The week seemed to drag for both Oliver and Shane. Oliver got into a habit of picking Shane up before work, much to Mackenzie and Adeline's delight. The girls also got a wind of Oliver and Shane's dinner date and may or may not have squealed with delight. Thankfully, the night of Shane and Oliver's date was the same night as Mackenzie's church youth group retreat, so Shane and Oliver didn't have to worry about the girls getting into shenanigans while they were out.

"I have nothing to wear." Shane moaned staring at the clothes in her closet. Mackenzie sat on her mom's bed and watched as Shane started to pace. "I haven't been on a date in who knows how long."

"Okay, Mom. You're panicking." Mackenzie hopped off of the bed and stood next to Shane.

"Of course, I am panicking. It's almost five o'clock. And I haven't done my hair. Or makeup." Shane tapped her chin, then crossed her arms.

"What about this dress?" Mackenzie pulled out a floral maxi dress.

"Not that one." Shane shook her head.

"Okay. What about the dress you wore to the Christmas banquet?"

"No. No. Not that one either," Shane said. She pulled out a hot pink dress.

"Not that one, Mom." Mackenzie put it back. She looked through Shane's dresses. "I got it. This one." Shane looked at the peacock blue, a-line, knee-length dress. The bodice had a beautiful faux lace overlay and the rest of the dress flowed and seemed to twirl as Mackenzie held it. "It'll bring out your eyes." Mackenzie grinned. "Come on. I'll even help you with your hair."

"Black suit. No. Grey suit. No." Oliver looked in the mirror holding up both suits. "Black. Now what tie?" He said again to no one in particular. He decided on a silver tie. "Where is my tie clip?" Oliver rummaged through his drawers looking for his tie clip unail he finally found it. He bounded down the steps. Addie looked up from the book she was reading.

"Wow, Dad. You look—"

"My pocket-watch." Oliver said absently as he bounded back up the steps. And then he bounded back downstairs.

"Are you nervous?" Adeline asked.

"What do you think?" Oliver looked at himself in the hall mirror. He fidgeted with his tie, then his cuff links once more.

"I think you are." Adeline grinned. She straightened his tie. "Dad, you look great." The doorbell rang. "That's gotta be Kenzie." Sure enough, it was.

"Hey, Addie! Wow! Mr. O! You clean up pretty nicely!" Mackenzie exclaimed. 'Mom will definitely be blown away."

"Thank you." Oliver said, fidgeting with his tie again.

"And don't worry. My mom is, like, pretttty fine." Mackenzie winked as she gave him the 'thumbs up.' "You may just pass out when you see her."

Oliver chuckled. "You both should head down the street. Tell Mrs. Johnson thank you for driving you to the retreat!"

"We will!" Adeline and Mackenzie said in unison. They picked up their duffle bags and headed out the door.

"I hope you ask Mom to dance again, Mr. O!" Mackenzie called. "I hear Montaldos has a dance floor!"

"Have fun Dad! Don't stay out too late!" Adeline giggled at her own joke.

Oliver waved at them. Those two girls were like two peas in a pod. Oliver grabbed his car keys, the bouquet of roses, and headed to Shane's. He took a deep breath as he exited his car and walked the path to Shane's front door. He could hear her humming a little tune. Oliver smiled to himself. He rang the doorbell. A moment later, Shane opened the door and stepped outside. Oliver drew in a quick breath. Shane's blonde locks were pulled up in a low updo. Her dress was absolutely divine and made her eyes a sparkling blue. Mackenzie was right. He might pass out from Shane's beauty.

"Wow, Ms. McInerney. You look—you look—beautiful."

"Hi." She grinned shyly. Oliver held out the bouquet of white roses.

"I thought, perhaps— well, I hope you like them." He said as he handed it to her.

"Oh, Oliver. These are beautiful." She inhaled the sweetness of the roses. "Why don't you come inside while I put these in my office."

"I don't mind waiting out here."

Shane gave him a look. "Oliver. Come on."

"If you insist, Ms. McInerney." He took a step forward and held the door open for her. Shane led him to her office which was right off of the foyer. Oliver looked around. Shane's office was neat and tidy, just as he had always assumed her to be. There were several photos of Shane and Mackenzie through the years. None of Steve, Oliver noted. He looked at Shane's desk.

