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“Lunch?” I repeated, my gaze snagging on the deep ruby dress she wore. “Today?”

“Yeah.”

I stared at her for a moment, a little blank.

I’d promised June I’d put in an extra shift during my lunch break, but I couldn’t let Hayden know that. I couldn’t help but wonder how suspicious it would be if I turned her down.

“Yeah, I’m free,” I forced out, making a mental note to text Juneandbuy her takeout from her favorite place to make up for it.

“Fantastic,” Hayden said, her plush lips widening into a smile. “I’ll text you the location. See you at one!”

She waved at Vanessa and left, and I heard her calling out farewells to the rest of the team before the door swung shut.

The silence in the store pressed in on me, growing and threatening to burst until-

“So, it’s a date.”

“Vanessa!” I hissed. But she’d already whisked off to gossip with Joe.

I stared up at the restaurant, my jaw clenched tight. It was the restaurant we’d met at, the same one she’d saved me in. Was this a joke? I glanced around at the bustling sidewalk, wondering if there was a secret camera crew filming me.

I reread the text that Hayden sent, double-checked that the pin she’d sent led right there, and sighed. I supposed I shouldn’t keep my boss waiting.

I took a deep breath and anxiously fidgeted with my hair as I walked in; I wasnotdressed for the occasion.

The restaurant was just as beautiful as I remembered, if not more in the light of day. While the lights had been dimmed for the night, the thick, dark drapes had been thrown open to let in the summer sun. The light bounced off at least a hundred crystal chandeliers, refracting and bending once it reached the marble floor.

With little effort, a waiter led me to a table where Hayden was already waiting, her back to me.

I swallowed the rush of anxiety. Her dark curls sat in a pristine bun at the top of her head, exposing the smooth column of her neck. She’d removed her jacket, which now lay draped over the back of her chair.

“Sorry I’m late,” I said, forcing a smile. I rounded the table and she looked up from her phone, a radiant smile brightening her face.

My heart stuttered for just a moment.

“No problem,” she said, locking her phone and slipping it into her purse. “Everything okay at the store?”

“Oh, yeah, uh,” I floundered for an excuse, not sure why I evenneededone in the first place. “Crazy traffic.”

Hayden’s smile softened like she knew I was lying but chose to ignore it. “Glad you made it here,” she said instead, her voice just as soft as her smile. I’d have been lying if I said it didn’t send a shiver down my spine.

“So, what’s this all about?” I asked, hoping she’d stop looking at me for just a second so I could catch my breath.

“I thought we could just hang out,” she said simply, her eyes still on me. “I know we don’t really get along, so I hoped that bringing you to one of my restaurants would help put your mind at ease.”

My mind blanked.

“This is- wait, youownthis restaurant?” I gaped.

She nodded like it wasn’t anything special. “I bought it about ten years ago,” she explained, leaning her elbows on the table. My eyes dropped to her bare shoulders for a millisecond before I wrenched them away. “It was the first family restaurant I bought.”

I glanced around pointedly. “Thiswas a family restaurant?” I asked, unable to keep the disbelief from my voice.

“It still is.”

I frowned in confusion and she relented. “They all still work here,” she said, nodding at a few of the people in uniform. “The woman who owned it has since retired, but her kids run it on my behalf and their kids work here as well. Once they’re old enough, of course. Just as she intended.”

I hummed, deep in thought. “What was the restaurant like before you bought it?” I ventured, praying she wouldn’t see the poorly veiled question for what it really was.