Page 53 of It Started With a Scarf

I'm almost finished for the day. Text me where I can meet you.

He pressed send and started wrapping things up in his office while he waited for her to respond.

She responded with the shared location of a thrift store, and then she sent a text.

Marley:

This place is amazing! I could be here for hours! If you don't feel like driving over here, I can meet you at your house later.

He clicked on the location of the store, and he smiled when he saw where she was. It didn't surprise him that she had found the artsy, eclectic part of the city. It would take him twenty minutes to drive there, and he knew there might be traffic. Plus, he had a few things to wrap up at work. Dominic typed a text to her.

Dominic:

I'll be there within an hour.

It had been four days since he had seen Marley, and their reunion could not happen soon enough. She had things to tend to in Chicago, though. She had built relationships at her jobs, and she was working her last week at both places. She had been on the schedule at the clothing store until tonight at 6pm, and then she had the next two days off.

They would spend the day together tomorrow, and do some touristy things so she could check out the city. Tonight, he would take her to dinner at his favorite restaurant. Dominic was chomping at the bit to see her. He saw Britt on his way out, and she apologized again about Marley.

"It's fine," he said. "I'll explain what happened to her."

"I do regret not being friendlier to her, but Dom, I also want to be the voice of reason here."

He squinted at Britt, and she continued.

"Have you talked to your family about this? Is she moving here from Chicago and living in your apartment? I feel like it's sudden. It was just a few months ago you were with someone else. It's out of love that I'm saying this."

"Britt, I love you. You've been here since I opened, and I appreciate you. But with all due respect, I don't want your opinion on this. You're overstepping."

"I'm sorry."

"Okay. Thank you. I know you'll love her, but until then, just fake it and pretend she's your favorite person in the world."

"So, you're keeping her?" Britt asked. She grinned shyly. She had softened and was being sweet and kidding around, and Dominic could tell she got the point.

"Yes, I'm keeping her," he said.

Chapter 19

Marley

Dominic made record time to the thrift store. I had only been shopping for a half hour or so when I heard the doorbell ding and I looked up to find that he had just walked inside.

We locked eyes, and he smiled at me. I waited for him where I was because I could see that he started crossing to me right away. He was too big for the aisles, and he had to turn to the side to get around them. I got antsy and excited when he crossed to me. There were other people in the store, but we were mostly alone in that section. The cashier half-looked at Dominic, only for long enough to see that he was there for me. No one recognized him or was paying attention to us.

He had on a beanie with warm athletic clothes, nice sweats, and a jacket. He was wearing shades of black and grey, and I smiled at how handsome and put-together he was. Suddenly, he was approaching. I had picked up a dress and two shirts and I barely had time to drape them on the rack in front of me before he made his way to me.

I turned just in time to go into his arms.

It felt incredible.

"I missed you so much," I said, squeezing him around his mid-section. He was a fitness expert, and his body was solid. I held onto him for several long seconds before I pulled back and looked at him. We smiled and then kissed each other. His mouth was warm, and the kiss was unrushed.

"You got here fast," I said, smiling. "And I like your jacket."

"Brice gave me this earlier today," he said. I knew who Brice was, he was one of the NBA players who went to his gym and was also a friend.

"You look like a total stud in this," I said, stepping back and looking at him. "I need to thank Brice."

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