While heading out for a special Valentine’s Day meal, a married Baltimore County couple found themselves ahead of schedule and early for their dinner reservation.

The Nottingham husband spotted a Maryland Lottery retailer and, knowing how much his wife enjoys Lottery games, handed her some cash and invited her to pick up a few tickets.

That thoughtful gesture became the talk of the family the next morning when it turned into a winning, $50,000 Bonus Match 5 prize.

“My husband had already left for work, so when I checked the results on my Lottery App I had no one to celebrate with, nobody to tell me it was real,” said the 57-year-old mother and grandmother. Picking up the phone to give him the good news, she paused. She was almost certain her ticket matched all five of the February 14 Bonus Match 5 numbers.

“I see pretty well without my glasses, but for this kind of thing, I needed to be 100 percent sure.”

The winner confessed that she’d mistaken a $600 Bonus Match 5 win for the $50,000 top-prize win several years ago.

“The first thing my husband said when I told him that I’d hit it was, ‘Are you sure this time?’ ”

The prize will go toward bills and helping a few family members who have projects or challenges. “It feels so good to be able to help them,” she said.

The winning Bonus Match 5 combination came on a $2 quick-pick ticket purchased from Grape & Grain Wine & Spirits at 4299 Ebenezer Road in Nottingham (21236).