Page 68 of Gareth

That made Aria frown. “Did you stop dating her because of Nora?”

“No. Carly ended up getting a job offer in another state, and neither of us wanted to do long-distance.”

“Do you…” She paused, her brow furrowing. “Do you think it will be different with us? I mean, are we going to have to… to date in secret?”

“I know that doesn’t sound like fun,” Gareth admitted. “But thankfully, because you’re a friend of Janessa’s, and a family friend now too, it will make sense for us to hang out together.”

The server returned with their food, interrupting their conversation. After she had set down their plates and a small basket that held several pieces of naan bread, Gareth said a prayer of thanks for the food. Their conversation focused on the food for a few minutes, before Gareth turned it back to the former topic.

“I’d understand if you’d rather keep your distance than deal with Nora.”

“She’s already been a bit difficult,” Aria said, rubbing her free hand against her opposite arm. “And that was before you asked me out. I doubt her meanness would stop, even if we weren’t dating.”

“I don’t think she’d stop even if she and I dated because she wouldn’t trust me. Interaction with any other woman on my part would signal cheating to her. I couldn’t deal with that.”

“So you were never interested in her?”

Gareth shook his head. “I wasn’t going to date her just because she thought we should be a medical couple like my parents were. Jay and I have been searching for a doctor to replace her, but it’s not been easy.”

“So you’re really going to replace her?”

“It’s not that I want her gone on a professional level,” Gareth said as he ripped a piece off his naan. “But I’ve spoken to her plenty of times about not interfering in my personal life. How am I ever supposed to have a relationship if she’s right there interfering and stalking me? It’s just not normal.”

“There was no sign that she’d done this in her past?” Aria asked.

“Nope. Personally, I think that perhaps none of her previous workplaces said anything because they just wanted her gone. It’s too bad, really, because she’s smart and dedicated to her work. She just needs to pull back on the personal stuff and focus on her own life.”

He had a feeling that she was going to interfere with Aria, whether or not she was aware that they had started dating. It bugged him that he would have to police his interactions with Aria just so that Nora wouldn’t pick up on anything.

“Anyway, enough about Nora,” Gareth said. “Although you need to tell us if stuff gets too bad with her.”

“I will,” Aria said, but Gareth wasn’t reassured. Aria didn’t strike him as the type to make trouble for someone, even though they might make trouble for her.

Gareth steered the conversation away from Nora and on to more pleasant things as he told her more about his life in Serenity. She seemed more interested in talking about him than talking about herself. Gareth would give that to her for their first date, but in the future, he wanted to know everything about her.

He wanted to ask how she was dealing with her mom’s passing, but that seemed heavy for the first date. And on the off chance she was really sensitive to the topic—which he completely understood—he didn’t want her to start crying.

So he kept the conversation light, taking great delight in making her smile and laugh as he regaled her with tales of things he’d done with his siblings and his friends. He knew he’d been blessed with his large family and his friends, some of whom had been with him for most of his life.

It seemed that perhaps that hadn’t been the case for Aria. She hadn’t mentioned having any other friends, but surely, she’d had at least one in Sacramento. She struck him as someone people would enjoy being friends with.

He was aware that not everyone had a large circle of friends. Even in his family, there were some who were happy to have just one or two close friends.

It had been a while since Gareth had been on a first date, but as far as he was concerned, this first one was going great. He suspected that was because he was drawn to Aria in a way he hadn’t been to a woman before.

Her smiles seemed genuine, and they made him smile. He hoped that it meant she’d consider a second date, even with the specter of Nora hanging over their heads.

He’d always been attracted to quiet women. It wasn’t that he didn’t want them to talk, but he liked a woman who had a calming effect on him. With a job that could be stressful, he needed someone who wasn’t focused on drama or was demanding of his time.

Aria’s presence in the clinic and in his life so far had shown her to be calm and efficient. Even the patients’ comments had turned from her relationship status to how sweet she was, and how much they appreciated her. She’d definitely been the positive addition that Janessa had promised she’d be. In the clinic and in his life.

When Janessa had mentioned wanting to offer the receptionist position to her friend, Gareth had never imagined that she’d fill a spot in his personal life as well as his professional one. He was so thankful that he and Jay had finally agreed with Janessa, even if they’d had their doubts. The thought of never meeting Aria hurt his heart, and Gareth was glad that he didn’t have to consider life without her.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Aria welcomed the heat that enveloped her as she sank into the heated seat in Gareth’s car. The cold seemed to have intensified while they’d eaten dinner, and she’d gotten chilled even though it had only been a short walk from the restaurant to the car. Since Gareth had placed the bag with the takeout order for his sisters on the back seat, the aroma of their dinner followed them into the car.

“Thank you for dinner,” she said as she watched Gareth guide the car out onto the street. “It was wonderful.”

---