Page 47 of When Morning Comes Around

Damon made a face. “And I greeted her with a kiss and a hug.”

Dominic shook his head. “Shit. So, she thinks that I already have a girlfriend – a partner?”

“That’d be my guess,” said Russ.

Dominic hurried over to where his coat was hanging and dug through his pockets for his phone.

“What are you doing?” asked Damon.

“I need to call her and explain.”

“If she hasn’t returned your call, do you think she’ll answer?”

He made a face. “Probably not, but I need to do something.”

Damon came and grasped his shoulder. “I think I’m the one who needs to do something.”

“What can you do?”

“Be here at four with you, when she brings Harvey in. If you thought someone had wronged you, would you believe them if they told you that they didn’t do it – it was their identical twin?”

“Probably not.”

“Exactly. It’s easy to dismiss words as a lie, but no one can deny the truth when they see us together. So, I’ll see you back here at four, alright?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

As he walked back home, Dominic wondered how he would have felt if the situation were reversed. When he thought about it that way, he could totally understand why Sadie hadn’t called him back. He just hoped that she’d understand when she met Damon. Maybe they’d even be able to laugh about it.

~ ~ ~

“What are you going to do with yourself while I have my session?”

Sadie glanced at her dad as she turned the minivan onto Main Street. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hang around and watch. I thought I’d go and have a cup of coffee at the bakery.”

She was hoping that she might be able to talk to someone at the women’s center while she was there. She’d forgotten allabout it on Wednesday, she’d been so shaken up after seeing Dominic with that woman.

She wasn’t going to mention any of that to her dad, though. She didn’t want to talk to him about the divorce because he was insistent that she should go after Dale for every penny she could get. He wasn’t necessarily wrong about that, but she was more interested in putting the whole thing behind her and moving on than she was in getting embroiled in a legal battle. She didn’t want to say anything about Dominic, either. As far as her dad was concerned, there was no reason that she should be upset to discover that he already had a… lady friend of some description.

She just hoped that he wouldn’t be in the gym when they went inside. She didn’t plan to stick around just in case, but she’d have to at least go in with her dad and go back at the end of his session to pick him up.

She was relieved to see an open parking spot close to the gym. As she maneuvered the minivan into it, her dad said, “I like Russ well enough, but I was hoping to work with the other fella.”

Sadie didn’t know what to say to that. She decided it was best just to let it ride. By the end of this first session, he’d no doubt know thatthe other fellawas Dominic. It’d be up to him to figure out who he wanted to work with. She intended to do her best to stay out of the way and leave him to his own devices.

She cut the engine and turned to him with a smile. Just because she was feeling uncomfortable about Dominic, she didn’t need to spoil this for him. He’d been looking forward to coming, and she knew that he was looking forward to building his strength back up. From what he’d said, Max Douglas had started working out after an injury and he enjoyed it so much that it had become a part of his life. She’d be happy for her dadif things worked out the same way for him. Even before his fall, he’d rarely ventured away from home and the garden center. If coming to the gym would broaden his horizons a little, then she’d be happy for him.

“Just wait there a minute, I’ll come around and help you out.”

He chuckled. “Okay, but be quick about it. I don’t want anyone to see me in a minivan – it’d ruin my street cred.”

“Well, excuse the heck out of me. I didn’t realize you had any street cred.”

He waved a hand at her. “Just shows what you know.”

As she helped him out, she couldn’t help remembering the way Dominic had lifted him down from his Sequoia. She’d been so impressed by him. He seemed so kind and so strong at the same time.

She scowled to herself. He was kind and strong. Maybe she was the one who had a problem. Maybe she was judging him for something that he didn’t see as an issue. She didn’t know how the dating game worked anymore. Perhaps it was perfectly acceptable these days for a man to explore his feelings for a woman even while he was already seeing another woman.

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