Page 4 of If We Never Met

"We're getting to know each other. There's never too much information. I didn't realize we'd both lost parents. Although, your situation is much different. I never knew my father, so while I felt the loss of not having two parents, I didn't know my dad. I didn't have good or bad memories of him."

"It sounds like you have a good relationship with your mother."

"We've always been tight."

"It says a lot about you that you gave up your career to come home and take care of her."

"I never had a second thought about it. She would have done it for me." Keira took a breath. "I don't talk this much normally. I guess I'm a little out of practice when it comes to dating. What about you? Do you do this a lot?"

"This? I almost never do this," he said with a dry smile. "Online dating has always felt awkward to me."

"Me, too, but it's one way to meet someone."

"It is one way," he agreed.

She sipped her wine, then set her glass down. "Tell me about your novel. You said it's going to be a thriller. How far along are you?"

He took a long sip of beer, knowing he had to tell her the truth. But as soon as he did, she'd probably be embarrassed. Or she might be angry that he'd been stringing her along when her real date was probably waiting for her somewhere in the bar. In fact, he was starting to feel like an ass for not having told her before now.

As he opened his mouth to say something, the waitress interrupted them once more. She gave them an odd look. "Uh, Keira, there's a guy who says he's waiting for you, that he's your date. He asked me if I'd seen you."

"What are you talking about? This is my date," Keira said, tipping her head in his direction.

"Well, he's over there." The waitress pointed toward a brown-haired guy sitting alone at a table for two near the front door. "He said his name is Danny."

As the waitress moved away, Keira gave him a wary look. "Your name is Danny, too?"

"Actually, it's Dante. I thought you got it wrong when you first sat down, but I wasn't sure."

"Wait. So, you're not my date?"

"No, I'm not."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"I don't know. You started talking, and you're really pretty, and uh, yeah, I don't have a good excuse."

She flushed. "Well, I'll have to add tonight to one of my more embarrassing moments."

"Don't feel that way. I enjoyed talking to you."

"I'm an idiot. I thought you were a great listener, but you had no idea what to say, because you're not Danny."

"You're not an idiot. I should have corrected you. I was about to, if that helps."

"Not really. You shouldn't have waited so long. We talked about our dead parents."

"I know. That was weird. I haven't actually talked about that with anyone outside my family."

"Why did you tell me?"

"I honestly have no idea."

She stared back at him with a mix of confusion and embarrassment. "Are you meeting a date tonight?"

"No. I just came in for dinner. The innkeeper where I'm staying recommended this place."

"Are you staying at the Firefly Inn?"

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