“And now, here you are, eating grouper in Denver, Colorado because they got fresh fish overnighted.”
“Sounds a little bit like payback to me,” I whispered. “And now I feel terrible for even thinking that. I used to be fully vegetarian, but I eat meat on occasion now.”
“I tend to like a good steak. I don’t eat meat every day, though. That’s something I’ve changed over the past few years.”
“Same here. The family I work for is trying, as well. We have vegetarian family dinners. Sometimes even vegan.”
“So, you eat with them?”
I held back a wince, wondering how much to reveal. Not everybody understood what it meant to be a nanny. But he was a pediatric nurse. He should understand. “Sometimes. Though I work for this family solely because of the time commitment at the moment, we share the cooking duties depending on how late they work. It just makes sense for us to do that so nobody goes hungry.”
“And I know you teach a few classes, do training, and countless other things in the field. I read one of your papers.”
I blinked. “Seriously?”
Brian smiled softly. “I have. Which now makes me sound like a weird stalker.”
I shook my head, my mind going in a thousand different directions. This was the thing. That moment. The one that could lead to a second date because he wasn’t making me feel weird. Self-conscious. Or like there was nothing more between us than friendship.
We talked some more, shared a dessert because we were too full from dinner, and walked to the park, where old-fashioned light poles lit the walkway, and couples walked hand-in-hand.
“This has been a really great night,” he said after a minute, and my stomach filled with butterflies.
“I agree.”
We stood under one of the lamps, and he turned toward me, studying my face. Our hands were linked, and he looked down at them, then at me. He seemed to be waiting for something, as if he wanted an answer. Only I wasn’t sure what the question had been.
Then he lowered his lips to a breath above mine before cursing.
My stomach twisted, the butterflies escaping with an exhale. I leaned back, studying his face.
He cringed and took a step back.
Cringed? Why would he do that?
I swallowed, pressing my hands together in front of me. “What’s wrong? Did I do something?”
I didn’t think I had. Did my breath smell like grouper? Was that a thing?
Shame coated my tongue, and I ducked my head, my cheeks blazing red. He had nearly kissed me and cringed before stepping away.
He looked at me then, his arm outstretched as if he wanted to touch me but wouldn’t.
Couldn’t.
“I’m sorry. I’m doing this all wrong.”
I frowned. “Doing what all wrong? I thought tonight was going wonderfully, Brian. You didn’t take advantage of me or anything.”
“That’s good to know. But I can’t do this, May. This was a mistake.”
My heart shattered, though I knew that wasn’t quite right. Perhaps it was shame and horror that came instead. “What do you mean?”
“I’m in love with my ex. She looks a little bit like you, and I got my wires crossed. I’m sorry, May. I have to go.”
At that, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving me standing under the light, wondering exactly what I had done in a past life to be cursed like this.
I looked around, grateful that everybody seemed to be focusing on their lives and not me.
Humiliation hit hard, and I just wanted to go home, duck under the covers, and give up.
My aunt had set me up on this date. She likely would’ve known about the ex—ex-wife, ex-girlfriend, ex-fiancée. She was a hunter when it came to information like that.
But she had missed the fact that he still loved her. I looked enough like her that he had leaned into the date either to get over her or because he had misread the situation and thought I was a replacement for her.
I didn’t know. What I did know was that I was tired. And alone in downtown Denver, though I was grateful we had driven separately. I looked around, clutching my purse tighter to me, feeling a little raw. I was only a block away from my favorite street in the city, the one with the original Montgomery Ink and a few other businesses owned by Leif’s family. I would go there, find something familiar, and then go home.
Alone.
My lot in life.
I crossed the street as soon as the light changed and kept going, ignoring the looks from a few drunk guys as they made their way from bar to bar.
One called out to me, and I kept moving, grateful I’d worn flats rather than heels tonight. That reminded me of my broken shoe at the park and the fact that Leo had fixed it with a paperclip of all things.
I would never forget the fear of not being able to find Luke when he ran off because he saw Leo.
His parents had given him a verbal lashing when we got home, even if it had been in soft tones with the lesson involved. But when I told them about the incident, they were just as scared as I was.
I was so grateful that Leo had been there and that it hadn’t been some strangers who could’ve plucked Luke out of the park without me seeing—all because I had been too slow with my broken shoe.
So, I was wearing flats now and walking into Taboo, a little café I adored.
It was late enough that the owner, Hailey, wasn’t working. She was probably home with her husband and kids, all of them enjoying their evening together. I liked the woman and everybody who worked here. Taboo was welcoming, homey, and part of the Montgomery family—like I felt I was slowly becoming.
“May?”
I looked at a familiar face and smiled at Daisy Knight. Though her last name wasn’t technically Montgomery, her stepmother was one. So, in my brain, she was Daisy Montgomery.
I smiled, went over to the other woman, and held out my arms. Daisy hugged me hard—so hard I knew she was probably dealing with issues of her own. In fact, I knew a few of those things, so I let her squeeze, knowing she likely needed to breathe just like I did.
“I didn’t know you were coming in tonight.”
I shrugged as I looked over at the other woman and shook my head. “I didn’t know I was either. Weird night.”
“Let me guess, bad date?” she asked.
“Of course. I don’t do regular dates. We know this.”
“That’s silly. You’re a gorgeous, sweet, brilliant, and amazing person. Those guys are missing out.”
“If you say so. At this point, I think I stop at first dates.”
Daisy shook her head and gestured in front of her. “Here, take a seat. I was going to get myself another cupcake. Do you want one?”
I thought of my full dinner and the dessert I’d just shared, and my stomach felt like lead. “I could use a decaf latte.”
“That, I can do.”
“One red velvet cupcake, and a decaf latte, coming up,” Jay, the barista behind the counter, said as he waved to us before going to work.
“Got to love the service here,” Daisy said as she sat across from me, studying my face.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“It’s the same as usual. Bad date. So now I’m here, not eating my worries but drinking them. In the form of a latte. Not booze.”
“Well, if you want to head to the bar, I know a couple here owned by extended family members.”