Page 64 of When Morning Comes Around

“I don’t know. On the one hand, I don’t really want to leave him by himself. On the other, I was kind of looking forward to going to the restaurant. Whichever way we do it, it won’t be ideal.”

He frowned. He was looking forward to taking her out – when they’d talked about it this morning, she’d agreed to go to the restaurant. By the same token, he was more than happy to havedinner at the house with her. Her saying that neither was ideal left him feeling a little disappointed.

She came to him and rested her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. What I meant is that if we go out, I’ll worry about him. And if we stay here, he’ll make it obvious that he doesn’t really need us.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her to his side. “Then, I vote that we stay here. I’d rather have him grumbling at us than needing help while we’re out.”

She rested her head against his shoulder. “Thanks, you’re awesome.”

He chuckled. “Thanks.”

She looked up into his eyes. “Don’t laugh at me, it’s true.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

He almost let go of her when he spotted Tilly and Parker coming toward them. He felt her tense and tightened his arm around her instead. There was no reason that he should stand back.

Parker smiled at him. “Thanks for helping out today. I reckon you doubled our sales.”

“I’m happy to help. And don’t worry, I’m not looking for a job or anything.”

Parker laughed. “I wasn’t worried. It’s not like you need a job, is it?”

Dom smiled and nodded, but he couldn’t help wondering why Parker said that. It was true; with the money that he and Damon had inherited, he’d never have to work another day in his life,but he didn’t think that was common knowledge. Then again, it was a small town; he shouldn’t be surprised.

From the look Sadie gave him, it was apparent that she was surprised. He felt bad he hadn’t told her about the money. But then, they hadn’t known each other for very long. There was still so much they didn’t know about each other. It wasn’t like he was hiding it from her, it just hadn’t come up yet.

Tilly broke what felt to him like an awkward silence. “Anyway, we’re ready to close up now.” She looked at Sadie. “Do you want us to do it? Or…”

“That’s okay, I can do it. You two have done so much lately. Why don’t you get on home?”

Dom watched them carefully. They thanked Sadie, and made the right noises, but something felt off to him. Maybe he was just too suspicious – maybe suspicious was the wrong word. It was more that he felt protective toward Sadie and Harvey. There was nothing that he could put his finger on, but he felt like he needed to keep an eye on Tilly and Parker.

Harvey was as jovial as usual when they got back to the house, but he made no attempt to get out of his armchair. Dom was surprised that he didn’t make much of a protest when Sadie told him that they weren’t going out to dinner.

He suggested that they could eat at the diner, but he seemed relieved when Sadie told him that they could get takeout instead.

He did draw the line when Sadie said that she could go to collect their order, and Dom could stay with him.

Dom wouldn’t have minded, but Harvey told him that he should be a gentleman and drive.

When they reached the diner, he cut the engine and turned to Sadie with a smile. “Are you doing okay?”

She leaned her elbows on the console. “I am. I’m sorry about this.”

He caught her chin between his finger and thumb. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. This is great.”

“It’s not as great as having dinner at the restaurant. Please tell Taryn that it’s my fault.”

“This is just as great. It’s different, that’s all. I’m hoping that we’ll get plenty of chances to go out for dinner, but this is what real life looks like. We have people to take care of, things to take care of, details that get in the way of fancy dinners.” He leaned in and brushed his lips over hers. “It’s not so much where we go or what we do, it’s how we handle what we’re dealt.”

“You’re right. It is. And thanks for handling things so graciously.”

“Me? I’m just going along with things. I’d say that you’re the one who’s handling things graciously. You’ve had a lot thrown at you in the last few weeks. And you just keep smiling and getting things done.”

She shrugged. “It’s like you said, that’s what real life looks like. You just have to get on with it. And honestly, it’s not like anything terrible has happened. The whole Dale thing needed to happen – it’s a blessing really. And being here with Dad, that’s another blessing.” She smiled. “And meeting you? That’s just the cherry on top.”

He laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever been called a cherry before.”

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