The sun was setting when David turned into the parking lot at the restaurant, and the sky was a gorgeous masterpiece with hues of orange, pink, and purple dotting the horizon. She'd never witnessed a more stunning sunset, and for a brief moment, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She couldn't recall the last time she'd felt so content and at peace.

When he parked the truck and helped Sarah out of her booster seat, David took Candice's hand as they walked along the sidewalk in front of the building. He was unusually quiet, but she didn't want to annoy him with nagging questions, so she decided it would be best to just let it go. She'd seen the chaos he was dealing with at work, and he probably just wanted to unwind.

Sarah was in front of them as they approached the steps to the main entrance, and David reached out and caught her when she got in a hurry and tripped on the hem of her dress, almost tumbling backward. He picked her up in his arms and carried her the rest of the way, and Candice's heart flip-flopped inside her chest. He was such a good man, and the more time she spent with him, the more she realized she was falling head over heels in love with him. She thought it might frighten her since Barry was the only other man she'd ever loved, but it didn't. In fact, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

A waiter showed them to their table, and when David pulled out their chairs and helped seat them, Sarah's excitement was evident by the look on her face.

"This place is huge!" she exclaimed.

Candice held a finger to her lips to quiet her when an elderly couple at a nearby table turned to stare at them. David sat beside her, unfolded his napkin, and placed it on his lap. The waiter took their beverage order, and when he walked away, she held David's hand. He looked at her and smiled, but it was a weary smile.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, unable to keep quiet any longer. "If you feel bad, we can go back to my house, and I'll cook dinner for you. I haven't been grocery shopping this week, so all I can offer you is a hot dog and some chips, but you can relax in the recliner and get some rest."

David smiled as he caressed the back of her hand. "That's sweet of you, but I'm fine. I promise."

Sarah scooted to the edge of her seat and put her elbows on the table. "Mr. David, guess what? Next week is my last week of school before summer!"

He gave her a wide-eyed, surprised look that melted Candice's heart. "Really? That is so awesome."

Sarah nodded, making her tiara wobble precariously to the right, but she caught it and pushed it back up before it slid off her head.

"I know! Mommy and I were talking last night about what we want to do this summer, and we came up with a bunch of fun stuff. I want to go back to Antelope Island sometime. Can we do that?"

The expression on David's face changed, and she didn't miss the way he hesitated. She worried Sarah might be rushing things and making him nervous, so she decided to change the subject.

"Sarah, why don't you take off your tiara and set it on the table, at least until we're finished eating?"

The waiter brought their drinks, and they ordered their food. When he left, Candice picked up Sarah's tea and moved it to her side of the table so she wouldn’t drink it all and get full before her meal arrived.

"But Mommy, no one will know I'm a princess if I take it off."

She pouted her lips, but Candice wouldn't be swayed. "Everyone here knows you're a princess, sweetie, but a princess wouldn't risk her tiara falling into a plate of spaghetti, would she?"

Sarah frowned. "No, I guess not."

She took off her tiara and set it on the table, and Candice breathed a sigh of relief. That was one crisis averted. She dug in her purse for the small notepad and colors she kept on hand for Sarah to play with and gave them to her. Once she was occupied, Candice turned to David. "I hate we didn't get to go to lunch together today. Did you get those forms completed you were telling me about?"

He seemed confused at first, but then he nodded. "Oh yeah, I did. I'm sorry I couldn't break loose and go with you. There's just a lot going on at work I have to deal with."

He took a sip of his tea and straightened the napkin on his lap.

"I know, and I understand," she replied. "I'm just glad you were able to get off work on time so we could make it here for dinner."

He squeezed her hand and smiled at her, but it was a half-hearted one, at best. "I am too. Maybe I can take you to lunch Monday, depending on how everything is going."

She hoped he meant how things were going at work, but with the strange way he was acting, she really didn't know. He was quiet for several minutes until their waiter returned with their food, and Sarah coerced him into a long and detailed discussion about how princesses were better than princes. David barely got a word in, but if nothing else, it made him laugh, and for that, she was grateful because she'd missed seeing his smile, a real, genuine smile.

"Are we going somewhere tomorrow, Mr. David?" she asked.

Candice groaned when Sarah dropped another spaghetti noodle on her dress. She tried throughout the meal to keep her from getting the sauce all over her clothes, but that was impossible, and within just a few minutes of getting her food, her face and the front of her dress were matching shades of orange.

"I’m sorry, Sarah,” David replied. “I told Mr. Braxton I'd go paragliding with him in Draper tomorrow, so I'm afraid I won’t be able to take you anywhere. If we get back early enough, I'll come to see you, but I can't promise anything."

Sarah said she understood, but Candice could tell by the look on her face that she was disappointed. The three of them had spent nearly every weekend together since their trip to Antelope Island, and she looked forward to their adventures as much as Sarah did.

"If Aunt Whitney doesn't mind, I'll take you swimming in her pool tomorrow. How does that sound?" Candice asked.

Sarah agreed, but there wasn't much enthusiasm in her voice. She replayed in her mind the first conversation she’d had with her mother about David, and at times like this, she wished she'd heeded her advice about bringing David around to meet Sarah too soon. She hated seeing her sad, and she felt like she was the one at fault for that.

"I've never been paragliding," Sarah said. "Is it fun?"

David put down his fork and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "It's very fun, and it makes you feel like you're flying. You would love it."

Sarah looked at Candice, expectantly. "Can we go paragliding sometime, Mommy? Please?"

She thought David might offer to take them someday, but when he didn't, she could only shrug her shoulders. "We'll see. Right now, you need to focus on finishing your spaghetti before it gets cold."

Sarah rolled her eyes and started eating again, and they spent the rest of the meal in silence. It wasn't the comfortable silence Candice was used to when she was around David, and that bothered her a great deal. When they finished their meal and headed home, he held her hand but barely said two words. If it hadn't been for Sarah's constant chatter, it would've been a very quiet and boring ride.

"Would you like to come inside for a while?" Candice asked after David parked in her driveway and helped her move Sarah's booster seat from his truck back to her vehicle.

He glanced at Sarah, who was spinning around and around in the front yard, making the bottom of her princess dress swing with the breeze.

"I can't tonight. Braxton and I are getting an early start in the morning, so I should get some sleep."

They walked hand in hand back to his truck, and although Candice tried not to let her imagination get the best of her, she couldn't stop herself from thinking the worst. "David, did I do something wrong? You've been so quiet tonight."

He put his hands on her waist as she leaned against the side of his truck. "You haven't done anything wrong, Candice. I'm sorry I haven't been very talkative. I just have a lot on my mind."

She squinted. "Would you like to talk about it? You know you can talk to me about anything."

He kissed her on the lips, nearly causing her knees to buckle.

"I know, but this is something I need to work out on my own. I'll call you tomorrow night when I get home. Okay?"

She nodded, and after he jumped inside his truck and drove away from her house, Candice tried to disregard the uneasy feeling that sank deep in her bones.

It wasn't easy.