The next morning, Candice tried to arrange the dozen chocolate chip cookie dough pieces on the baking tray like the directions called for, but Sarah was determined to do it her way. It was a battle Candice knew she wouldn't win.

"But, Mommy, if you put three of them together, they'll melt into one big cookie," Sarah reasoned. "I don't want little cookies."

Candice shook her head as she rearranged the pieces of dough again into four groups of three while Sarah stood beside her and bounced on her tiptoes. When that was done, they washed their hands in the kitchen sink, and Candice turned on the oven. The doorbell rang at that time, and before she could catch Sarah, who darted from the room to answer it, she was halfway to the front door.

"Wait a second!" she called. "You know the rules."

Sarah gave her an exasperated look. "I know, I know. Don't open the door without a grown-up."

Candice looked out the front window in the den, and her heart leaped to her throat when she saw a familiar dark blue truck in her driveway. "It's Mr. David."

Sarah unlocked the door and quickly swung it open, and before David could utter a word, she was jumping in his arms and hugging him.

"Well, good morning to you too," he said with a laugh.

Candice sidled up next to him, kissed his cheek, and whispered a "good morning," and he smiled and did the same. When Sarah finally decided to remove her arms from around his neck, her eyes were as big as saucers.

"We're baking chocolate chip cookies!" she exclaimed. "Would you like one, Mr. David?"

He set her down on the floor and ruffled her hair, which made her giggle. "I would love one, but do you mind if I talk to your mom first?"

Sarah nodded and went to the den, where she hopped on the sofa and used the remote control to turn on the TV so she could watch cartoons. Candice turned her attention to David and slipped her arms around his waist so she could hold him close. "Everything okay?"

He didn't answer right away, and she could tell by the strained look on his face that something was going on. He motioned to the door. "Let's go outside."

A bad feeling swept through her body and made her tremble. "Sarah, we'll be on the front porch, okay? Don't put the cookies in the oven until I get back."

Sarah gave her a thumbs-up. "Yes, ma'am!"

As soon as they stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind them, David walked over to the swing and patted the space beside him. Candice was able to get her shaky legs to the swing, but when she sat down, she was even more alarmed when he didn't put his arm around her shoulders and pull her to him like she was used to him doing. Instead, he kept his hands on his lap and laced his fingers together.

"Okay, you're scaring me, David. What's wrong? Is it work? Is your family okay?"

He held up a hand. "Yes, they're fine, but I'm afraid there is something going on at work."

Candice's stomach twisted into a knot. She imagined all sorts of things, from an employee being injured on a job site to him and Aaron fighting over some disagreement. "What happened?"

David frowned, and when he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. "Candice, I don't know any other way to say this than to just come right out with it. I received a job offer from a construction company in California called Drennan Enterprises. It's owned by the Randy Drennan you asked me about a few weeks ago when he called to speak to Aaron."

Candice was stunned, but at least now she understood why he'd been acting so strangely over the past couple of days. "I don't understand. You told me you wanted to stay in Utah. What changed?"

He wrung his hands together and looked up at the porch roof. "Randy offered me twice what I'm making now along with more benefits and bonuses. I would be the construction manager over his offices in San Francisco and New York. The only downfall is I would have to travel a lot between the two, but we could do so much, Candice. We could go to Italy like you've always dreamed of doing, and the three of us could have as many adventures as we want."

Candice couldn't believe what she was hearing, and she immediately teared up. "We? David, I've told you repeatedly that this is my home. I'm not leaving my family behind or uprooting Sarah and moving her away from her friends and her school. She's been through so much in her short life, and she needs some stability. I'm sorry, but I can't go with you."

David turned to her, and she could see the shimmer of unshed tears in the corners of his eyes. "I don't want to lose you, Candice. I love you."

Candice squeezed her eyelids shut to keep the tears from escaping. It was the first time he’d professed his love, but she never expected it would be under such circumstances. "I love you, too, David."

He reached over and held her hand. "I haven't made a decision yet. Randy offered to fly me to California so I could check out their operations, and I might do that this week. I wish you would come with me."

Candice shook her head. "Being there won't change my answer, but you should go if you feel this strongly about it."

David stood and helped Candice up from the swing. When he held her head in his hands and kissed her, she tried to ignore the gnawing feeling in her gut telling her it might be the last time. She held on tighter, and their kiss deepened, and by the time they let go, they were both breathless.

She somehow managed to give him a smile. "I would never hold you back from doing something that makes you happy, but I can't tell you what that is. You have to find out for yourself."

He nodded, and it took every bit of strength she had, but she let him go and walked away. When she reached the front door, she turned to him one last time. "David, I hope you can understand when I say I would appreciate if you didn't come back here until you make a decision. Sarah’s been through enough, and this would only make her upset."

He didn't say anything, but he nodded, and Candice stepped inside the house before her tears threatened to overflow. She leaned against the door and closed her eyes, and seconds later, she heard David's truck tires crunching against gravel as he backed out of the driveway.

"Where's Mr. David going?" Sarah asked.

Candice mustered the best smile she could. "He had to leave, sweetie. Something came up at work."

Sarah pouted her lips a bit. "Oh well, maybe he can come back some other time and eat cookies with us."

Candice breathed deeply to keep from crying. "Maybe so."