He walked back into the kitchen carrying his iPad. He tapped on his Pandora app and found a station he knew she'd enjoy. Soon, the kitchen was filled with strumming guitars and the stomping beat of a fast-paced country song.

Rena turned the spaghetti sauce down to a simmer as she had already drained the pasta. The smell of garlic toast wafted from the oven. Rena gave a smile that melted his heart. She stepped away from the stove, took his hand and they began doing a Texas Two Step around the room. Her laugh was infectious.

Soon, everything became what it used to be. They were talking and laughing. It was as if nothing had changed. There was fire between them. They were having so much fun that it took a while for them to settle down, plate their dishes and eat.

Rena patted herself on the back. "Blake, I think I would have made your mother proud tonight."

He slid the chair back and gave his stomach a pat. "You would have. I'm stuffed."

"You put away quite a bit of food."

"How could I resist? It's not often that I get the opportunity to have someone cook for me." He gazed softly upon her. Then, he thought, I would love for you to cook for me every day and every night.

"Well then, you are very fortunate to own a restaurant and have your chefs cook for you every day."

Blake chuckled. "That's a possibility, but I'd rather have other options that would be quite a bit more pleasurable than engaging my staff to cook for me."

"Like what?" She took a napkin, then leaned across the table and dabbed a bit of spaghetti sauce from his cheek. He was right back to where he was before he'd doused his face with water. Their gazes locked and smoldered. She forgot to remove the napkin.

"Were you wiping something off my face?" He took her hand, slowly bringing it back to the table.

She couldn't respond. Then her cell phone interrupted the moment. When she saw who was calling, she grimaced. Blake looked across and saw that it was Ian.

"I don't want to answer this."

"I think you should," he said, for more than one reason. "It's late. I think they're wondering where you are."

She slowly glided her finger across the glass, never dropping her gaze. "Hello, Ian... I'm having dinner with a friend... I have a ride home. I rented a car this afternoon... Just leave a key under the mat so I don't wake you and Mom when I come in... What do you mean I should have called? Tell Mom that I said she hasn't worried about me all these years, so don't start now."

She clicked off the phone and shook her head. "What am I going to do with them, Blake?"

"When I saw you this afternoon you were very tense. You've finally relaxed. Do you really want to talk about this now?"

When he said those words her mind began to throb thinking about the voice of wisdom she was about to lose forever. If anyone could get her through this difficulty, it would be Blake. She and Blake may have drifted apart over the years, but he was always there when she needed him. She was also always there for him. They were a phone call away and could talk about anything.

"You know you're the only one I can talk to."

The expression on his face was sure to have given her a tiny window into his heart. He stood up abruptly. The emotions dancing between them had his senses off-kilter.

"I need to clear the table."

It took him an unusually long time to come back. He really needed to control his composure. If she'd walked back to the kitchen the way that he was feeling, there was no telling what would've happened.

When he returned, he found her sitting on the sofa in the family room with the TV on. He had finally calmed down again as he sat next to her.

"I know you need some advice, but I don't want you getting upset again tonight, so I'm only going to say a few things, then let's watch a movie. Okay? Because you really need to relax."

I surely need to stay relaxed. He was glad she could not read his mind at that moment.

"Okay."

"I see it like this, your mom is not in condition to run the restaurant. She's giving it her absolute best and she's doing a great job, but it's taking a toll on her. Clarissa is not going to sell the restaurant. You can't sell it because you're not on any of the papers. Ian could sell the restaurant, but he's not going to cross your mother, plus he gets paid well for doing practically nothing. But since I've been there, I've cracked the whip on him and he's doing better."

"Does he have the potential to keep it going?"

"Yeah, but Ian's problem is he doesn't love the place like Clarissa and I do. To give something your very best actions, you've got to love it. I know you love the restaurant, too, but you just don't want to come home."

Rena started tearing up. "See, I told you we shouldn't have this conversation tonight."

