Valentine Vacation--Chapter Six by Pamela Tracy

The sound of waves and the smell of the ocean lured Amelia from a sound sleep - the best she'd had in months. Her children had been right. She'd needed to get away. She stretched, enjoying the moment of warmth, the moment of contentment. Then, she stepped from the bed and slipped into a pair of jeans, plus a bra and T-shirt, before heading to the bathroom to brush her hair and teeth.

The back and forth action of brushing her teeth, a simple everyday activity, made her notice the wedding ring still on her finger.

And she missed him all over again.

Rinsing, she looked in the mirror and thought about something the minister had asked her just a short while after Andrew's death. "Would it have been better to have never loved? Then, to have loved and lost?" Not particularly original. That question was the theme of many a book, many a sermon. She'd not answered, back then, but she could answer today. "I loved Andrew. With all my heart. Every day was a gift."

Running the fingers of her left hand through her hair, she smiled at the reflection. Her wedding ring seemed to sparkle. Funny, yesterday it had seemed dull. She held her hand up and smiled at her reflection - taking a mental snapshot. Andrew Jr. and Laura would be proud. The smile stayed in place as she tugged off the wedding ring.

Her finger felt bare and looked decidedly different - especially with the slight pink indentation where the ring had been a symbol of commitment for more than twenty-five year.

Can I really do this?

Just in case the answer was no, Amelia slipped the ring into her back pocket. Then, slipping on her tennis shoes and wrapping herself in a warm sweater, she stepped out on the balcony.

Apparently, Colin wasn't up and about yet. His balcony was empty.

Stop being silly, she chided herself. It was just a dinner. That didn't mean breakfast, too. After a moment, she went back inside, grabbed her purse plus the book she'd been reading, and headed down to the hotel's lobby restaurant for breakfast.

He wasn't there either.

But not everyone in the restaurant was a stranger. Sitting at a table just beyond the hostess stand was the young couple from last night. What were their names? Oh, yes, Darrel and Christy. Darrel was nearly done with his breakfast. Fork in one hand, piece of paper in the other, he was busy saying something to Christy.

She wasn't listening.

And her breakfast was untouched.