"Ah. You still have your Dark of Night award." He picked up the cup.

"It may be one of my prized possessions," Shane said. She reached in her desk drawer. "I do believe however... my most favored prized possession may actually be yours?" Shane bit her lip as she handed Oliver his missing letter opener. Oliver took it from her and looked at the letter opener. He opened his mouth to say something, but laughed instead.

"It's yours." He handed it back to her. Shane set it back on the desk. "Shall we?" He offered his arm to Shane who gratefully accepted.

As they drove to Montaldos, Oliver talked about Norman and Rita and their five children, Blaise, Grant, Julia, Leo, and Reina, whose ages ranged from 16 to 6. Blaise, Grant, and Julia were all adopted by the Dormans as young toddlers, and Leo and Reina were born to Norman and Rita a few years later. Life at the Dormans was never dull and Rita and Norman loved their rainbow of a family.

"When Holly left, Rita stepped in and helped take care of Adeline. Actually, there were many nights Adeline spent the night at Rita's because I was just at my wits end. She's a Godsend, you know?" Oliver said, remembering those early years. "She and Norman were becoming very serious in their relationship and they had established that they wanted to adopt children as well as birth their own. So, Rita offered to help me with Adeline. She said it was to give herself practice with babies. I was so relieved for the help, but looking back, I think she was worried about us. Adeline and myself, that is. I was barely sleeping or eating, my father was still in the midst of moving permanently to Denver, and I had a colicky child whom I hadn't the slightest idea how to soothe. I felt so... guilty... about everything that transpired." Oliver sighed. He glanced at Shane. "I'm sure it probably sounds a bit silly."

Shane shook her head. "No. It doesn't, Oliver. I think we all have experienced 'parent guilt.' I know I have." Shane sighed. "I had always imagined my daughter having the relationship that I never had with my father. And when that didn't happen, the weight of the world seemed to fall on my shoulders. I felt so guilty that I couldn't be both mom and dad. I felt guilty I had to work and put Mackenzie in daycare. Felt guilty about not being able to spend time with her. I just felt so guilty about everything."

"How did you find peace?" Oliver asked curiously.

"I—I went to church," Shane admitted shyly. "You had always had such a peace about you... and one day, after a very hard evening, I decided to go and give it a try. And that's when I found peace."

Oliver pulled up to the Montaldos valet. He helped Shane out of the car and they walked to the doors where they were greeted by one of the hosts.

"I have reservations for O'Toole." Oliver said.

"Right this way, Mr. O'Toole." The host led them past the lobby through a set of double French doors to a table in the front right corner of the room. They had the perfect view of the stage and dance floor.

"This is so lovely." Shane said, looking around.

"It is indeed." Oliver agreed. As soon as they sat down, the instrumentalists began to play "The Water is Wide." Shane and Oliver grinned. "Shall we take a spin on the dance floor?"

"Oh yes, pl—"

"Oliver O'Toole!" A bellowing voice rang out from across the room.

Shane and Oliver looked up startled. "Oh, for heavens sake." Oliver muttered under his breath.

"Who is that?" Shane asked as the tall, burly man strutted across the restaurant to meet them. Before Oliver could answer, the man magically appeared at their table. Shane sneezed at the scent of his overpowering cologne.

"O'Toole! What are you doing here? And my, may I say—"

"Gregg, this is my—my—" Oliver stumbled over his words.

"I'm Shane." Shane politely extended her hand and Gregg shook it quite eagerly. "Oh my." Shane said quietly, pulling her hand back.

"I'm Gregg Winters, Department Head of Security over at the good ole U. S.P.S." Gregg dragged out "USPS" in a game show manner. Shane bit her lip to avoid rolling her eyes at his pompous attitude. He leaned forward. "So! How did O'Toole catch a pretty lady such as yourself?" He crossed his arms and seemed to lean his body back.

"Gregg—"

"By golly, Oliver, you've been here for almost two months and you've already—"

"Ms. McInerney and I worked together many years ago. We are just colleagues." Oliver said quickly. Shane blinked. Oliver winced slightly at his use of 'just colleagues.'

