“Sure, dear,” she said hurriedly. “I have to go now. Talk to you soon. Bye-bye.”

She hung up on the sound of her son’s befuddled “Oh, okay, talk to you la-”

Then Julia tucked the phone in her bag and took a deep breath in a failed effort to soothe her jangled nerves.

Frank Fiorelli was standing inside the doorway of the coffee shop now, looking around for her. His gaze swept in her direction, and she smiled tentatively at him.

She hadn’t felt this keyed up, frantic and nervous since her early twenties-the last time she’d been on the dating scene, she realized with some chagrin.

Dear Lord.

He was walking toward her now, his confident stride a stark contrast to the shaky feeling that had overtaken her.

First impression-she liked him. The lines on his face were all smile lines, as if he’d spent a lifetime in a good mood, and it had the effect of making him seem as though he was smiling even when he wasn’t.

She stood when he reached her table.

“Frank?” she said, feeling like a ridiculous schoolgirl.

He smiled broadly, revealing a set of white, healthy teeth that looked real. Never a thing to take for granted in the over-fifty crowd.

“You must be Julia.”

She was about to extend her hand for a handshake when he leaned in and gave her a brief, friendly hug. This could have been awkward or even creepy, but he managed to make it feel utterly natural, and Julia found herself charmed already.

“I’m going to grab a cup of coffee. Can I get you anything while I’m at the counter?” he asked.

“Oh, no.” She cast a glance at her now-cold cup of tea. “I’m fine.”

He grinned again, and she thought she detected the slightest hint of nervousness, which made her feel a little more at ease. He was human, like her.