Page 19 of About Time You Noticed

"He’s Tommy and Ethan's friend from way back. I'm a few years younger, so I don't know him well. He married one of the girls from church, but it didn't work out. They were twenty at the time."

Edward shook his head. "Couldn't imagine being married at twenty. I was full of myself, thinking I knew everything. The older I become, the more I don’t know. Other than the safety procedures of a chemical spill."

"Can I ask how old you are?"

"You just did." He smirked. "How old do I look?"

Sarah bit her lip. "Um. About thirty."

He chuckled. "It's the gray at my temples, isn't it? I should dye my hair. I'm twenty-seven."

"Oh, I didn't notice your gray hair." She giggled. "I assumed you were around Tommy's age."

"And you?"

"Twenty-five." Sarah craned her neck for a glance at Tommy before facing Edward again. "I’m worried about him. He's not well and should be resting. About once a year, he catches a bug from the students."

Edward raised a brow.

"Is there anything going around the school?"

"Not that I know of." He scanned his menu. "What would you like to order? Do you want an appetizer first?"

"Sure." She traced an acrylic nail down the left side of her menu. Oh, to soak her fingers and get these suckers off. Not her style.

Edward placed his menu on the white linen table. "What about a cheese platter to share? Or do you prefer garlic bread?"

"Cheeses sound perfect."

He glanced past her shoulder again. "You sure Tommy didn't follow us here to keep an eye on you?" He studied her face. "He gave me the third degree. Said if I ever hurt you, he'd drag me to the science lab, dissect me limb by limb, and send my body parts to every state. Charming."

"He didn't."

"He was joking, I'm sure, but his underlying message was clear. Why is he so protective of you?"

She shuffled her chair slightly to the side so she could better see Tommy. He looked engrossed in what Damien was saying, unaware she sat across the room. A coincidence? Had he followed them?

"I'm good friends with his sister, Becca, and used to stay over at their place every weekend. Tommy is like family to me. Becca is happily married now, and I guess he's transferred all that brotherly affection to me."

"And it doesn't bother you? I mean, you're halfway to thirty. I'm sure you're discerning enough to determine who's safe to date and who's not."

She tilted her head. "Exactly. And you're right, it is annoying. My father is the worst. But now that I'm not living under the same roof—technically—he isn't into my business as much."

Edward leaned back. "Do you have any siblings?"

"No. Mom had an operation soon after I was born. That's why Dad is over the top. And it's why Becca and Tommy are like family to me."

The waiter returned and tapped a stylus to his menu tablet. "Would you like to order, or do you need more time?"

Edward peered at the young man. "To start with, we'd like the cheese platter for two." He glanced at Sarah. "Anything to drink?"

"Water’s fine for me."

He nodded and addressed the waiter. "I'll have a coke, no ice. Thank you."

When the waiter left, Sarah adjusted her position once more. "What about you? Do you have brothers or sisters?"

"Four brothers and two sisters."

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