If We Never Met

by Barbara Freethy

She shook her head, anger entering her brown eyes. "Really? You're married?"

  "No, I'm not married or engaged," he said quickly.

  "But…"

  "I am seeing someone. It's not serious." He didn't know why he'd said that. It wasn't like he was going to date Keira. He was in town for three weeks. And most of that time would be spent in rehab.

  "I wonder if she knows that," Keira said dryly. Then she walked away.

  He watched her greet Danny and take a seat. She had her back to him, and he couldn't see her expression as she spoke to her date, but it didn't feel like she had the same energy with this guy that she'd had with him.

  He felt somewhat happy about that.

  Danny was nowhere near as attractive as Dante. He had similar features and his hair was the same shade of brown. But Danny didn't have Dante's sharp blue eyes or full, sexy mouth, or deliciously appealing stubble on a strong, masculine jaw.

  However, Danny was nice. And he did talk more than Dante. In fact, he spoke endlessly about himself, his former career in law, and now his new writing project, which seemed to be based on some of the cases he'd worked on.

  Danny was a Colorado native, who had grown up in Denver and moved to the lake to find more solitude and time for writing. He was an only child like her, so they had that in common. But he didn't ask her much about herself, except to wonder if her mom required a lot of medical care and her full-time attention. She didn't know if he was digging to see how busy she was, although she could have told him it wasn't her mom who put a lot of demands on her time, it was her businesses.

  As he spoke more about his book plot, her mind wandered to Dante. She'd deliberately sat with her back to him, but over the past several minutes, she'd been inching her chair sideways, as if to stretch out her legs, but it was really just to get another look at him.

  She had to admit when she'd sat down at his table and caught his gaze, she'd felt butterflies in her chest. Her breath had sped up and her palms felt sweaty. She hadn't met anyone who'd made her feel like that in a very long time.

  She finally managed to turn her head and take another quick peek at him. He was talking to Joanne, and he had a burger in front of him now. It looked good. He looked good. She inwardly sighed and then turned away, forcing herself to give Danny a smile.

  Dante had a girlfriend, or at least someone he was seeing. And aside from the fact that she knew he had three brothers and had lost his mother at a young age, she didn't really know anything else about him. Since he was staying at the inn, he was probably just passing through town. Lizzie would know. But she wasn't going to ask her friend. There was no point to that.

  "Do you want to order food?" Danny asked, his question interrupting her thoughts.

  She should say yes. She should give him a chance, but she wasn't feeling him at all. And even if she wasn't caught up in the blue-eyed Dante, she had a lot of work waiting for her. But wasn't that always her excuse for not dating? "Sure," she said finally.

  "Great. What's good here?"

  "The fish tacos are excellent."

  "Not a fish fan."

  "Well, everything is tasty. We could share a pizza."

  He glanced down at the menu. "Why don't we each get our own thing?"

  "Then I'll get the tacos." She already wished she could change her answer about having a meal. But it was just dinner. She'd survive.

  While Danny took several more minutes to study the menu, she glanced at Dante. He'd finished his burger and was sipping the last of his beer. He gave her a nod and a small smile. She kind of wished he'd throw her a life raft, because she could really use one.

  She turned her attention back to Danny. "What are you going to go with?"

  "Still thinking. I'm torn between the Thai noodles and the Cobb salad."

  "Very different choices."

  "What to do, what to do…" He drummed his fingernails on the table as he debated.

  Five minutes later, she was still waiting for him to decide. If it took him this long to make a menu decision, she couldn't imagine how long it had taken him to decide to quit being an attorney. In fact, she was kind of shocked he'd actually done it.

  "What made you change careers?" she asked. "Was it a quick decision or did you think about it for a long time?"

  For a moment, she thought he might pick up on the irony of her question, but instead he set his menu aside. "It was a decision that was years in the making. I went into law to follow in my father's footsteps. I didn't like being a lawyer, but I just hung in there, thinking it was what I should do. After my dad died, I went into work one day, and I realized I couldn't do it anymore. I had to do something I was interested in."

  "Then your dad's death was the impetus."

  "It's not like he forced me to be a lawyer; I just didn't want to let him down."

  "That makes sense. At least now you're doing what you want."

  "I think so. My mom is a great writer, so I have it in my genes."

  "I didn't realize your mother was also a writer." His father died, so he quit the job that he'd done to follow in his father's footsteps and now he was following in his mother's footsteps. It seemed like he was better at following than forging his own path.

  "She writes historical fiction, so we're in different genres." He glanced back at the menu. "Maybe I'll get those fish tacos."

  "You said you don't like fish," she reminded him.

  "But you said they were good."

