oh, Dad.” Megan sniffed and her eyes were wet with tears. “I wanted to save it as a surprise, but I can’t.”

“Save what?” he asked, trying to pretend that changing his dinner plans was no big thing.

“My news,” she said. He could tell she was trying hard to keep her voice even.

Troy didn’t know what to think.

“I’m pregnant!” she cried, and then she allowed the tears to slip down her cheeks. “Craig and I are going to make you a grandpa.”

It took Troy a moment to grasp this. “You’re going to have a baby?”

She nodded enthusiastically and started to laugh again, still weeping. “I’m almost two months. Can you believe it? It must’ve happened shortly after Mom died, when I was so upset and…and missing her so much. Don’t you see, Dad?”

Troy wasn’t sure what he was supposed to see.

“This baby is Mom’s last gift to me.”

“Your mother…”

“She sent this baby to me because she knew how lonely I’d be. Mom knew a baby would help me face the future without her.”

“Oh.” He was touched by how childlike she sounded—and a little worried, too.

“You’re happy for us, aren’t you?” she asked, reaching out and touching his sleeve, silently imploring him.

“Oh, sweetheart,” he said and gathered her in his arms. “I am. I’m thrilled for you. For all of us.” He paused. “Are you feeling all right?”

She nodded. “I feel wonderful. Craig’s so excited. Me, too. At first I could hardly believe it. I’ve been on the pill ever since we got married. I just went off it a few months ago, and…”

This was information he didn’t need to hear, the type of thing Megan should be discussing with her mother. But he’d been standing in for Sandy so long, it probably seemed natural for his daughter to share the intimate details of her marriage with him.

“I stopped taking them when Mom got—when it became obvious we wouldn’t have her with us very much longer,” she elaborated. “I just forgot….”

“I see.”

“Now you can understand why I said this baby is Mom’s last gift to me.”

Troy patted her back. The pregnancy was exciting news, and Sandy, had she lived, would’ve been over the moon at the prospect of being a grandmother.

“What time do you want me at the house?” Troy asked.

“Seven,” Megan said, breaking away from him. “I don’t think doing it tomorrow night is a good idea with the clams and the crab.”

Troy agreed they shouldn’t delay. “I’ll call my friend.”

“Thank you, Daddy.”

Megan hadn’t called him Daddy in years. Generally it was Dad. “I’ll see you in an hour,” she said, hurrying toward the door.

“I’ll be there,” he assured her. Then, remembering his manners, he asked. “Do you want me to bring anything?”

“No…oh, Dad, please don’t let on that you know about the baby. Craig’s parents are coming, and I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” So the in-laws would be there, too. Funny Megan hadn’t thought to mention that earlier. Not that it would’ve mattered. She had no reason to think he might have made other plans, since he rarely did anything outside of work. There hadn’t been room for anyone in his life except Sandy and of course Megan—until now.