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ages.”
    “Then you’ll be back?”
    “Definitely, I will.” Jason bent to touch his lips lightly to hers. Aware of the bartender eyeing them from behind the bar, he kept the kiss quick and chaste. He did fully intend to return at some point; she hadn’t asked him when, or prodded him to give her a call. He could leave now and decide later, after judicious consideration, whether to ask her out again. But spending the evening in Abby’s company had left him feeling warm and relaxed, and before he knew what he was doing he let a thoughtless impulse steer him off course once again. “Listen, there’s a charity gala I’ve been roped into next Friday night. How would you like to go with me?”
    She straightened her back, her eyes brightening. “So this would be an official date?”
    “Yes, exactly.” He hadn’t thought of it that way when he asked, but he supposed it was, and cursed himself silently. All he knew was that the idea of walking into the party with Abby Wells on his arm was too appealing to resist.
    “I’d love to,” she said, the pitch of her voice rising with excitement. “Give me a call and we can settle the details.”
    “Thanks again, Abby, for the meal and your company. See you Friday,” he said, as he stepped outside into the late-night darkness.
    Yes, in all fairness it would be best to walk away from her now. Too bad he lacked the will to do it.
     
    * * *
     
    Stepping out of her car, Abby smoothed down the long skirt of her indigo taffeta gown with her palms. She’d bought the dress just for this occasion. It was more formal and less provocative than the one she’d worn to her fortieth birthday celebration—which was, in fact, the last lavish party she’d attended.
    Colin had given Abby a number of lovely pieces of jewellery over the years, and she sometimes still wore them, but tonight she’d chosen a simple string of pearls and matching drop earrings inherited from her grand-mother. Deciding to forego her glasses for the evening, she’d bought her first pair of contact lenses in years. And to tame her tangle of curls, she’d piled them atop her head and fastened them with a silver clip.
    Leaving her house, she’d felt a little like Cinderella after her magical makeover, brimming with poise and confidence. But as she crossed the parking lot alone toward the imposing Victorian-style hotel where the gala was being held, a nervous flutter invaded in her belly. During her twenty years with Colin, she’d never felt she fit in at the swanky upper-crust social functions he brought her to. It would hardly have been her choice for the first date she’d been on in over two decades. But here she was, and all she could do was draw a deep breath and search for her Prince Charming.
    Inside, Abby scanned the guests milling about. As a member of the charity committee, Jason had needed to arrive early, and Abby had agreed to meet him in the foyer. She glanced at her watch to make sure she’d arrived on time.
    At last she spotted him, waiting outside the double doors leading to the ballroom. The sight of him incited an exhilarating surge in her pulse, and she couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face. Sporting a crisp black tuxedo, he looked nothing less than incredible, his dark eyes glinting with reflected light from the crystal chandelier overhead.
    As he approached her, Jason’s gaze slid up and down the length of her gown, his brows rising as his mouth tilted into a smile of approval. At once, every moment she’d spent dabbing on makeup and cramming herself into control-top hose seemed well worth the effort.
    “Abby, you look enchanting.” He lifted her hand to press her knuckles to his lips.
    “You look pretty smashing yourself.” Abby felt her temperature notch up a few degrees. “How’s the gala going so far?”
    “All the better, now that you’re here.” Keeping hold of her hand, he tucked it around his elbow, pivoting them both toward the ballroom. “Shall