Page 93 of When Morning Comes Around

“Stop arguing about it, and just go see the man,” said Terry. “And you can tell me what happened when you both come out with us all on Friday night.”

~ ~ ~

After the first wave of customers had migrated from the bar to their tables for dinner, and things were a little quieter, Taryn came to stand next to Dom behind the bar.

“What’s the deal with the house, then?”

He grinned. “I can pick up the keys on Friday.”

“And when do you think you’ll move in?”

He laughed. “Friday afternoon.”

“Seriously? Do you have furniture?”

“It’s partially furnished. What’s in there isn’t exactly to my taste, but there’s enough that I can make do for now. There’s a bed, and a sofa. I’ll head to the mall on Friday morning and pick up essentials for the kitchen and whatever else it takes to make the place liveable for now.”

Taryn smiled. “I’m happy for you. When you first came to the lake, I didn’t know if you’d stick around.” She made a face at him. “I’m not thrilled that I’ll only have you in here one night a week going forward, but it’s better than nothing. And since you’re cutting back because of Sadie, I’ll forgive you.”

He chuckled. “Thanks.”

“Mind if I ask you something?”

He smiled through pursed lips. “I don’t mind if you ask, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that I’ll answer.”

She slapped his arm. “You know me too well.”

“Yep.”

“When’s Sadie going to move in with you?”

He bit the inside of his cheek. Of course he was hoping that she would, she’d been open to the idea when they talked about it, but it was far from a done deal.

“Never mind. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to answer, it’s just that I don’t know. I hope it’ll be soon. If it were up to me, I’d say Friday. But it’s not that straightforward for her.”

“Why not?”

“You know why not. She’s staying at her dad’s place; she wants to make sure that he’s back on his feet properly before she leaves him by himself. And besides, it hasn’t been all that long since her marriage ended.”

Taryn gave him a puzzled look. “Are you worried that you might be her rebound guy?”

He chuckled. “I wasn’t, not until you just said that.”

Taryn grinned. “I guarantee you that’s not the case.”

He turned to her, but she wasn’t looking at him, she was watching the entrance to the restaurant, and her grin widened.

“Did you know she was coming in?”

He started to ask what she meant, but following her gaze, he saw for himself. Sadie had just walked in with Nina.

Taryn waved at them, and Nina waved back. Sadie looked hesitant as she met his gaze. He didn’t understand it. For a moment, he panicked, wondering if she was coming to tell him something that he didn’t want to hear.

“I’ll get Nina a drink, you take your break,” Taryn told him.

“I…”

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