“I’m sorry,” I said, surveying the throng of customers ahead of us in line.

The sun had set some time ago, and while the twinkling lights circling the restaurant’s outdoor dining area and the cool breeze blowing in off the Atlantic lent the night a romantic air, Victoria’s stomach was growling.

Not that I was going to acknowledge the rumbling. She’d been mortified the first time it had happened, and by unspoken agreement we’d been pretending it hadn’t happened again … and again … and again.

She waved away my apology. “No, it’s my fault. When I asked you to have dinner with me, I didn’t consider the fact that it was a Friday night on the last weekend of summer. Let’s take a walk and see if the crowd dies down in a bit.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m not going to die of starvation in the next half hour, despite the signals my stomach may be sending otherwise.”

Almost as if it was second nature, I reached for her hand. I couldn’t explain it, but things were just … easy between us. I enjoyed her company, and I felt at peace in her presence. More than that though, I felt like the feeling was mutual. We strolled together hand-in-hand, side-stepping young families returning home from a long day at the beach and other couples out for an evening stroll.

“Not that I’m complaining, but how come you’re not spending the night with your mom? Shouldn’t you be doing your nails and other girly things before her big day?”

That was what my ex-wife had done before our wedding. At least, that’s what she’d said she’d been doing. Having learned three months too late that Stacia had been cheating on me the entire time we’d been together, I didn’t believe a word out of her lying, feckless mouth.

Victoria smiled warmly and shook her head. “No, that’s tomorrow morning. The ceremony is at sunset, so we’ll head down to the spa at ten for a full day of pampering. This is her sixth wedding, so we’ve kind of got the routine down pat.”

“Wow. I know you said she’d been married before, but I hadn’t realized how many times. She and my dad are like two peas in a dysfunctional pod.”

“It’s kind of ridiculous, I know.” She shrugged. “But after my dad died, she was pretty lonely. They had a great marriage, and I think she missed the companionship. She’s been looking for the same sort of love ever since. My brothers and I have pretty much given up by this point, but for mom, hope springs eternal.”

“You’ve given up on love for yourself, or for your mom ever finding it again?” I held my breath while I waited for her answer.

After my divorce, I’d been cynical about relationships, but for Victoria, I’d make an exception.

“No, just our mom,” she replied with another shy grin that I was quickly coming to cherish.  “I still believe in happily-ever-after and all that jazz. I don’t know about my brothers though. All three are still blissfully single as far as I’m aware.”

I let out my breath, relief washing over me. While common wisdom told me the topic of settling down should have sent me running for the nearest ferry back to the mainland, for some strange reason I wasn’t panicking. It was as if the moment I’d met Victoria, something had clicked inside of me … some door that had been sealed shut had been thrown wide open. For the first time in a very long while, I understood why people fell in love. Why they put their hearts on the line.

“So, what happened with the other husbands?” I asked, not wanting to explore this whirlwind of feelings too closely. They didn’t make sense. I knew that.

“Ugh, where do I start?” Victoria paused while a group of teenagers stepped between us, their hands full of ice cream and their bodies full of hormones.

I remembered being one of them once upon a time. Growing up, summers on Dobbers Island had been great. As a kid, I’d spent all my time at the beach, digging for shells, and then as a teen, I’d still gone to the beach all day, but instead of collecting seashells, I’d collected kisses. Sneaking a glance at Victoria, I realized not much had changed. I was still looking forward to the end of the night, wondering if I was going to get to kiss the girl.

Once the teens passed us by, we came back together and Victoria instinctively reached for my hand as she continued telling her story. “After my dad, she married Pat. Unfortunately, he was one of those guys who preys on lonely old ladies. My brothers and I hated him instantly, and the feeling was entirely mutual. That was my freshman year of college. I didn’t go home at all that year.”

Her face clouded briefly, but then she pushed aside whatever thought had taken hold with a deep breath. “And I didn’t bother learning the second guy’s name. Their marriage was annulled two weeks later. Her third husband unexpectedly died of a heart attack while they were on a cruise. The fourth went back to his ex-wife a year after he’d married my mom. Her fifth husband …” She trailed off and sighed loudly. “I think he genuinely liked my mom’s company—they always seemed to be having fun—but he really wasn’t a one-woman kind of guy. Mom found out he was banging a few different ladies from the country club. Not very bright of him, but at least she got out of the relationship without having to pay him alimony.”

