Duncan itched to stroke her face, but he settled for taking her hand. “Please don’t cry. No one is mad at you. You handled it better than a lot of people would have.” His thumb made soothing strokes across the back of her hand. He was in awe of her strength. “I sent the others on ahead. If it’s okay, I’d still like to get dinner—just the two of us.”
Aurora considered his offer. “But I would feel guilty hogging you all to myself. They want to spend time with you too.”
“If that’s what you want, that’s fine with me. On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You let me cover your bill.”
Aurora blushed. “Okay.”
If I Loved You
The restaurant was more of a sports bar, with dark wood tables spreading out from a mahogany bar, and baseball playing muted on the flat screens. Green lamps hung above each table, creating an intimate atmosphere.
“Britney, if I was Duncan right now, I would murder you!”
“Michael! Not now.” Emily hushed her husband, whose gray eyes looked like they might pop out at any second.
“What did I do?” Britt asked in shock.
“He was asking Aurora to dinner,justthe two of them.”
“Oh, shit—”
“Wait. What?” Dave glanced at Mike. “He was asking her on a date?”
“Yes, and Britney invited us to crash it.”
Dave immediately chuckled and turned to Jerry to fill him in.
“I had no idea! I’m sorry!”
“It’ll be fine, guys. If they’re not here by the time the waiter comes, I’ll text Duncan and find out if we should wait.” Jen’s voice rose above the commotion. “Duncan is a big boy, and if he wanted to say ‘no,’ he would have. Don’t let a little misunderstanding ruin the night for everyone. We have a big day tomorrow, and we’re all tired.” She looked pointedly at Mike.
“Sorry,” he muttered.
“No, thank you for telling me. I need to know when I put my foot in my mouth.” Britney chewed her lip. “But Aurora didn’t say anything either.”
“She’s too nice to say anything.”
“That’s not true,” Jen interjected again. “She picks her battles. I’m Katie’s teacher. I’ve heard all about it. She rarely fights, but when she does, may God have mercy on you.”
Emily gasped. “They’re coming!”
Jen opened her menu. “I’m starving. Anyone want to split an appetizer?”
“They have spinach dip.” Emily peered up from the menu she shared with Mike.
“The pretzel sticks and beer cheese got five stars online,” Aurora said as she and Duncan appeared at the table.
“Hey! How’s your back?”Jen looked up from her menu to smile brightly at them.
“It’s better now. Sorry I scared you guys.”
Duncan pulled out the chair next to Emily and offered it to Aurora. She slid into it, relieved to see the others engrossed in their menus. Duncan slipped into the chair next to her at the end of the table.
“Ooh, what if we each got a different appetizer and shared them?” Dave asked excitedly.
