“They could color.”
“Or do macramé.”
Dylan shook his head and took a few steps back. “Can I, uh...” He gestured to his room. “Go now?”
Delightful child. Such an open, winning, sunny personality. “Yes.”
Dylan stopped just in front of his room and looked back. “I told my sister to go out with you a while ago, Dr. Grant.”
“You did?”
“Yeah.”
“And?”
“She shot down the idea.” He rolled his eyes. “I wish I’d bet her money on it. I’d be richer.” Then he was gone.
“I really like your brother,” Sebastian said.
Did he know that the statement had just scored him a thousand points?
“And I really like your place,” he continued. “What’s your favorite thing about it?”
“I’m a fan of this architectural style, but my absolute favorite thing about it is the view.” They stopped side by side in front of the enormous plate glass living room window. The sun had recently set. Clouds of pink, peach, and moody lavender capped the dimming hills. “I’m endlessly fascinated with this view. It’s different every hour of the day and every season of the year.” She peeked at him and found that he was already looking down at her.
“Beautiful,” he said.
Fireflies took flight within her. She needed to remember that she’d agreed to this date in order to bring a halt to the flood of gifts.
They made their way to his Mercedes, and he drove them to a restaurant located inside a winery in neighboring White County. Smooth white stucco walls and a ceiling crisscrossed with timbers the size of tree trunks surrounded them as they took their time over appetizers at the bar.
Eventually, a hostess escorted them to a linen-covered table near a cavernous fireplace. A creamy mix of firelight, can lights, and flickering candlelight covered everyone in the dining room with a warm glow. Beyond the windows, tidy rows of grapevines snaked into the darkness. Her napkin was so heavy she could wear it as a shawl. The tiny ceramic pot adjacent the salt and pepper shakers held mums, ivy, and red berries.
Leah had enjoyed a few fancy dinners in her lifetime. But every one of those meals had been underlain with the wincing knowledge of the expense, which inevitably made her wonder whether the experience was worth the price.
Sebastian didn’t seem to care about the costs involved. Since he’d lobbied for this date so relentlessly, it served him right to get stuck with the bill. Brazenly, she ordered salmon.
It arrived glistening beneath a buttery sauce. Braised red cabbage dotted with goat cheese and smashed fingerling potatoes crusted with big granules of salt completed the dish.
The deliciousness of the first bite liquefied her spine.
“What’s the latest with your search into your birth family?” Sebastian asked, cutting into his steak.
“I met them.”
His motion paused. “What?”
She brought him up to speed on how she’d found the Brooksides and the brief exchange they’d shared at church.
“That must have been strange,” he said. “To introduce yourself to them as if you were a stranger.”
“To them, I am a stranger.”
“But to you, they’re much more than that.”
“True. At present, I’m trying to understand how Sophie and I were switched. In fact...” She considered him speculatively. “You might be able to help me.”
“I’ll do anything for you.”