While I was curious to learn more about Victoria’s life, I also wanted her to have a good time and I didn’t think rehashing her mother’s failed relationships wasn’t going to do that. Maybe if I helped her find the humor amidst the sadness, the light would come back into her eyes. “Wow. Your mom must have some stories. Tell me the funniest one.”

She turned to me, the scowl she’d been sporting quickly replaced by a look of glee. “A few years ago, she confessed that Pat had stuffed his pants with wadded up socks so it looked like he was sporting a monster cock.”

I barked out a laugh. “Learning that must have traumatized you.”

Victoria nodded. “More than you can ever know.” She looped her arm around my elbow. “But enough about my mom and her many husbands. I can’t believe your dad is getting married tomorrow, too.”

I groaned. “Don’t remind me. The only reason I’m going is because I’d already planned to spend the weekend out here.”

“That bad?” she asked.

“As if divorcing my mom and marrying his secretary wasn’t bad enough, when she ended up divorcing him, he married my girlfriend.”

Victoria gasped. “He didn’t!”

“He did,” I answered, leading her to a bench that looked out over the water. “When I was in grad school, there was this girl I was really into. I invited her out here for the weekend shortly after we’d started dating. My dad made a surprise visit, but then he wouldn’t leave. Three months later, they eloped.”

“Oh my god.” Her body shook against mine, and I knew she was trying to hold in her laughter.

“It’s okay, you can laugh.”

“No. That’s terrible. Your dad stole your girlfriend. This is not a laughing matter.” Her shoulders continued to tremble as she attempted to keep a straight face.

I smiled and wrapped my arm around her back. Pulling her in against me, I continued, “After wife number three, I stopped paying attention. There were two more after Jenny; each one younger than the previous. The last one could have been my younger sister.”

“That must have been rough.” She rested her head against my shoulder. “At least my mom’s husbands have all been relatively old. I don’t know what I would have done if she’d brought home someone my own age.”

“It is what it is, I guess. The truth is, I’ve stopped caring. I don’t even know wife number six’s name, but if history is anything to go by, she should be graduating from elementary school any day now.”

Victoria chuckled. “I hope it’s not too bad.”

“I’ll manage somehow. Likely with a bottle of whiskey and an expensive cigar, but I’ll endeavor to get through it.”

“I—” She was interrupted when her stomach loudly protested its lack of food. Her cheeks colored a becoming shade of pink as she flattened her palm against her abdomen, casting her eyes toward the restaurant. “Ugh, how embarrassing.”

The wait was supposed to have been an hour, but we were quickly approaching the forty-five-minute mark and the five parties ahead of us hadn’t been seated yet. “My guess is we’re looking at another forty-five minutes, minimum.”

When her stomach protested again, Victoria looked longingly at a couple walking past, a doggy bag clenched tight in the man’s fist. “I think you’re right,” she replied with a defeated sigh.

This night was not turning out how I’d imagined, but I wasn’t willing to throw in the towel just yet. Since I hadn’t planned on going out for dinner tonight, I’d stopped off at the store on my way home and loaded up on provisions. I didn’t claim to be a great cook, but I could boil pasta and I had a few bottles of wine I’d been saving for a special occasion.

I squeezed her hand, and she dragged her eyes back to me. “I really want to spend more time with you though. If it doesn’t make me sound like too much of a creeper, I have food back at my place. I’m no Mario Batali, but—”

She laughed, a light tinkling sound that made my stomach—and other parts—clench with longing. I’d only known her for a few hours, but already I was under her spell.

“I should hope not, what with the sexual harassment claims and all.”

“Shit.” I winced. “Gordon Ramsay?”

She nodded. “I think he’s scandal-free.”

“Okay then. I’m no Gordon Ramsay, but I can make a pretty mean pasta dish. My place is about twenty minutes from here, if you don’t mind me cooking for us instead?”

Victoria stared at me for a few beats, her eyes flicking between mine with uncertainty.

I wasn’t an idiot. I knew how hard it was for women to know who they could trust. But it wasn’t as if I could say, “Hey, I know we just met, but I promise I’m not a serial killer. Also, even though I’d really like to sleep with you tonight, I won’t touch you unless you invite me to.”

I loved women, but I never wanted to be the guy who made inappropriate advances on someone who wasn’t interested.

I dropped Victoria’s hand and slid a foot or so away along the bench, making sure she didn’t feel crowded as she made her decision. “No pressure. Just decent food, good wine, and hopefully some great conversation.”

Her shoulders relaxed, and she smiled back at me. “I’d like that. A lot.”