Page 32 of When Morning Comes Around

She kissed his head again. “I don’t know about that, Dad.”

“I think I do.”

~ ~ ~

As he drove up the hill, following Jake, Dominic spotted the place where Sadie’s minivan had broken down. He smiled when he remembered the way that she’d climbed out of it – the way she’d told him that she was fine, if you didn’t count a case of acute embarrassment. He’d only realized who she was when she’d said that.

He chuckled. For a moment, he’d thought that he was imagining things – that seeing her again was just wishful thinking. When he’d uttered the only words that he could manage to get out – “It’s you”– she’d replied,“If you mean, oh crap, is that the crazy woman from the grocery store earlier? Then yes, I’m afraid so – it’s me.”

He gripped the steering wheel tighter. Try as he might, he couldn’t deny it – he was looking forward to seeing her again.

The sound of his phone ringing startled him out of his thoughts.

“What’s up, Jake?” he answered.

“Do you want to take the lead? I’ve got my GPS, but you know exactly where we’re going, don’t you?”

“I do. I won’t be able to pass you until we’re over the hill.”

“Okay.”

Dominic waited; he felt like Jake had something else to say, but he didn’t know what. He was hoping that he wasn’t going to question him about Sadie. He’d offered to help out by following Jake over here so that he could give him a ride back, but that wasn’t about Sadie. He would’ve done that no matter whose vehicle Jake was returning.

Jake laughed. “Whatever it is you’re thinking, you can say it.”

He frowned. “What do you think I’m thinking?”

“I don’t know exactly, but it’s something about me and Savannah, right?”

Dominic had to laugh. Of course, Jake’s attention wasn’t on him and Sadie, he was too hung up on the pretty little blonde to think about anything else.

“Ah. I don’t have anything to say – it’s none of my business. Then again, if I were to say something, it’d be that she seems like a nice girl.”

“She is. I don’t know that I’d use the word nice – she’s more than that. She’s … cool. I don’t suppose there’s any chance that you’d want to have dinner before we head back, is there?”

“You mean at the diner?”

“Yeah, it’s the only place to eat over here, isn’t it?”

“I believe so.”

“Well, we need to have dinner somewhere…”

“We do.”

“And maybe Sadie can come with us?”

He inhaled sharply. “Maybe.”

“You okay?” Jake asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“I think you know why – but I also know that I’m not supposed to talk about shit like that so…”

“Yeah.” He didn’t know what else to say.

“I know it’s none of my business, but Sadie seems cool, too.”

---