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My heart takes off like a shot in my chest, and I swallow hard as I stare at him with wide eyes.
“I think that’s the nicest thing that anyone has ever said to me,” I say softly.
“It’s the truth,” he says simply.
A waiter comes over to take our drink order, and I order a chardonnay, and then I scan the menu, deciding on the short rib gnocchi for my entrée.
The waiter leaves to put it in drink order, and I turn back to Wade.
“What’s your next project after this one?” I ask him.
“I don’t have one lined up just yet. I’m planning on taking a few weeks off to get started on fixing up my house.”
“You’re fixing up the house next door?” I ask excitedly.
The interior designer part of me instantly has so many ideas.
“Yeah, it needs some repairs.”
The waiter comes over with our drinks and we both place our orders for dinner and the waiter leaves once again.
“Like what?” I ask, picking our conversation back up.
“The kitchen and bathrooms could use a refresh, a few lights need to be replaced, and the deck in the back needs to be redone. Some paint and landscaping. It’s not a super long list, and the house is still livable, but it needs to be brought into this century a bit.”
“I can see that. I think the last owners lived there like all of their lives.”
“Probably,” he says with a smile.
“You know, I’ve always loved that house. It has the best view of the harbor and the second balcony overlooking the water looks so peaceful. I’d love to have a house like that.”
“It was always my dream place too. I grew up on the other side of town and never even dreamed that I’d be able to afford a house on this side of town,” he admits and my heart breaks for kid Wade.
“And look at you now,” I say and he half smiles.
“Look at me now.”
“Where did you live in high school?” I ask as fresh bread and butter are dropped off.
“I bounced around between a few foster homes,” he says vaguely.
“Oh, I didn’t know that,” I say softly.
“Yeah, my mom died in childbirth with me and I guess my dad was never in the picture so I grew up in the system.”
“I’m sorry, Wade.”
He nods, taking a sip of his water.
“Some of the families were alright, most of them were actually and in the end, I got placed with Ray. I stayed there even after I graduated and aged out and I still go over there once a week. That’s where I went the night that I met you at the bar.”
“That’s nice! Does he still take in kids?” I ask him.
“Yeah, he has two siblings there now. Jake and Ellie. They’re really good kids. I go over and play games with them at least once a week.”
“I’m glad that you still get to see them and that you can be a good influence on other kids. It’s nice that you get to kind of give back.”
“Yeah, and Jake and Ellie are lucky that they got put in a good home. There’s a lot of not-so-great ones out there.”
