The next morning, David left an hour early because he was anxious to get his day started with Candice and Sarah. He had their whole day planned out, starting with breakfast at the Black Bear Diner in Draper and ending with a trip to the aquarium. He couldn’t get his and Candice’s conversation on the mountain off his mind, and he could barely sleep for making mental itineraries of the adventures he wanted to share with her and Sarah. He was trying so hard not to jump way ahead of the friend zone, but it wasn’t easy. Candice sparked something inside him he hadn’t felt in a long time, and he was desperately afraid of losing it.

He turned into her driveway forty minutes ahead of schedule and was surprised to find her and Sarah outside on the front porch swing. Before he brought the truck to a complete stop, they were bounding down the porch steps in his direction. Part of him was disappointed he’d never seen the inside of their home, nor been invited in. Perhaps keeping her personal space at arm’s length was another way Candice chose to keep their friendship platonic. It bothered him a great deal, but if that was what she wanted, then he would find a way to accept it.

“Hey, Mr. David!” Sarah called as soon as he stepped out of the truck. She caught him off guard when she jumped in his arms and hugged him, but it warmed his heart and helped his feelings tremendously.

“Good morning, Sarah! How are you?”

He saw Candice grinning as she walked over to join them. When he set Sarah down on the ground, she started jabbering nonstop.

“Mommy said you’re taking us to eat breakfast. Where are we going? Do they have pancakes? I love pancakes! Do you like pancakes, Mr. David? I like waffles, too, but I’d rather eat pancakes.”

Candice put a hand on her shoulder. “Slow down, sweetie. Don’t forget to breathe.”

Sarah gave her an eye roll, and David bit his tongue to keep from laughing. He noticed Candice traded her hiking clothes from the previous day for a skirt, blouse, and sandals, and she looked stunning as always. “Good morning to you, too, Miss Hollins.”

Candice blushed. “Good morning, Mr. Maxwell.”

Sarah grabbed his hand and started pulling him toward Candice’s car. “Let’s get my booster seat so we can go. I’m starving! I tried to sneak some cereal into my bedroom this morning when Aunt Whitney brought me home, but Mommy caught me and made me put it back because she didn’t want me to get full before we leave.”

This time, he did laugh, and when he glanced over his shoulder at Candice, she put her hands on her hips and shook her head. He removed Sarah’s booster seat from the back seat of the car, and when they returned to put it in his truck, Sarah held onto his hand again. He couldn’t get over how energetic she was and how he never saw her without a smile on her face.

When they were all settled in the truck and safely buckled in, David roared the engine to life and started backing out of the driveway. Candice crossed her long, tanned legs, and he looked in the rearview mirror to focus his attention elsewhere to keep from running off the road. “Sarah, have you ever been to the aquarium in Draper?”

Her face immediately lit up. “No, I haven’t! Are we going there, Mr. David? Oh my gosh! I can’t wait! Did you hear that, Mommy? We’re going to the aquarium!”

Candice shook her head again. “He just asked if you’ve been there, sweetie. He didn’t say we were going.” She looked at David. “Wait, are we?”

He gave her a sheepish grin. “I thought we might visit the aquarium after we eat breakfast at the Black Bear Diner if that’s okay with you.”

Sarah clapped her hands. “Oh, that place sounds so cool! Do they have real black bears there? I bet the aquarium has sharks and dolphins and those fish that look like porcupines. Can we go? Please, please, please!”

Candice held a finger to her lips to try and reel in Sarah’s enthusiasm a bit. “Yes, we can, but do you remember the talk we had this morning?”

He glimpsed in the rearview mirror just as Sarah expelled a dramatic sigh. “I know, I know. I need to let the grown-ups talk too.”

David grinned. It was sweet witnessing the way they interacted, and he could only imagine how tiresome it must be trying to answer Sarah’s questions all day long and having to contain some of her boundless energy. Candice truly was an amazing mother.

During the remainder of the drive to Draper, the three of them talked about what they hoped to see at the aquarium, and by the time they arrived at the diner, Sarah was much calmer. The restaurant was very busy, and as the waiter escorted them to the last available booth, his heart warmed when Sarah politely asked if she could sit next to him.

“Of course, you can,” he said. “I would be honored.”

She slid inside the booth, unfolded her napkin, and placed it neatly on her lap while David slipped in beside her and Candice sat across from them. It was adorable watching Sarah act like a young lady, but as soon as she picked up the menu, he could see the excitement spread across her face even before she started bouncing on the seat.

“Can I get this, Mommy?” She pointed to the Hungry Man Platter, which included four pancakes, three eggs, four slices of bacon, two sausage links, grits, a biscuit, and two pieces of toast.

Candice gave her a skeptical look. “Honey, there’s no way you can eat all of that. Why don’t you look at the kid’s menu? They probably have pancakes on it too.”

Sarah pouted her lips and shrunk back in the seat. “But I don’t want to eat just pancakes. I’m really hungry.”

They stared at each other like two bulls facing off while David looked on helplessly. “I tell you what,” he said. “Why don’t Sarah and I share the Hungry Man Platter? She can eat the pancakes and whatever else she wants, and I’ll have the rest.”

Sarah nodded happily while Candice gave him a look that bordered between gratefulness and sympathy. “Okay.” She laughed. “But you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

He didn’t grasp what she meant until thirty minutes later when he was left staring at a full platter minus one pancake and half a sausage link. Candice had an impish grin on her face while enjoying her much smaller breakfast of waffles and fruit, and Sarah was preoccupied with a coloring book and colors the waiter dropped off at their table.

“I hope you brought your appetite.” Candice smirked.

Sarah looked up at him and smiled. “Come on, Mr. David. You can do it.”

He picked up his fork and took a deep breath before giving Sarah a wink. “Here goes nothing.”

It took another half hour, but he was able to clear his plate. Sarah cheered for him while Candice watched with an amused expression on her beautiful face. David put his napkin on his plate and leaned back in the seat. If it wasn’t such an ungentlemanly thing to do, he would’ve unbuttoned his pants so he could breathe better.

“Are you sure you’ll be able to walk around the aquarium after eating that?” Candice asked.

David waved a hand in the air. “No problem at all. Just let me sit here and rest a minute before I try and get up.”

She and Sarah laughed, which was music to his ears. They seemed to be having a good time, and that was all he truly wanted, even if it meant having to waddle his stuffed belly around an aquarium. The waiter stopped by their table and took their plates, and they enjoyed another glass of sweet tea before he felt ready to move.

“I noticed the aquarium is only a couple of blocks away,” Candice remarked. “Why don’t we leave your truck here and walk?”

He could hardly consider taking two steps at the moment, much less walking two blocks, but Sarah was fired up and ready to go as soon as she mentioned it. She cast her colors and coloring book to the side and waited expectantly for David and Candice to make a move.

“You might have to give me a push,” he joked with Sarah.

She placed her tiny hands on his back and gently pushed him out of the booth, giggling the whole time, and when David paid the check, they walked outside to the parking lot. He could see the top of the aquarium from where they stood, and it didn’t appear too terribly far away. Sarah clutched his hand and held on tightly.

“You and Mr. David have to hold hands, Mommy. My teacher makes us hold hands every time we go to the cafeteria and playground, so no one gets lost.”

He glanced beside him at Candice, whose cheeks reddened as she held his hand. He felt a chill race up his spine the instant her fingers intertwined with his, and as he walked between the two of them to the aquarium, he knew he was right where he belonged.