Page 63 of The Scent of Happiness

“Ah yes,” Theo said dryly. “The entitlement. I know it well. I never realized how much our jobs were alike.”

She laughed, and as Theo joined in, something clicked for Brooke. This wasn’t like any first date she’d been on. Neither of them were faking it, or trying on a persona, or hoping to impress. You didn’t have to do that with someone you’d known since you were a kid. At the same time, she was glad she’d gotten to know the grown-up version of Theo—the confident, thoughtful, fun version.

He took her hand and kissed the back of it, then turned it up and kissed the inside of her wrist, his lips barely fluttering over her skin. His whiskers tickled the sensitive flesh there, sending a wave of heat up her arm and making her shift in her seat. Oh yes. The grown man version of Theo was fine.

When they arrived, the first thing Brooke noticed about The Guild House was the bar, backed with three tiers of well-lit bottles on mirrored shelves. The opposite wall was also all glass, but in between, thick barnwood posts divided the room and crossed the ceiling. There were a few couples and families scattered throughout, but most of the tables held groups in business clothes.

When they were seated, Brooke smiled at Theo over the top of her menu. “Everything looks delicious.”

“I’ve heard good things.” He craned his neck, seeming more interested in the atmosphere than the food.

“What made you pick this restaurant?”

“When I was in school, I always wanted to eat here. It was not in a student budget, obviously.”

“Nope, not seeing any OSU sweatshirts or oversized backpacks.”

“I’m glad I finally made it here.” Theo closed his menu and reached across the table to take her hand. “And I’m glad it’s with you.”

Brooke’s belly warmed as if she’d eaten a whole bag of cinnamon candies. He wanted to be in a place where people went to be seen, and he wanted to be seen with her. She wanted to show him off a little bit too, introduce him to her friends, get her parents’ approval, and talk to him at church. But that would come in time. For now, she would enjoy this evening.

Brooke usually ordered a dinner salad on a first date, trying to look like a healthy eater, which was stupid because she didn’t like it. But today she ordered what she wanted, not what she thought would look good. When her lamb chops arrived, she breathed in the scent of the rosemary and lemon they’d been cooked in, and she knew she’d made the right choice. Theo ordered salmon, and they fed each other bites and continued the same easy conversation they’d had in the car—minus the karaoke.

Everything was perfect until the dessert decision. The choice itself wasn’t a problem. They decided to split a chocolate torte. The problem was the interruption that came after they gave the waiter their order.

A group of business types was passing their table on the way out the door when the woman bringing up the rear stopped abruptly. She was about their age, with dark hair that hung to her waist. She wore jeans and a crisp white shirt topped with a gray blazer. A strand of pearls hung around her neck.

“Theo?” she asked. “Is that you?”

“Oh hey, Poppy.” Theo gave her an open-mouthed smile of recognition and got to his feet. “Good to see you. How are you?”

He held out his hand to shake, while Poppy started to go for a hug. They both reversed themselves, did an awkward dance, and ended up in a one-armed embrace.

“Do you live in Columbus now?” Poppy asked.

“I’m still in Cannondale,” Theo said. “I’m at a small firm. Estate planning, personal injury, a lot of civil cases. How about you?”

“I moved to Carter and Webster.”

“I remember from your Facebook. Legal services advocates, right?”

Poppy nodded. “We work with non-profits on social justice issues, and a large center for survivors of domestic abuse has retained us to help clients get restraining orders and shepherd them through the court system. Low pay, but good work.”

“The best,” Theo said.

Poppy seemed to notice Brooke. “Are you just in town for dinner? Or am I interrupting a meeting?”

“Dinner,” Brooke and Theo said at the same time.

Brooke held a handful of her skirt under the table. It was kind of hard to hide the fact that she was wearing a date dress, and this was a date. “We’re old friends,” she said.

Theo’s shoulders relaxed a fraction. “Sorry, I’m being rude. Poppy, this is Brooke. We’ve known each other since we were kids. Poppy and I went to law school together.”

“Nice to meet you.” Poppy gave her a cheerful handshake. “Theo and I were in the same study group. He basically got me through school.”

“Oh no,” Theo said. “You did that on your own.”

“You know everyone in that group relied on you. You were the brains and the rest of us just rode along.”