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"Declan, this is Dominic Waldorf," I said. "Dom, this is my cousin Declan."
They shook hands. Declan looked straight at me but didn't ask anything.
Surely that can't be right. Declan always jumps to the worst conclusion, yet he isn't even going to ask why Dominic is here?
Then I realized why he was on his best behavior. He nodded toward Kimberly, who gave him a thumbs-up. My sister had obviously warned him. Good for her. I needed to give her more credit.
"All right," Gran said. "I stand by what I said. You all can go upstairs to the bar.”
"Yeah, get out," Kimberly ordered. "I'll join you as soon as we close, okay?" The Happy Place was only open another half hour.
"Gran, how are you getting home?" Travis asked.
"John and I came together in the car."
"All right, then. Kimberly, Gran, are you sure you can handle all of this?" Declan asked.
"Yes," Kimberly insisted. "Go ahead and ask Tom to make you a margarita. We have a new recipe that's a big hit with customers."
I turned to Dom. "Can you stay, or do you have other plans?"
"I’ll stay."
"Okay then, let’s go," Travis said.
Declan was still sizing up Dom as I grabbed the luggage he'd put in a corner, along with the bouquet of flowers. I did that as a strategic move so everyone could see them. Both of my cousins immediately noticed the bouquet, and I knew Dom had earned another point in their books.
"You're taking this upstairs too?" Dom asked, pointing at the bag.
"Yeah. We have connecting elevators, so when I leave, I won't come through the bookstore again. It'll be closed anyway. Ready?"
"Yes. I've been meaning to try the bar for some time."
He put an arm around my shoulders as we all headed toward the elevator in the back.
"Where were you?" Declan asked. His tone wasn't exactly hard, but it had a familiar edge to it.
"Reese and I spent time at my weekend house on the lake,” Dom replied.
The fact that he had whisked me away earned him another point, I was sure of that.
Maybe they won't scare him away after all.
Chapter Twenty-One
Reese
"Let's grab a drink," Declan said once we were upstairs.
The guys went to our usual table, but I hurried to the bar to place our order. Tom had his hands full with customers, but as soon as he saw me, he nodded in acknowledgment.
A few seconds later, he came over. "I noticed a gentleman who hasn't been here before.”
Tom had been with us since we opened the hotel. Though he was past the retiring age, he insisted he couldn't stay home after his wife passed away and spent an inordinate amount of time at the hotel, even when he wasn't on shift. He knew everything that went on here, including the fact that I'd been single as hell for the past years.
"Yes, he's my date. Can you bring us drinks that will keep my cousins from being a royal pain in the ass? Kimberly said something about a new margarita recipe"
"I’m on it."
