The next day, Tristan found his focus fractured once again. Interspersed between the latest design changes he was making for a corporate client, he was searching the internet for the best restaurant to take Shayna to on their date. He would think he’d found the perfect one, only to search for reviews and discover that it wasn’t quite as good as the restaurant website had made it out to be.
He’d abandon his search while he tried to do more work, only to turn back to Google. He wanted a place where Shayna would be comfortable, so he didn’t want to choose anything too upscale. Frankly, Tristan wouldn’t be comfortable in a place like that either.
A few times throughout the morning, he picked up his phone and scrolled through his contacts to see if any of them might be able to give him guidance. After the makeup and chocolate-covered strawberry fiasco, he wasn’t sure which of his siblings he could trust. Maybe Kenton or Ryan. Definitely not Gabe. Maya probably wouldn’t steer him wrong, but though she wasn’t one to spill secrets, she did tend to have a problem keeping them from her husband.
He’d been on dates before, but for some reason, none had seemed as important as this one with Shayna. It felt absolutely necessary to have this date go perfectly. Maybe it was because of what she’d suffered in her life. The loss she’d endured. The fact that she was willing to even go on a date with him was shocking, really, and he didn’t want her to regret saying yes.
After a couple of hours going back and forth between work and scouring the internet, Tristan finally gave up and lifted his phone once again.
Okay, you two. Where is a good place to go to eat? Like, where do Avery and Hannah like to go to eat?
Kenton: Who are you looking to impress? A girl? A business associate?
Ryan: Pretty sure it’s a girl.
Tristan sighed, hoping he hadn’t made another mistake in turning to his siblings for advice.
No. It’s a woman. Not a girl.
Ryan: Tomayto. Tomahto.
Kenton: You having a salad for supper, Ry?
Ryan: Lettuce hope not. I’m in the mood for steak.
Kenton: Groan… I can’t…
Are you two done? I need some help here!
Ryan: Okay, fine. I’ll put aside my witty repartee to help a needy boy out.
Tristan rolled his eyes. There were times when he wanted to just knock a few sibling heads together.
Kenton: Why don’t you just go to one of the usual places we go to?
I wanted something that was a little out of the norm but not too fancy. A place where we’ll be comfortable spending a few hours. Any ideas?
Ryan: Hannah likes a place called Shelby’s that we found in St. Boniface.
Kenton: I think she must have recommended that place to Avery as well. We’ve been there a few times. We certainly enjoyed it.
Tristan typed the name into the search bar then read through the restaurant’s website before searching for reviews. It seemed that his brothers had come through for him. The reviews were good. The pictures of the interior of the restaurant showed that it was set up in an intimate, yet comfortable-looking way.
Thank you. I think we’ll give that place a try. Is business casual okay?
Kenton: Yeah. That would be fine. Lunch you could get away with jeans and a nice shirt, but dinner, you should probably wear business casual.
Great. Thanks. It sounds perfect.
I appreciate the help.
After ending the conversation with his brothers, Tristan opened a text screen with Shayna and typed a message to give her the name of the restaurant.
My brothers said business casual is fine for what to wear, and they said it was a really nice place to eat. I’ll pick you up around five. Is that okay?
He knew she was at work, so Tristan didn’t expect an immediate response. Having settled on a restaurant, he was finally able to focus on the design changes. He plugged his ears with his earbuds, turned on his favorite playlist, and lost himself in his work.
Shayna sat down at the table with the tablet after Timothy had gone to bed. Since it was Friday night, she had let Timothy stay up late with her. They’d popped some popcorn then watched a movie on the tablet together. It was a quiet evening, but a necessary one. It had been a hectic day at work, and then she’d had to contend with Timothy’s less than positive account of his day.
Now she wanted to spend some time looking over the website for the restaurant Tristan had told her they were going to. She hoped that they had a menu online, so she could have an idea of what to order before they got there. It wasn’t that she was unaware of the restaurant since the place she worked was in the same area of the city, but she’d never reviewed their site or menu.
She was a bit curious to see what Tristan thought would be appropriate for their…dinner. It was a struggle to call it a date, which was ridiculous since she’d accepted his invitation knowing full well what his intention was. Still…calling it a date seemed hard for her.
Ironically, she and Lorne hadn’t done much dating until after they’d gotten married and established a regular date night. Before that point, they’d spent huge amounts of time together on the street. Sometimes they had been together all day and night. That usually happened if they’d managed to get enough money to buy some food. They’d bunk down in whatever location they’d managed to deem safe from the elements and from the people who wanted to separate them.
The idea of going out with someone as part of the dating process was completely new for her. The dates she and Lorne had gone on after they’d gotten off the streets and married had been more focused on them having time for the two of them. It was her guarantee that she’d have him to herself for an evening in the midst of the busyness of their jobs and his work on the streets.