"Hum. Whatever you say O'Toole." Gregg shrugged before winking at Shane. Shane uncomfortably. "Oh! There's Tawnya." And with that he strutted back across the restaurant to his date.

"Who was that?" Shane whispered bewildered.

"Never mind, Gregg. He is just very obtrusive and extremely—"

"Welcome to Montaldos!" A tall and willowy young lady set down a bottle of wine. "Have either of you been to Montaldos before?" The waitress proceeded to ramble about the four course dinner and the show. Oliver glanced at Shane and she hid a smile as they both found the young waitress a bit excitable. As the waitress poured their glasses of wine, she looked at Shane and Oliver and said, "Be sure you take part in the couples' anniversary dance at the end of the show. They usually play an encore of 'Unforgettable.'"

"An anniversary dance?" Oliver asked. "I'm sorry?"

"Oh, you know, like at weddings. They call all of the couples on the floor and then the longer you've been married or a couple, the longer you get to dance to the song."The waitress shrugged. "It's a new tradition Montaldos is trying out."

"If it's new, it probably can't be a tradition." Shane said, not thinking. Oliver smirked.

"Oh! Oh, you're right. So...how long have you two been married? If I had to guess...oh! Is this a tenth or fifteenth anniversary?" The waitress giggled nervously when neither Shane nor Oliver responded. "Well, enjoy your evening. I'll be back to check on you in a bit."

"An anniversary dance. Hum." Oliver mused. He fiddled with his tie.

"We could always dance to the anniversary of our meeting. As colleagues." Shane said, still a bit hurt by Oliver's present tense use of "just colleagues."

"Ms. McInerney." Oliver sighed. "That was an unfortunate blunder."

"Oliver." Shane leaned forward. "I know it's been fifteen, almost sixteen years." Shane could feel her defenses rise slightly. "But, you and I, we— I need to know. What are we? Is this a date?"

Oliver looked down for a moment, biting his lip, formulating the right words to say. The Oliver from the past would have compiled a list of large words to formulate a sentence as a defense mechanism. But, this was not the past. He looked up and leaned forward. He didn't need to contemplate that. He knew in his heart what he wanted.

"Yes." Oliver declared confidently. "Yes, this is a date. This is a date with the intention of building a relationship towards a courtship and eventually—"

"Your first course is an almond mandarin salad with our special house dressing. We also have crostini and a side of miniature crab cakes. Fresh from the bay." The waitress set down their salad and appetizers. As soon as Shane started to thank the waitress, the music started to play. Shane could barely pay attention to the music. She and Oliver were finally starting to define their relationship— the one thing she had wanted to do for the longest time it seemed. Shane tried to enjoy the music, but what she really wanted to do was talk to Oliver. About them. Their hopes, dreams, and wishes. Oh, when would this song end!?

"Well, that was quite the riveting song." Oliver said, adjusting his chair. A different waiter set the next course on the table as he turned to face Shane again.

"It really was. I didn't realize Montaldos had such—" Shane leaned forward. "Terrible taste in music!" She said.

"I must agree with you. I thought that Montaldos performed the classics. Like back in Denver. But, the food here is much better, at least, so far." Oliver said.

"The salad was surprisingly delicious."

"Surprisingly? If I recall, you enjoy all sorts of condiments and sauces on your salads."

Shane laughed at the memory of the one time Oliver watched in surprise and confusion as Shane load her salad with everything she could find. "I usually don't care for mandarins on my salad. But this was delightful."

"Ah, something I don't know about you. No mandarins on salads." Oliver said.

"What about you, Oliver O'Toole? What is something I don't know about you?"

"I have a slight sensitivity to rosehip tea."

"Rosehips, huh? Duly noted." Shane said. She sipped her water. "I—" Shane could feel her cell phone in her clutch vibrating by her foot. She kicked it to make it somehow go away. "I want to go back to what you were saying earlier. If this is what you say a date, with the intention for us to start courting, as you put it, then what does that make— us?" She pointed at herself and back at Oliver. "I mean, people will start asking. Mackenzie and Addie will start asking. Actually, the other night, Kenz said she hoped we'd be a 'thing.'" Shane paused. She watched Oliver and could tell he was processing... something. She lowered her voice a notch. "What is going on in that Oliver O'Tooley head of yours?" She asked kindly.

