Page 11 of When Morning Comes Around

“There’s no need. It’s just… I guess I understand his ways since we’ve kind of walked the same path.”

“I know. That’s why I’m apologizing. Here I am bleating about the demise of my marriage, while the two of you both lost women you obviously adored.”

“Yeah.” Dominic shifted in his seat. There was no way that he would ever deny having adored Polly. Their marriage hadn’t been perfect, but they loved each other, they were open and honest with each other. They’d been a team, and even through the rough patches, he’d always felt like they were on the same side. “There’s only one diner in town, right?”

“There is.”

He parked just down from the diner and hurried around to the curb to join Sadie.

“Areyouokay with this?” he asked.

“Honestly? I’m more than okay with it. I’ve spent the last couple of days on the road, eating fast food. I know diner food isn’t exactly gourmet, but I’m looking forward to it and I might as well say it, I’m looking forward to not having to eat alone.”

He wasn’t sure if she meant that she’d had to dine alone while she was on the road or while she was married. He figured it was probably better not to ask.

They’d reached the diner, and he held the door open for her with a smile. “Then this works out for both of us.”

As soon as they entered, a young woman, probably in her late twenties, came rushing toward them and wrapped Sadie in a hug. “You made it! I’m so glad you’re here.”

Sadie clung to her for a moment before stepping back to look her over. “Wow, Savannah! Just look at you. Dad was right when he said that you’re all grown up.”

Savannah laughed. “He said that? Seriously? He’s a stinker. He’s always telling me that I’m just a little girl.”

Sadie laughed with her. “You know what he’s like. And thank you, sweetheart, thank you so very much for taking care of him.”

“You know there’s no need for that. We take care of each other. But anyway …” She looked at Dominic. “Sorry about that. It’s just that we haven’t seen each other for far too long.”

Sadie smiled at him. “She’s right, but that’s no excuse. Dominic, meet Savannah. She’s… an old friend of the family. We go back a long way. Savannah, this is Dominic. He’s…”

Dominic chuckled as he shook hands with Savannah. “I guess you could say that I’m a new friend of the family.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Let me grab you a couple of menus and we’ll find you a table.”

Once they were settled at a booth in the corner, and Savannah had brought their drinks, Dominic studied Sadie as she read the menu. He didn’t understand what it was about her, but there was something. Something that kept him hanging around. He should have dropped her off at her dad’s place, and that should have been the end of it. Yeah, he knew Harvey, and he liked the old guy, but Harvey wasn’t the reason that he’d stuck around. He certainly wasn’t the reason Dominic was sitting here in the diner.

He smiled when Sadie looked up at him and tucked her hair behind her ear as she said, “Shoot! Are you waiting for me? We can just order. You must be hungry.”

“There’s no rush, take your time and decide what you want.”

She made a face. “It’s probably best if you call her over. The more time you give me, the longer I’ll take. When she asks what you want, I’ll feel as though I’m under pressure and have tomake a snap decision. It’s not as though it’s a matter of life and death, is it?”

He chuckled. “Okay, I can do that – put you out of the misery of agonizing over what to eat.”

She laughed. “It really shouldn’t be as difficult as I make it, but you described it well – the misery of agonizing over it. It’s ridiculous.”

He caught Savannah’s eye, and she hurried over, notepad at the ready.

After they’d ordered, Sadie sat back in her seat and gave him a rueful smile. “First of all, I want to say thank you – I don’t know what I would have done without you. Secondly, I feel like I owe you an apology. I don’t know what your plans were for this evening, but I know you weren’t expecting this.”

“You’re welcome – honestly. I’d hate to think of anyone being stuck up there on the hill like that...” He frowned, he’d been about to add,especially you, but he didn’t know why. He relaxed a little when the answer came to him – she was a friend of Nina’s, she was Harvey’s daughter. That had to be why she seemed more important than just some random stranger. “And you don’t need to apologize; the only thing that I had planned was collecting takeout from The Boathouse for dinner.” He glanced around the diner. “I’ve never eaten here before so, if anything, you brightened up my evening. You’re right that I wasn’t expecting this, but I’m glad I’m here.”

“I am, too.” She looked a little flustered and took a sip of her drink before adding, “I mean, like I said, I don’t know what I would have done without you, and…” She let out a little laugh.“Having dinner here with you is far better than having to keep quiet while Dad watches his shows.”

“He’s obviously glad to have you home, even if he won’t skip his shows.”

“I know he is, and I’d be more concerned if he turned the TV off. This way, I know that no matter what’s going on – he might have fallen, I might have confessed my sorry tale, but nothing’s hit him so hard that it’s shaken him out of his routine.”

They stared at each other for a long moment, and Dominic shifted in his seat when it struck him just how attractive she was. It wasn’t just the way she looked, there was something else about her, something that drew him in. Something that if he were honest, was the reason that he hadn’t just dropped her off and driven away. He hadn’t gone into her dad’s house with her, he wasn’t sitting here in the diner for any other reason than he didn’t want to say goodbye to her.

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