Page 29 of Make You Mine

“I did.” The sommelier interrupted to pour our glasses. “Thank you.” I waited until she was out of earshot. “Um, yeah. I had to know who that beautiful blonde ray of sunshine was, so I made him tell me who you were.”

“I asked Violet about you, too.” I sucked in a breath, pleased that she’d noticed me back then. “You want to know something funny?” she asked.

“Always.”

“Years ago, after my divorce, Violet tried to set me up with Jake. It was before they got together, of course. We were barely out of college.”

I felt a pinch of discomfort. “I didn’t know you were married.” It wasn’t the marriage; the thought of her and Jake is what bothered me. I shrugged it off, it was moot anyway.

“I was barely even married. It lasted about a year. We weren’t even at the legal drinking age yet, and we both swore we were ready to be man and wife. Wild, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, that’s way too young.” Tabby flashed through my mind, and I cleared my throat to cover my sudden burst of emotion. Should I mention her?

“Did I strike a nerve? I’m sorry.”

My smile faltered for just a moment. “No, uh—I was married. She passed away a few years ago.”

“Oh, Ren. I’m so sorry.” She reached across the table, her fingers brushing mine. “I didn’t mean to bring up a painful topic. I feel terrible for making light of marriage. I knew you were a widower, Violet told me. It slipped my mind. God, I wasn’t thinking?—”

“No, please. It’s okay. She was my best friend.” I cleared my throat, not quite believing that I was about to tell her everything. “We grew up together. She was sick, and her husband left her. I married her so I could take care of her. Make medical decisions, things like that. No one knows that part, that it wasn’t real.”

“How areyoureal?”

“What?”

“The more I learn about you, the more I admire you. You are selfless.”

“I’m not,” I stammered, embarrassed. “Not really.”

“I won’t say anything.” Her eyes lit up with understanding, and it made me feel seen, truly seen for the first time in a long while. “You said no one knows…”

“I’m not sure why I told you, other than somehow, it felt right. I didn’t tell Jake because he always encouraged me to focus on myself. He was the youngest, and with our dad the way he was, I sort of filled that role in the family.”

She covered my hand with hers, squeezing lightly. “I’m honored you told me. I think you’re amazing. No wonder you don’t want to date anyone for real.”

I picked up my menu, nodding, unsure if that was true anymore now that I was sitting across from Piper and her big brown eyes filled with sympathy. I desperately needed to change the topic and was afraid that I’d said too much. “Um, what are you having?”

Taking my not-so-subtle hint, a smile unfurled across her face. This dinner was turning into something unexpected. I felt a strange connection to her, like an inexplicable bond was forming between us.

“So, I always get the same thing when I’m here. It’s my grandma’s recipe, and it’s my favorite thing in the world. But you have to tell me what you’re getting first.” Her eyes twinkled in the candlelight, lighting me up inside.

“Is this a test?” I joked to cover the feelings I was finding it increasingly harder to hide.

“No.” She laughed, her cheeks turning pink from the wine. Or maybe it was me. I couldn’t help but wish I was affecting her as much as she was affecting me. “Well, maybe it is. Let’s see how much we have in common.”

“Okay. I decided to order the chicken pot pie and mashed potatoes. What can I say, I’m a fan of comfort food.”

She clapped her hands together, then clasped them under her chin with an adorable tilt of her head. “Me too. The secret is fresh sage from her herb garden out back. It makes it taste kind of like Thanksgiving. I love it.”

“So I passed?”

“Tell me you want marionberry pie after, and you pass with flying colors.”

“It’s my favorite. But I require the vanilla bean ice cream on top.”

“Me too. It’s the little things, Ren. I firmly believe that the small pleasures in life are what keeps me from losing my shit entirely.”

“Right? Where would I be without Coffee Cabin’s iced mochas? My morning jog now includes a stop for my fix on the way home.”

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