Page 249 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

After their hike,Emily followed Sam into the dim interior of O’Brian’s Mug, and after a five-minute wait, the hostess seated them.

A perky server set their drinks down and offered them a few minutes to peruse their menus.

“I’m glad we decided to go out to dinner. I don’t mind making a tuna fish sandwich or having a can of soup, but occasionally it’s nice to sit down, order, and have someone else bring you food.”

“Does Wade cook?” Sam asked.

“How should I know?”

“If neither of you can cook a respectable meal, that could be a problem.”

Emily glared at Sam. “Stop acting like Wade and I are an item. We’re not. We haven’t been a couple in eleven years. He left. I moved on.”

“I’m not sure ‘moved on’ is accurate. I don’t think you’re over him.” Sam set her menu aside and made eye contact. “You haven’t exactly given other guys a fighting chance. Not even your fake boyfriend Austin.”

“I tried with Austin. I adore him, but we need different things. I want to focus on work, and he wants to find a wife who would settle down, stay home, and raise kids.”

“Are you sure you don’t want those things?” Sam pursed her lips. “Maybe you just didn’t want them with Austin.”

“I’m not going to quit my job to stay home?—“ ”

“Wish I could,” Sam said.

“Seriously?”

“I’d love to stay home if I could find a guy like Austin who would provide for us while I raised our children.”

“I thought you loved your job?”

“I do. But I’d make keeping the home and raising babies my full-time job.”

The server came to the table, and they placed their orders.

“Austin, huh?” Emily asked.

Sam’s face colored at the question. “Not Austin. Someone like him.”

“You like him. How did I not know this before now?”

“Shush. Keep your voice down. One of your co-workers walked in, and I don’t want it getting back to Austin that we were talking about him.”

Emily craned her neck to see who’d come into the restaurant. It was Pete. The man was a chauvinist, but he was pleasant enough otherwise.

He strolled over to their table. “Good evening, ladies.”

“Hi, Pete. Would you care to join us?” Emily asked.

“I’m meeting a date. Too bad. I would’ve enjoyed joining you two lovely women for dinner.”

Sam smiled.

“I’ll see you first thing Monday morning,” Emily said.

“Hopefully, I won’t have to rescue you from a bear again.”

“Funny.”

He ambled up to the bar, and a gorgeous redhead sat beside him.

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