"Please go on. I promise to settle down and watch the movie. But what you're saying tonight will help me to know where to start. Dr. Clark already told me that she would do a lot better if she was not under all this stress."

"Since the option of you coming home and running the restaurant is out of the equation, then you only have one solution. You have to convince Ian to sell the restaurant without your mother finding out until it is done."

"Oh, Blake."

"It's a tough call, but your mom needs to focus all her energy on getting well. Ian already told me that he wants you to come back and run the restaurant. If I ever do decide to go back to Florida, he'll be ready to run it. But if he ever gets bored with it, I don't think he'll have the loyalty to keep it."

"I wish there was some other way. Could Courtney possibly list it?"

"When I told her what Ian was doing she volunteered to do it, but I told her not to get involved. I don't want Clarissa mad at either of us. You know I would never mention selling that restaurant at all. I'm just thinking about her health. If you initiated the selling through Ian she wouldn't be upset, because she already knows you want to sell it."

His words were sobering. And as difficult as it was to hear what he had to say, she knew he was right.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, don't they, Blake?"

"As much as we'd rather not face them – yes they do. You need to make things right with your mom before it's too late. That's all I have to say for now."

She kissed his hand. "Thank you, Blake."

He found it very difficult to release her hand. In fact, he didn't release it. He gently stroked it with the back of his thumb. He felt the shudder pass through her body. His pulse soared. He looked intently into her beautiful, green eyes.

He listened as her breathing became shallow. He watched the rise and fall of her ample chest. He knew she was as smitten as he was. She placed a loving pressure on his hand. This time, he kissed Rena's hand and slowly turned it until he could smell the perfume on her pulse point. He whispered, "What is this perfume that you're wearing?"

"I'm not thinking very well right now, Blake. You still have the Back to the Future trilogy?"

He chuckled, lifting his lips from her pulse point. "Yes, and I remember every line."

"We can skip the second part when Marty McFly returns to an altered universe. I feel like I'm living in one of those right now."

Blake laughed and reached for the remote. He had all three versions on his DVR. "Then we'll watch part one and part three."

They spent the rest of the night seeing who could remember the most lines. It was a welcomed distraction for both of them. Somewhere along the way they fell asleep, and didn't wake up until the next morning when Rena's cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID.

"Oh, God, it's Dr. Clark." She shoved Blake. "Wake up." Then she answered the phone. "Hello, Dr. Clark, yes I'm fine... Yes, I know you were concerned when you saw my car still in the driveway..."

Blake had the biggest grin on his face listening to the call.

"I met up with a friend and hung out last night. I should have called to let you know. I'll be there to pick it up soon. Bye, Dr. Clark."

"Rena, are you feeling better?"

"How can I not be? You always make me feel better." She squeezed Blake's hand. "Listen, I'm just going to walk back down the beach to Dr. Clark's house. I'll call you later."

"Okay."

"While we're discussing Dr. Clark, I want to ask you one more question. What do you think about Mom and Eldred?"

"I knew that question was coming once you found out. My view of the situation is in the minority around here. He makes her happy. If she's fortunate to find someone that will make her happy, don't you think that's a good thing?

Mrs. Madison's words came echoing back to Rena's mind - Courtney's a sweet little thing. She makes him happy. You can't fault Blake for wanting to find a little happiness in life, can you?"

"As much as I may not want to admit it, yes, Blake, it's a good thing. And I'm not going to interfere with it."

***Author Note***

To: My Beloved Readers

From: Jaspira

Here is a big writing tip.  Have lots of mini conflicts throughout the story.  This could be the hero and heroine constantly getting into fowl ups or lots of conflicts between characters.  In this story I combined both.  Like it's really clear that Rena and Blake have serious conflicts, but what about Eldred's conflict with the town because of his love for Clarissa? What about Eldred's conflict with the elder Dr. Clark over Clarissa? Or how about Ian's conflict within himself, am I really worth anything? To me conflicts are internal or external problems that need to be resolved.