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reliving moments of a marriage that I’d run from and memories that I usually wouldn’t willingly allow to surface?  Was it because of the unexpected phone call? 
    I still couldn’t figure out why Stan had reached out.  Did it have anything to do with how different he’d sounded?  How the velvet bass voice had held a weakness that I knew hadn’t been there before.
    “Earth to Dory!”
    “What?  Oh, I’m sorry.  Did I miss something?”  I could feel the heat hit my cheeks as I let my eyes connect with Chet’s before sliding away to glance around the busy, though elegant restaurant.  It was the same one we ate at every Saturday night and I had already memorized the menu, the décor as well as the staff.  This was a good indication on how little interest I actually had in the man sitting across from me, his features barely illuminated by the small candle that graced the table.
    Chet gave me a small smile and leaned forward.  “I just asked what you would’ve done in that situation.”
    Shit!  I had no idea what he’d been talking about and just as I opened my mouth to admit to my inattention, Lori thankfully arrived with our wine.
    “Here’s to Saturday!” Chet toasted his glass to mine, his smile making it to his eyes before he dipped his head to drink.  He was a good man, an urbane, smart and cultured gentleman with great manners.  A good catch as my mother would’ve said. 
     The type of man she’d always envisioned me marrying.  Not like ‘that boy’ as she used to call Stan.  And I knew even as Stan and I had exchanged vows at the courthouse, she would’ve been rolling in her grave, trying to move heaven and earth to prevent me from tying my life to him.  And she hadn’t even known he was a Hellion Motorcycle Club member.  But all her warnings, threats and pleas had fallen on deaf ears because from the moment Stan had first come onto my teenaged radar, he had been it for me.  He was the only one I’d wanted.
    “Are you all right?” Chet asked as Lori set our salad plates in front of us with a smile.
    I took a few seconds to carefully consider his question before answering.  Was I all right?  At that moment, I wasn’t sure I was.  But how do you explain to your latest beau that your ex-husband and the father of your child was taking up most of your brain and emotional activity?  “I’m not…I guess I must be coming down with something.”  The lie stuck in my throat and I felt my face heat at my cowardice in not telling Chet the truth.  But then, I’d never in the whole time we’d been dating, told him anything about my past.
    Chet reached for my hand across the table.  “I’m sorry, Dory.  Here I’ve been blathering on and on while you’re not feeling well.”  His eyes held sympathy which only made me feel worse.  “Maybe we should cut dinner short and just go straight to my place.”
    I felt my stomach do a nauseous roll at his suggestion.  One that wasn’t out of the norm since we typically ended our Saturday nights doing his version of the horizontal mambo in his bed.  But the thought of having vanilla sex with Chet while my heart was providing memories of Stan’s sexy, wild ways had me almost shuddering.  And the fact that when told I wasn’t feeling well, Chet suggested we go straight to bed?  Not good.
    “I think…maybe I need to just go home,” I declared firmly without looking at him, which I knew was from the guilt I felt in comparing him to another man and finding Chet more than lacking.  “If you wouldn’t mind settling the check...”
    Chet drew back and released my fingers in order to signal to Lori.  A move that I took as my cue to leave the table.  Yeah, I knew it was chickenshit to go hide in the Ladies room, but I needed to pull myself together in order to endure the drive home.  Although why Chet’s company was something I no longer wanted was a mystery.  Up until Thursday night, I’d been more than happy with him.  Well,