Page 37 of A Bond with the Dark

“And your other parents aren’t close to her?”

“She was closer to my dad. When they divorced, I lived with my mom and stepdad. She moved to Kansas with my dad fifteen years ago or so. But even he has lost touch with her since she has gotten addicted to meth.”

The waitress returns with our drinks.

“Did you need a few more minutes before you order dinner?” the waitress inquires.

“Yes, please,” Dominic answers. “I haven’t even looked. I will, though, promise.” His hazel eyes glance up at her and smile, and she blushes at the gesture. “No problem, take your time,” she says, then saunters off.

“Meth? That’s some pretty bad stuff, yeah?”

“Oh my gods, yes. It does bad things to good people. Can you imagine what it does to bad people? She’s the darkest dark there ever was.”

Why am I telling him all this?The words are pouring from me with no second thought.

“That’s too bad,” Dominic says, picking up his menu and perusing the items on it.

I follow suit. “So, what about you? Any siblings?”

“A few,” he says, his lips quirking up as he laughs, and it lets the sweetest dimple on his left side go free. His eyes are still looking through the menu. “I have three sisters and two brothers.”

“Wow, you have lots of siblings. That must be nice. I always wanted more siblings. Or at least one I was close with.”

“Yeah, they’re great. I’m pretty close with all of them except one.”

“Which one?”

“One of my brothers. He’s kind of like your sister minus the drugs. We were close growing up, but he has gone off the deep end the last few years. Just a lost cause and I haven’t spoken with him in decades.”

“Decades? Aren’t you like thirty?”

“Oh,” he says, shaking his head like he’s said something he didn’t mean. “Yeah, I mean . . . I mean, it has felt like decades.”

“I feel that,” I say.

His face seems to relax.

“It feels like decades since I’ve spoken to her, too. But you’re close with the others?”

“Yeah, for the most part. They all live in New York, so I don’t get to see them as much. If I had to pick one I’m close with, it would be Scarlet. We’re twins, so she and I have that whole twin psychic connection.”

“I just love that name, Scarlet. So pretty.” I figure out what I want to eat and set my menu down.

“She’s just as pretty as her name, too. Broke many hearts in her day.”

“I bet you have tons of nieces and nephews then?”

“No, actually, I don’t,” he says, setting the menu down as the waitress approaches.

“Did I give you enough time?” she asks.

“I think so,” he says, looking at me for agreement.

“Yes. I’ll have the surf and turf, please. Medium for the steak.”

“Okay,” says the waitress as she jots down my order. “And for you?”

“I’ll take the same, please, but make my steak rare. Thanks,” he says, handing her the menus.

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