Page 12 of When Morning Comes Around

She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, and he had to drag his gaze away. He didn’t understand it. Since he’d arrived in Summer Lake, he’d flirted with plenty of women. He wasn’t interested in getting to know someone new, but in the years since Polly had died, he’d learned that the easiest way to keep well-intentioned friends off his back was to pretend that he was looking. To that end, whenever he went out with the guys and their women, he flirted with women at the bar, bought them drinks, chatted and danced with them, but he always let them down gently at the end of the night.

There had been a couple who’d made it clear that even if he wasn’t interested in a relationship, they’d be happy to spend the night with him. That wasn’t his style, it never had been and evenapart from that, he’d honestly believed that his ability to feel physical attraction had died when Polly did.

Sadie was making him reconsider that conclusion. It didn’t make sense – he’d danced with women who were all dressed up and were making an effort to look sexy, and even while holding them on the dance floor, he hadn’t felt a thing. With Sadie, even though she was dressed in old jeans and a faded plaid shirt and looked as though she’d been on the road for a couple of days, his heart rate had quickened, his palms were starting to sweat, and there was a stirring in his pants that hadn’t happened in a long time.

He was relieved when Savannah arrived back at the table with their food. Whatever it was about Sadie, it didn’t matter. He’d enjoy her company over dinner, then he’d drop her back at her dad’s place, and that would be the end of it. At most, he might bump into her again around town but that would be all. And there was no reason that thought should leave him feeling disappointed.

“Is everything okay?” Savannah asked.

He looked up sharply, wondering how she could tell what he was thinking. Of course, she had no idea. She smiled brightly and gestured toward his plate.

“Do you have everything you need?”

“Yeah, thanks.” He really did. He was building his new life in Summer Lake, he had his twin brother, Damon, his nephew, Jake, and a whole bunch of new friends – not to mention the inheritance that he and Damon had come into a little while back. He had everything he needed. He glanced over at Sadie. Maybeshe’d become a new friend – but he didn’t even want anything more than that, let alone need it.

Chapter Four

As soon as Savannah set the plate of spaghetti in front of her, Sadie regretted having chosen it. That’d teach her to be so indecisive. She was hopeless at deciding what to order whenever she ate out, but she should have had the foresight to realize that spaghetti was the worst option on the menu.

She picked up her fork, resigned to the fact that she’d no doubt make a mess – and a fool – of herself. It could be worse; Dominic already knew what a mess her life was, and he no doubt already thought she was a fool.

She managed to twirl some around her fork, but she had a horrible suspicion that she’d already dropped some sauce down her shirt. For the first time, it occurred to her that even before she decorated herself with spaghetti sauce, she must look a fright. Spending a few days on the road would do that to a girl.

Oh well, she had more important things to worry about. She took a bite of garlic bread and savored it. It wasn’t as though she was trying to make any kind of impression on Dominic – he’d already seen her at her worst.

He smiled when she caught his gaze. “How’s the spaghetti?”

She couldn’t help laughing. “It tastes delicious, and I think it looks rather fetching, too, don’t you?”

His gaze dropped briefly to her chest before he quickly looked away with a half-smile on his face. “I didn’t know if I should tell you. I considered it, but if you’re anything like me, the odds are good that you’ll drop some more before you’re finished. I figuredif you didn’t already know, I should let you enjoy the rest before I made you feel self-conscious about it.”

She smiled. “Thanks, I would have appreciated that – if I wasn’t already acutely aware that I’m being a total slob.”

He chuckled. “Nah, you’re no slob. You just set yourself a difficult task. You’re braver than I am; I love spaghetti, but there’s no way I’d order it. In my case, spaghetti is only to be eaten at home, and only in clothes I don’t mind ruining.”

“You’re a wise man, I should have thought before I ordered it.”

“But now that we’ve talked about it, hopefully you can relax and enjoy it.”

She laughed. “Now that we’ve brought it out in the open, I’m going to go ahead and do what I used to do for Josh when he was small.” She picked up her knife and proceeded to chop up the spaghetti.

Dominic laughed as he watched her. “I like it – it makes a whole lot of sense to me.”

“It made sense to me when he was small, too. When every strand is only about an inch long you increase the likelihood of eating it rather than wearing it.” She frowned. “I’ve never thought about it before; is that what they’re called – strands? Is an individual spaghetti a strand, or a noodle?”

Dominic chuckled. “I don’t know if I should tell you this, but no … I will. The only reason that I wouldn’t is because I don’t want to feel foolish.”

She laughed out loud. “Well, hell! In that case, feel free – wade right on in and join me, why don’t you?”

“Okay, if you really want to know, the correct term for a single spaghetti is a spaghetto.”

Sadie almost choked on the sip of water that she’d just taken. “You’re messing with me, right?” she asked when she could speak again.

His eyes seemed to twinkle as he shook his head. “I’m not. I’m deadly serious.”

She scooped up a single strand on her fork and stared at it. “So, you’re a spaghetto, huh? Well hello, little spaghetto.”

Dominic laughed. “So, now we’re even; I know that you’re a messy eater, and you know that I’m a mine of useless information.”

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