Page 50 of When Morning Comes Around

He chuckled. “Most people can’t believe it when they see us together, even if they’re expecting it.”

She gave him a rueful smile. “I can understand that. The big man convention is one thing, identical big men is another thing completely.”

By the time they were seated in the bakery, she finally felt as though she’d recovered.

“You really are identical, aren’t you?”

He chuckled. “Pretty much.” His smile faded. “I have to ask, is that why you didn’t call me back?”

“Yeah. I thought… Well, obviously, I thought you were with Jo. I didn’t understand why you would want to have dinner with me. Why you would have…” She didn’t want to mention their brief kiss. She didn’t need to.

He held her gaze as he said, “I would never have kissed you. I…” He shook his head. “Polly’s been gone for a long time and I’m struggling with feeling disloyal. If there were someone, if I were seeing someone, there’s no way…”

“That’s what I thought. It just didn’t make sense to me.”

He reached across the table and rested his hand on her arm. “That’s because it wasn’t what you thought. But now you know.”

She smiled. “Yes, now I know. Just half an hour ago, I was dreading running into you again. I didn’t think there was any possible explanation that would make me feel better about what I’d seen.”

“Does that mean that you’ll reconsider having dinner with me?”

A rush of warmth filled her chest. “It does. Do you still want to?”

“I do. I’m looking forward to it.” He gave her arm a squeeze. “I was really disappointed when I thought it wasn’t going to happen.”

She covered his hand with her own. “I was, too.”

Chapter Twelve

When Dominic walked into the restaurant, Dalton greeted him with a grin from his spot at the end of the bar.

“Should I keep my mouth shut?”

Dominic chuckled. “I’d appreciate it.”

“Okay, but you know that Taryn’s going to have enough to say for the both of us.”

He nodded. He fully expected it. He grinned when Taryn popped her head out of the kitchen and came hurrying over when she saw him.

“Are you going to have a drink with us before you go?”

He tilted his head to the side. “Are you saying that it’s not ready?”

She laughed. “No. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just hoping that I’ll get to interrogate you while you’re here.”

“In that case, I’d rather get going. Harvey’s waiting for his dinner. And by the way, he said to pass on his thanks.”

“You can tell him that he’s more than welcome. I like him.”

Dalton laughed. “You must like him a lot. You’ve always said that you won’t do takeout.”

She shrugged. “And I won’t – not in general. This is a special case.”

“Well, I appreciate it,” said Dominic. “When I said I’d bring takeout with me, I meant I’d bring them something from TheBoathouse. Harvey got all excited because he knows that I work here. He’s never managed to come in…”

Taryn waved a hand at him. “It’s okay, you already explained it to me, and like I said I’m happy to do it. I’m happy to do it for Harvey, and I’m happy to do it for you.” She gave him a wicked smile. “You know that I’m going to want something in return though, right?”

Dominic exchanged a look with Dalton, who laughed. “Don’t tell me you didn’t see that coming?”.

---