“That’s beautiful. You’ll definitely be able to move in that,” Wanda agrees. “How do you plan to style your hair?”
“Probably an updo. I look best in updos with a deep V-neck cut like this.” I point to the dress’ plunging neckline.
“In all honesty, I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen you this excited for a date. Even when you were married to that brother of mine, and he deigned to take you out on a date night, you were happy or going through the motions, but your eyes never sparkled like they are now.”
The return of our waitress with our food gives me time to think about my response. I’d never taken the time to notice it before, but Wanda’s right. In the last few years of my marriage, Rick and I never dated much, not unless it was a business meeting and he needed me to help him look good.
Even the men I’ve dated since getting divorced—though all nice and, at times, fun—didn’t make me feel like a woman with her first crush.
“Rick barely wanted to go out anywhere,” I tell Wanda. “Sometime in the last decade of our marriage we stopped courting.” I shrug. “No, that’s not the truth, we never really ever courted.
“With Joel, it feels different. Natural, somehow.” I lean into the table. “It almost feels like I was destined to move next door to him, and he was supposed to save me that day. So we could get to know one another.”
“Aww,” Wanda cocks her head to the side, “that’s so cute,” she squeals.
“Shut up,” I tease.
“No, really. That is the most adorable thing I’ve heard in a long time.”
I cut into my portion of brisket and scoop a forkful into my mouth.
“I’m so glad you moved to Texas. I knew it would be the fresh start you needed. All that talk you were saying a few years ago about never dating again.”
“I meant it when I said it.” I chuckle along with Wanda. By the time I left Rick, I thought I was through with dating and men in general. I just wanted my freedom.
“Especially not after everything I found out during our divorce. Finding out how much he’d lied to me throughout our marriage.” I tsk and shake my head.
“I never want to go through that again.”
Wanda nods along while wiping her mouth with a napkin. “I hear you. I don’t have to tell you again, but the amount of times I cursed my brother out for all of that BS is probably a record.”
We laugh.
Wanda stopped talking to Rick for almost two years while we were going through our separation and subsequent divorce.
“But I am glad you made it back to dating,” she says.
“Honestly, me too. The past few years have given me time to not only live alone but to find myself again. I have a career that I never could have imagined for myself, hobbies that I enjoy, and now …”
“New love?”
I toss one of my napkins at Wanda.
“A new love formyself,” I emphasize. “I appreciate who I am and what I have to offer. No matter who I end up with, I’m not ever going to shrink who I am again just to fit a man’s ego. Especially when he’s not reciprocating.”
“I’ll cheers to that.” She holds up her half finished diet soda.
I do the same, and we clink glasses before laughing and taking a sip.
Wanda and I talk more about life and the happenings around Harlington. She brings up the Harlington horse ride and Christmas light show that’s happening in a couple of weeks.
The show will run all the way until New Year’s.
“I think a few of Joel’s horses will be a part of the festival,” she says. “Along with a few of the other ranchers from the area.”
“That’s sweet.”
“Yeah, the kids loved it growing up,” Wanda adds. “You know Josiah is trying to buy a ranch. His father and I gave him some seed money and he’s working on investors now.”