As the website loaded, Shayna found herself entranced by the interior pictures of the place. She wasn’t sure what she expected. Given that the restaurant wasn’t part of a chain, it had a more eclectic look to it that was both charming and comfortable looking. It appeared as if they had decorated it using finds at thrift stores and estate sales.
Though she’d planned to spend most her time on the site reviewing the menu, she couldn’t keep from enlarging the pictures and peering at the details. By the time she moved onto the menu, Shayna didn’t really care what they served, she was looking forward to the experience.
When she crawled into bed a short later, her mind had turned to what she should wear. She hadn’t told Timothy yet that she was going out with Tristan while Danica and Sierra stayed with him. Of course, he would be over the moon. She had no doubt he’d understand the significance of their evening out—just her and Tristan. Up until that point, any of their interactions and times out had been the three of them or just Timothy and Tristan.
Shayna shifted onto her side, staring at the night table beside her bed where she knew her favorite picture of her and Lorne sat in a frame even though she couldn’t see it clearly in the dark. Was she doing the right thing? Going out with Tristan, given what it would mean to their son?
She knew Lorne wouldn’t object to Tristan as someone good for Timothy. Tristan would be good for Timothy. He had already been good for him. But if she chose to continue on this path, the one this dinner would set them on, Tristan could end up playing a very different role in Timothy’s life. One that should have been filled by Lorne.
Not wanting to dwell too much on that, Shayna tried to shut her mind down so she could fall asleep. It was easier said than done, however, and she saw eleven and then twelve on the clock before she finally fell asleep.
“Is it time for him to be here?” Timothy asked for the hundredth time.
Shayna was glad she’d only told him about the evening plans that afternoon. Even Tristan hadn’t mentioned a word when they’d seen him at church that morning. She and Timothy had been sitting together in church since there was no separate worship for the kids when Tristan had settled into the pew beside them.
She could only imagine how much Timothy would have fidgeted through the service if he’d known what was to come later that day. He hadn’t even blinked an eye when she’d said it was just her and Tristan going out. Once he’d realized who he’d be spending the evening with, he’d been super excited about staying home.
“Bug, you know how to tell time, and I told you he’d be here at five o’clock,” Shayna said as she fastened her earrings into place. “What time is it now?”
Timothy glanced at the clock beside her bed. “Four-forty-seven.”
“Is it five o’clock yet then?” She checked her appearance one last time before she turned to where Timothy sat cross-legged on her bed.
“No, Maman.” Timothy stared at the clock for a moment, his brows drawing together. “He’ll be here in…thirteen minutes.”
As if to make a liar out of her, the doorbell rang. Timothy scrambled off the bed and darted out of the room. Shayna abandoned the mirror and headed after him. With youth and enthusiasm on his side, he made quick work of both flights of stairs.
By the time Shayna made it down to the front door, Timothy already had the door open and was greeting Sierra and Danica with enthusiasm.
“Are you ready for some pizza?” Danica asked. “And maybe some games?”
“Just be wary of him if you play Monopoly,” Shayna said with a smile to greet them. “He doesn’t like to play with only one other person because it’s no fun with just one person to fleece at every turn.”
Sierra giggled as she took off her jacket. Shayna held out her hands to take each of their jackets and went to hang them in the closet, smiling when she heard Timothy chattering with the two girls as they headed up the stairs. Clearly he was much happier about his evening babysitters than he was about his daytime one. She wished she could have them there each day, instead of sending him to the babysitter’s.
“Tris will be here in a few minutes,” Danica said when Shayna joined them in the dining room. “He had to make a couple of stops along the way.”
“Should I call to place the pizza order before I go?” Shayna asked.
“Nope.” Danica gave her a wide smile. “Tristan took care of placing the order, and he’s picking it up.”
“I suppose he does know our pizza preferences.” Shayna reached up into the cupboard to pull down a stack of plates, wondering what the girls thought of the plan for her and Tristan’s evening.
When she placed the plates on the table, Sierra touched her arm, smiling at her when Shayna looked in her direction. “You look very nice.”
Shayna straightened, running her hands down the outfit she’d chosen. She was thankful that Shelby’s had a more relaxed atmosphere because she didn’t have anything to wear that would have been suitable for a fancier place. Somehow, she knew that Tristan had taken that into consideration, and the thought warmed her.
“Thank you. I hope it’s appropriate,” Shayna said.
“It is. Danica and I went there before Christmas with some friends, and none of us have fancy clothes. We probably didn’t even dress as nicely as you have, and it was fine. Tristan’s just wearing black slacks and a button-down shirt with a sweater.” Sierra tilted her head and smiled. “I think you’ll look nice together.”
That hadn’t really been in Shayna’s head as she’d picked her clothes. More important had been that she wouldn’t embarrass him by dressing inappropriately. It hadn’t taken her long—even before seeing his fancy car—to know that they came from different worlds financially. Her life before running away from home had been closer to how he appeared to live now, but she hadn’t appreciated it then.
The years between that time and where she was now held a wealth of experiences that at times she wished she’d never had, but she could never regret them for the simple fact that they had brought her Lorne and then Timothy.
