Page 51 of When Morning Comes Around

“I should have, shouldn’t I?”

Dalton nodded, and Taryn laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask you to work weekends over the summer or anything like that.”

“What then?”

She grinned. “When you take her out for dinner, you bring her in here. For one thing, I want to meet her, and for another, if you take her over to The Boathouse instead, I’ll only get to hear about it second-hand.”

“Who says that I’ll be taking her out for dinner?”

Taryn rolled her eyes. “I do! And don’t try telling me that you won’t.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’d like to think so, but…”

“But what?”

He blew out a sigh. “You know what.”

“I do, and I already told you what I think. I’m only talking about you taking her out on a date. You don’t need to thinkbeyond that – just one date. Maybe you make a friend, it sounds like you already have. Maybe there’s something more there, maybe there isn’t. That’s the thing about life; you’ll never discover what it holds for you until you try actually living it.”

He dropped his gaze, and Dalton grasped his shoulder. “She’s right, you know. And you know how much it pains me to admit that – especially in front of her,” he added with a smile. “You don’t need to make too much out of it – but don’t shut yourself down to possibility either.”

“Yeah.”

Taryn disappeared back into the kitchen.

“You sure you’re okay?” Dalton asked.

“I am. I’m looking forward to tonight. I just…” He chuckled. “If I’m honest, I think I’ve come to terms with the fact that it might be time to move on. If I’m not okay, it’s probably because I’m nervous. I’ve been out of the game for a long time.”

“No one would ever guess that from the way you flirt and dance with women at The Boathouse, you know.”

“I know, but that’s easy. That’s different. There’s nothing to be nervous about, because it doesn’t matter.”

He turned when Taryn set a takeout bag on the bar beside him. She smiled. “That’s what I suspected; this is different because it does matter. And I hope you know that seals it – when you take her out for real, youhaveto bring her in here.”

“Okay, thanks.” He took his wallet out of his pocket, but she shook her head. “Nope. Don’t even try.”

Dalton chuckled. “You might as well just say thank you and be on your way.”

“Okay then, thank you.” He narrowed his eyes at Taryn. “But one of these days, I’m going to pay you back somehow.”

She laughed. “I’m sure you will. I’ll keep that offer in my back pocket for a time of need.”

~ ~ ~

Sadie looked around the kitchen; it looked nice. She’d done what she could to make sure that it would. It wasn’t ideal to be eating in the kitchen, but it was their only choice. Her dad didn’t have a dining room. Well, he did, but it was currently serving as his bedroom. Savannah had managed to get him set up in there after his fall.

“Don’t set a place for me,” her dad called from the living room.

“I already did.” She went and stood in the doorway. “Are you saying that you’re not hungry now?”

He grinned at her from his seat in his recliner. “Course not. I’m looking forward to it. From what I’ve heard about the woman who runs the restaurant over there at the lodge, I didn’t know if Dom would be able to swing it. I’m not saying I don’t want to eat; I’m saying that I don’t want to eat in there with the two of you.”

“Why not?”

“I think you know damn well why, don’t you?”

She swallowed.

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