Page 90 of Home With You

"Same for me," Miles says.

The waiter looks from Miles to me, then back to Miles. "Working late?"

"No. Why?"

He shakes his head. "I thought she was a client. Never mind."

"Why'd you think she was a client?" Miles asks. "I'm just curious."

"I've seen you here with some of the lawyers. I assumed you work at the firm next door."

"I do. But I don't usually work the weekends."

He nods. "So what can I get you?"

Miles motions to me. "Raine, go ahead."

"I'll have the lasagna," I say, not looking at the waiter.

"I'll have the cod," Miles says. "Actually, forget that. I’ll have the lasagna, and we'll start with a salad."

"I'll get that right in," the waiter says, then hurries off.

"What the hell was that about?" Miles asks.

"He knows me," I say, before taking a sip of my water.

"How does he know you?"

"He's seen me on the street. He was tossing a donut in the trash a few weeks ago and I took it. He saw me."

"And he thought my firm is representing you? For what?"

"Who knows? Maybe he thinks I'm trying to sue someone to get money. People always assume homeless people are trying to scam people out of their money."

"If he really thinks that about you, we should leave. I don't want to be giving this place my money. We'll go somewhere else."

"Just forget it. We're already here and I'm really looking forward to the lasagna. I haven't had Italian food since...well, since Rob took me." I take my cloth napkin and lay it over my lap. "He took me to places like this all the time. Trying to impress me, I guess."

"That's not what I'm doing," Miles says. "Raine, look at me." I do and he says, "I'm not him. I'll say it over and over again if that's what it takes for you to believe me. I'm not him and I never will be."

I want to believe him, and for the most part I do. But there's still a part of me that doesn't. Even if it did, I still want to do this on my own. I let guys mislead me one too many times. But it's not going to happen again.

20

Raine

"Thanks for dinner," I say to Miles as we're leaving the restaurant. "I'm so stuffed I may not need to eat for days. Aren't you glad you got the lasagna instead of the cod?"

"I am, but now I'll have to put in more hours at the gym, not just for the lasagna but for the cheesecake. But it was worth it. That cheesecake was amazing."

We shared the cheesecake after finishing off enough lasagna to feed six people. I was going to save some of it to take home but it was so good I couldn't stop eating.

"What now?" he asks, taking my hand.

"Hey. No holding hands.”

"I have to. It's dark out."

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