When the doorbell rang, Timothy once again darted for the stairs, and Shayna laughed when she saw Sierra and Danica watching him go.
“He has so much energy,” Shayna said. “I wish I could siphon off some of it. Maybe him with a little less and me with a little more would bring us about even.”
“I’m pretty sure my mom has said that about each of us over the years,” Danica agreed. “I love the energy of children. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to become a teacher.”
“Elementary, then?”
“I hope to get a job as an elementary music teacher, but honestly, I’d be happy teaching any age.”
“Maman! Tristan’s here with pizza for us.” Timothy appeared, a large paper-wrapped package in his arms. “And something for you.”
Shayna looked up and met Tristan’s gaze as he joined them in the dining room. He gave her a quick—almost shy—smile. “It’s just a few flowers.”
Timothy handed her the bundle he carried. Shayna moved to the counter and laid the flowers down to unwrap them. Just a few flowers actually appeared to be two dozen roses in shades of pink and red with a few white ones interspersed. She lifted one and took a sniff, appreciating the sweet aroma.
She looked up and smiled at Tristan. “They’re beautiful. Thank you so much.”
“Do you have a vase for them? I didn’t think about that until after I bought them.”
“I think I have one up in the cupboard,” Shayna said as she gestured to the one above the fridge.
“Let me check for you.” Tristan opened the cupboard, and thankfully, found the vase Shayna thought she’d remembered putting there.
It wasn’t like she’d had a lot of need for it in recent years. Lisa had used it a few times, but fresh flowers hadn’t been something they’d indulged in too frequently. As she added the flowers to the vase once Tristan had put some water in it, Shayna found herself wishing that maybe it could become an indulgence at some point.
“Those are lovely,” Danica said. “How about I put them on the table so you two can leave? I’m dying for some pizza, and we can’t eat it as long as you two are still here.”
“Trying to get rid of us?” Tristan asked.
“Nope. Just trying to send you on your way so you can begin your lovely evening.” Danica patted her brother on his shoulder. “Off you go.”
Tristan turned to Shayna. “Are you ready?”
She glanced to where Timothy was already peering inside the pizza boxes. “I think I am.”
Tristan led them downstairs. When she pulled her coat from the closet—the one he’d bought her—he took it and held it for her so she could slide her arms into the sleeves. She felt his hands rest lightly on her shoulders for a moment as she buttoned it up.
“It fits you pretty good,” he said.
She turned to face him. “It fits perfectly. Thank you again.”
“I’ll admit that I had some help with the sizing.” Tristan opened the front door for her. “Danica and Sierra gave me a hand with that.”
“I’ll have to thank them.” Together, they walked down the driveway to where his truck was parked.
It was already dark when Tristan guided his truck out of the townhouse complex, but that made it easier to appreciate the Christmas lights that decorated the houses and streets along the way. She would miss them when people started turning them off for the season.
“I hope you like the restaurant,” Tristan said. “It was recommended by two of my brothers.”
“I checked out their website, and it looks like a really charming place. I’m looking forward to it.”
They pulled to a stop at a red light, and when Shayna looked over, the overhead streetlights cast enough illumination in the truck for her to see his smile as he said, “I am too.”
Soft music came from the speakers, and recognizing it, Shayna said, “You like Christmas music?”
“I do. Very much.” Tristan accelerated as the light turned green. “You can blame my mom for that. She would start playing it as early as she thought she could get away with it. I suppose I got used to it and all the happy memories that she managed to attach to it for us.”
Shayna wished she had had that, but she was trying to do for Timothy what hadn’t been done for her.
“How is Lisa’s mom doing?”
“She’s still doing rehab. I don’t think she’s done as well as any of them had hoped. Lisa’s worried, given her mother’s age, that she might not make a full recovery.”
“What would that mean for her? Would she not be able to return home?”
“No, she should be able to. The house is a single story, so she should be able to manage, even if she has to use a wheelchair or a cane.”
Visiting them over Christmas had killed any hope she’d had that Lisa’s move might be temporary, and that at some point, things could go back to what they had been. Shayna didn’t know why she’d been holding out any hope, but she must have been because she’d certainly felt it die.
Since it was Sunday, the traffic was fairly light as they made their way through the downtown. It didn’t take them long to reach the restaurant where Tristan parked the truck in the small lot behind the building.
“Just wait for me,” he said as he slid out from behind the wheel.
Shayna undid her seatbelt as he came around to her door. Once opened, he held out his hand for her to take. After barely a moment’s hesitation, she took it and allowed him to help her from the high seat of the truck onto solid ground. He released her hand as soon as she was steady, and then closed the door, locking it with a beep.
He held his arm out to her, and since there were patches of snow along the walk to the restaurant’s entrance, she slid her hand into the crook of his elbow. She was grateful he hadn’t offered to hold her hand. That might have been moving too fast for her—silly as that might seem to people.