Page 130 of Phishing for Love
“Yeah, you warned me in time,” he answers, still keeping his face averted. “Thanks, sweetheart.”
I can feel my eyes widen and my heart galloping at the endearment. Does he realize what he said?
“Let’s get this over with,” Lucas advises. “For Aaron’s sake, as well as ours.”
“On the count of three,” Nina instructs.
I scrunch up my face and drink. There’s no way to disguise that you’re drinking mushrooms, but it’s not as bad as I feared, testimony to Frankie’s barista skills.
When Aaron stands and heads to the restroom, Nina gives Lucas a look.
“Really?” he asks.
“Really,” she replies sweetly.
With a heavy sigh, he pushes to his feet and wanders over to Frankie, leaving us alone.
“It makes my heart glad to see Aaron so happy,” Nina says. “You like him?”
“I do.”
“A lot?”
Wow, she wastes no time. “Yes,” I admit softly, “I like him a lot.”
“Good. Because I see the way Aaron looks at you.”
“How?”
“Like a man who has definitely fallen for you.”
A frisson of excitement darts through me. “You can tell?”
“Trust me, I recognize that look. I saw it in the mirror every day for years when I was pining for Lucas.”
I recall the way Lucas couldn’t take his eyes off Nina. “Years?”
“Yep.”
“It’s hard to believe Lucas didn’t return your feelings for so long. He’s so in love with you now.”
“Yeah, it took a while for his brain to catch up with his heart.”
“Are you talking about me?” Lucas asks as he slips back into his seat. “It better be good things.”
“I’m telling Tess how blind you were for all those years.”
Lucas winces. “Please don’t remind me. If ever I get a do-over of my life, that’s where I’ll start.”
Aaron takes his seat. “All those years of not seeing what was right in front of you all along.”
“I’m still making it up to her,” Lucas says, squeezing Nina’s hand.
“Foot rubs every night,” she whispers to me.
Just then, a tall man wearing a white chef’s jacket and a black bandana arrives at our table. Nina introduces him as Ano, the head chef at Soul Fare. He looks intimidating, but his voice is gentle and mellifluous as he recites the specials.
“Surprise us, Ano,” Nina suggests.
