Page 93 of If We Never Met

"I suppose."

"What do you remember about your mom?"

"She liked to cook. I didn't, so I didn't hang out with her in the kitchen. But Micah did. I think cooking keeps him close to her memory. I wish I had that." He thought for a moment. "She also liked to dance. There was always music on in the house, and she was dancing to it, even if she was folding laundry. Sometimes when my father would come home, she'd grab his hand and make him spin her around." He stopped abruptly, surprised by the image in his head. "I can't believe I just remembered that."

"Memories are precious. Mine were gone for a while. They've mostly come back, and I'm grateful for each and every one of them now. Mark has helped me remember a lot of my youth. It's so lovely to revisit that time. Keira isn't a fan of Mark's, but she doesn't know him the way I do. I don't think Keira realizes that I had a life before she was born, either, and Mark was part of that."

"That makes sense," he said slowly. "But from what I know of Keira, she's a fair person. If she has doubts about someone, maybe it's smart to listen to those doubts, or talk them out with her."

"We did that a little today. I heard what she said, but I do know that Keira has gotten overprotective since my accident, so I have to weigh emotion with facts. But I will speak to Mark." She cleared her throat. "What about you and Keira? Are you falling for my daughter? Am I being too nosy?"

"Yes and yes," he said with a smile.

"I think she likes you, too. But it's complicated, isn't it?"

"Very much so."

"The best things usually are. I just hope that I'm not one of the complications that keeps the two of you apart. Keira has given up so much for me. I want her to have her life."

"I think she'd say she's doing exactly that."

"Oh, I know she'd say that. But it wouldn't be true. She's always been more of a giver than a taker."

He thought about her words. "I think I've been the opposite."

"Tell me about yourself, Dante."

"What do you want to know?"

A smile played across her lips. "Whatever you want to tell me."

"What was it like growing up with Dante?" Keira asked Micah as she sat at the kitchen counter, sipping her wine and watching him cook. She'd offered to help chop something, but Micah had waved her off and was moving around the kitchen at the speed of light.

"Frustrating," Micah said with a laugh. "Hard to follow in the footsteps of a kid who does everything really, really well."

"You mean sports?"

"And school. He wasn't just great at baseball, he got straight As."

"Seriously? When did he have time to study?"

"Late at night. He was a night owl."

"I always got a lot done late at night, too. It's so quiet; it's easier to focus. What about you, Micah?"

"I like nights. Working in restaurants, I'd always volunteer to close, so I could play around in the kitchen, make my own creations, and think about one day having my own restaurant."

"Is that still the goal?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure where I'm headed next, but I'll figure it out. I can always go to work for someone. I'd just like to have more autonomy, which is not easy to find." Micah paused as he put the lamb in the oven. Then he said, "Dante tells me you'd like to be a full-time designer one day, but you have a lot of other responsibilities right now."

"Yes. I have lots of autonomy, but that also means I have an enormous amount of work. I design on the side right now, but I am interested in making that a priority. I just have things to figure out." She sniffed. "It already smells good in here."

"I'm just getting started."

"I'm sorry we're making you work for your dinner."

"This isn't work, and I'm happy to do it. Plus, I get a chance to talk to you. And I'm curious to get to know the woman my brother is so taken with."

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