Stardust Miracle by Edie Ramer

divorce.”
    “Oh...” Relief made her heartbeat slow and her muscles relax. She let go of his hand and gave him a grateful smile.
    He smiled back. His eyes smiled, too. But on second look, she saw they weren’t really smiling. They were...
    Smoldering?
    Her breath sucked in .
    “Yes, I did.” She grabbed her wine glass and realized she wasn’t moping or devastated or even angry at Jim. Instead, it was as if she’d whipped through the seven stages of grief in the short time since she’d discovered him in his church office with Diana. As if she’d mourned the loss of him before it happened.
    Her life with Jim seemed almost seemed like someone else’s life.
    Except she knew that was wishful thinking. Maybe today she was okay. But tomorrow she might be in the depths again. Nothing was this easy, especially not divorce.
    “I hope he doesn’t give you any trouble,” Derek said.
    She looked at his face straight on and a great affection for him rose up inside her. But not that kind of affection. Not as a lover. More like an affection for a good friend who was feeding her one of her favorite foods.
    Her voice was an octave too high when she changed the subject to the restaurant and the food. His eyes changed to... Eyes. Just eyes. Whatever she’d seen or thought she’d seen was no longer there.
    It must have been just her imagination – that impression that every man she was alone with for a few minutes was mad for her body.
    She had to stop this. It wasn’t as if she wanted or needed a man in her life. Right now the only male she considered living with had four feet, black fur and a tail.
    The waiter came with their bread and soup. As soon as he left, she said, “Remember Goldie’s black puppy?”
    He nodded, a slight crease on his forehead. She recalled that the puppy had peed on the toe of his shoes when he picked her up to take her to the restaurant. But he’d laughed and used a paper towel to wipe it off.
    “A friendly guy,” he said. “Very sharing.” 
    She laughed, loosening up. She hoped she was hiding her surprise at his play on words.
    There was more to Derek than she’d thought.
    “We’ve bonded these last couple of days,” she said. “I’d love to keep him, but I can’t see how that could work.”
    “He’d be a good watchdog for when you move into your own place. Friendly, but a barker.”
    “And a pee-er.”
    Cutting the bread, he laughed more than her comment deserved and his eyes crinkled into slits.
    “I’d have to find a place that would accept pets,” she added.
    “I can’t think of anyone in Miracle who allows pets for renters. And labs have a bad reputation for chewing.”
    “I probably won’t stay in Miracle. I’ll need a job and there aren’t any in Miracle that I know of.” She gave a smile that insisted on teetering. She grabbed the glass of water to hide her wobble. Another scary part of this new life... But other women had been through this, and they managed. She would, too.
    “I do a lot of websites for businesses in the area,” Derek said. “I could ask around. Check and see what’s available.”
    A rush of gratitude clogged her throat. “Thanks for being a good friend.” She heard the huskiness in her voice. As if tears weren’t far behind.
    Dipping his bread in the herbed olive oil, he hesitated then gazed at her. The look in his eyes was intent, as if he were trying to see what was in her mind. And his face... It shone. As if lit from within.
    Her hand holding the spoonful of minestrone shook. Maybe it was because of the way he looked at her, so tenderly, but she was feeling...amorous.
    Her spoon shook more, drops spilling. Good grief, this was ridiculous.
    He dropped the crust, then reached up to steady her hand and guided it down to the cup. Her gaze followed the spoon. She couldn’t look at his face anymore – it was too...unsettling. She wasn’t ready for...whatever this was leading to.
    “Look at me,” he said, his voice low. And her gaze