Page 20 of The Boss's Triplet Surprise

“I know, right?” Leah beamed. “You have to try the steamed buns, too.”

“Oh, I will.” Dan took one of the buns and one of the spring rolls.

“So,” Leah said. “Shall we dive right into business?”

“After dinner.” Dan took another dumpling. “Let’s enjoy the food first.” It was true that he wanted to enjoy the meal, but it was also true that he wanted to forget about the deal, even for just a moment. Leah was fun to spend time with, and Dan wanted to talk to her casually first.

“We should take a selfie with the food, though.”

“Good point.” Dan got out his phone and handed it to Leah, who snapped a picture of the two of them and their plates full of dim sum. They both approved it, then Dan sent it to his father. Within a few minutes, Dan received a reply.

Is this the girl? She’s beautiful.

“My dad likes you.” Dan turned the phone to show her the message. Leah chuckled, and Dan turned the phone back to see that Richard had texted again.

When do we get to meet her?

“I’m thinking we can set a date for two or three weeks from now,” Dan told Leah. “What do you think?”

“That sounds good to me.”

“Good. Now let’s eat.”

They chatted about this and that over dinner, not touching on the subject of their deal, or on the night they’d spent together. It was easy to talk to Leah, just as it had always been.

After they ate, Leah insisted on keeping their agreement that she would pay. Then they went to a nearby movie theater, where they selected a film that looked funny in the poster.

Ninety minutes later, when they walked out of the theater, Leah couldn’t stop laughing.

“That was the worst movie I have ever seen,” she giggled. She tossed the empty popcorn bucket that they’d shared into a trash can and turned to Dan, still giggling. “Was it supposed to be funny?”

“You know, I’m not sure anymore. There was that scene with the bird…”

“Yeah, but the bird scene had that deep monologue about life and death. Which didn’t fit at all with those two guys trying to get the bird out of their house.”

“Or did it?” Dan raised his eyebrows, sending Leah into another fit of giggles. “My favorite part was the scene with the wedding.”

“Oh, that was so dumb.” Leah put her head into her hands. “I still didn’t understand who was getting married.”

“No one was getting married.” Dan shook his head. “That whole scene was a dream that Amanda was having.”

“I think we can both agree that it was the worst movie ever.”

“Terrible. Next time, we need to do a little more research first.”

“Or ask someone else to pick the movie for us. I don’t know if we can be trusted to choose our own movies.”

They stepped out from the theater into a warm evening. It was dark, but a nearby path beckoned them into a well-lit park. Dan tilted his head in a question and Leah nodded. Together, they turned into the park, still talking about the movie.

“The only redeeming quality was the popcorn,” Leah said.

“Definitely. That and the baby in the end. He was pretty cute — although I still don’t know whose baby he was.”

Leah chuckled, but the sound was a little more subdued than before. Dan glanced at her and saw that she was biting her lip.

“Speaking of babies — I found a good clinic, I think,” Leah said. “It had good rates, is accepting customers, and is near our office. Plus, I read a few testimonies and everyone seems very satisfied with their care.”

“That’s great.” Dan hoped his words masked the surprise he’d felt when she had mentioned the clinic. He’d forgotten, again, that he and Leah were business partners, not a couple on an early date. He tried to ignore the hint of disappointment he couldn’t quite dismiss.

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