"I—" He started to say. He noticed Shane's eyes started moving to someone approaching from behind him. He felt someone tap his shoulder. It was the host who sat them earlier.

"Excuse me, Mr. O'Toole?"

"Yes?"

"You have a message at the front lobby."

Oliver looked at Shane, slightly alarmed. Shane picked up her clutch just as her cell phone vibrated once again. They both stood and followed the host.

Shane reached in her clutch as they rushed to the lobby. She had six missed calls and several text messages.

MOM!

Pick up your phone!

Tell Mr. O to call Pastor Dave.

Helllloooooooooo!

Addie will be okay. Tell Mr. O not to worry.

We're going to the hospital.

"Oliver." Shane said, trying to keep her voice steady. Oliver was already fumbling with his iPhone.

"How do you work this—" Before Oliver could finish expressing his frustrations, a young lady approached them.

"Mr. O'Toole, I presume? My name is Lori. I'm the Guest Relations manager. We received an urgent message for you. Call Pastor Dave. Here's his number." She handed him a small post-it note. Oliver dialed the number and took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a brief moment.

"Yes, Pastor Dave? This is Oliver O'— Oh my goodness. Is she okay?... Oh my. I see. BW Medical? We'll be there as soon as we can. We're leaving now... Thank you." Oliver hit the red button on his phone. He looked at Shane. "It's Adeline." He took a deep breath as Shane instinctively put her hand on the side of his back. Her eyes filled with concern as he explained. "They were playing Big Ball and she fell and dislocated her arm. And she might need surgery." Oliver started to pace. "BW Regional—"

"That's in Glen Burnie. I'll drive." Shane said. Oliver didn't argue. He had no idea where that was and it was obvious she did. As they waited for the valet, both were silent.

"She'll be fine, you know." Shane said. Oliver nodded, unable to speak, his thought whirling about. They both got into the SUV and Shane put the SUV and started to drive towards Arlington. Shane's cell phone rang again. "Oh, Oliver, could you get that, please?"

Oliver looked at the caller ID. "It's Mackenzie." He tapped the green button. "Hello?"

"Dad!?" Adeline's voice sent waves of relief through Oliver.

"Adeline! Oh, thank goodness. How is your arm?"

"Not great." Oliver could hear Adeline trying to hold back the tears.

"Oh, sweetheart. We are on our way."

"Okay. Love you." Adeline said. Oliver disconnected the call and place the phone back in Shane's purse.

"Thank goodness." Oliver breathed a sigh of relief. "I was fearing for something much worse."

"I am glad she called. I was beginning to worry." Shane said as she drove on to the interstate.

"Do you know what 'Big Ball' is?" Oliver asked.

"Big Ball is exactly how it sounds— it's a rather large ball — five or six feet in circumference— and the kids attempt to push, move, or punt the ball into their prospective goal lines. Essentially, it's like football with a giant ball."

"Sounds rather barbaric, if you ask me."

"It's perfect for teenagers." Shane said. They fell silent again. The ride to Baltimore Washington Medical ended up being a lot quicker than they anticipated. They pulled into the Children's Emergency Department parking lot and parked.

"Thank you for driving, Shane." Oliver cleared his throat.

"You know I don't mind." Shane said. "Addie is more important that a dinner at Montaldos." They got out of the car once again. Shane started to walk, but Oliver reached for her hand and gently pulled her closer to him.

"Would you be opposed to completing our first date at another time?" Oliver asked.

Shane looked up at Oliver. "Oliver." She caressed his cheek. "I don't need a fancy date, a mariachi band, pretentious food, or any of those things. I just want to be with you."

It took everything in Oliver's willpower not to kiss Shane right there and then. It wasn't the right time. Instead, he squeezed her hand gently. She squeezed his hand back. "Let's go get our girls."

Note: I apologize for the delay! When I don't pre-write the chapters, it takes me a while to post and this chapter was edited multiple times. So, thank you for your patience!