  "They are, but not if you don't like seafood."

  He shrugged. "I like it if it's done well."

  He liked it because he couldn't make a decision on his own. She tapped her fingers restlessly on her thighs, sending another look in Dante's direction. He had just paid the check. He was leaving. It was just going to be her and Danny now.

  "Maybe I won't do the fish tacos," Danny said. "Salad might be better. It's warm tonight."

  She bit back a frustrated groan. At this rate, they'd be here until midnight.

  As a shadow fell over the table, she looked up, surprised to see Dante standing next to her.

  "I'm sorry to interrupt," he said. "But there's a problem at your shop, Keira."

  "What?" she asked in confusion.

  "The burglar alarm is going off. You need to take care of it."

  She looked at him in astonishment. She didn't have an alarm, so she knew it wasn't going off. "Okay. Thanks for letting me know." She looked at Danny. "I'm sorry. I need to check on my store."

  "Someone else can't do that?"

  "I'm the owner." She grabbed her purse and stood up. "It was nice to meet you."

  "I'll text you."

  "Great," she said, as she followed Dante out of the restaurant. When they got outside, she turned and shook her head. "I can't believe you made that up."

  "You sent me an SOS, I answered. At least, I thought it was an SOS. Was I wrong?" he queried.

  "No, you weren't wrong." Now that they were standing, she suddenly realized how tall and athletically built he was, with broad shoulders and long, lean legs. More butterflies danced through her stomach. "Thank you. I was feeling a little desperate."

  "Are you also feeling a little hungry?" He held up the bag in his hand.

  "Is that what's left of your burger?"

  "Fish tacos. I ordered them for you."

  She was shocked. "No way. Why?"

  He tipped his head. "I felt bad for not telling you that you had the wrong guy."

  She had a feeling she'd actually had the right guy, but he was taken.

  "Forgive me? You did say the tacos are out of this world."

  "And yet you ordered a burger," she couldn't help pointing out.

  "Next time I'll get the tacos. I was craving some red meat tonight." He handed her the bag.

  "Thank you for the food and for the save. He was a nice guy, but I think it was going to take him another hour to decide what he wanted to eat."

  "I hate people who take forever to read a menu," he said lightly.

  "Me, too
. And I gave him recommendations. I even suggested we share something, but I don't think he's a guy who shares his food."

  "Very telling."

  "I think so," she said. "If you share, you get to eat two things instead of one."

  "You don't have to convince me. I love to share."

  She licked her lips, wanting to keep Dante talking, even though she shouldn't. "Do you want to walk down to the park, keep me company while I eat my tacos? There's a nice view of the lake from there."

  "That sounds good." He suddenly swore, his gaze darting across the street. "Dammit. Sorry. I gotta go."

  Her jaw dropped as he took off running across the parking lot. A van came to a squealing stop not far from her, and a photographer jumped out, racing after Dante, but he had already disappeared around the corner of the building.

  What was going on? Who the hell was Dante?

  Chapter Two

  Keira really shouldn't be chasing down a man who had acted in a shady manner, not just once but twice, but she couldn't stop herself. She'd eaten her tacos in the car, hoping that Dante would come back. When he hadn't, she'd decided to drive across town to the Firefly Inn and talk to her friend Lizzie Cole.

  But she was having second thoughts as she entered the inn. It really wasn't her business who he was. Dante had a girlfriend. And she had enough distractions in her life; she didn't need anymore. But she couldn't get him out of her head, and she knew she wasn't going to until she figured out who he was.

  "Keira, what are you doing here?" Lizzie asked in surprise. Lizzie was an attractive woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a smile that warmed up a room. "I thought you had a big date tonight."

  "That news traveled fast. I only decided to go this afternoon."

  "I ran into Hannah earlier. She told me she'd finally convinced you to accept a date."

  "Yes. She wants me to work on getting a plus one for her wedding."

  "How was he? I'm guessing not so good, since it's…" Lizzie looked at the grandfather clock in the hallway. "Seven forty-five."

  "He was very, very boring."

  "Then you need some wine. Come into the living room."

  "Do you have time?"

  "Yes. Most of the guests are out for the evening and those who are in seem to be happy in their rooms. I could use a glass of wine, too. It's been a long week."

  "Problems?" she asked, as she followed Lizzie into the living room of the inn, which had two seating areas, one with three couches in front of a large bay window and the other with two couches and two large chairs in front of a fireplace with tall bookshelves on either side. The inn had originally been a private estate and while it had been remodeled extensively over the years by several different owners, it still had a lot of old-fashioned charm.

  "No big problems, just a million little ones," Lizzie replied, stepping behind a bar. "Red or white?"

  "Red."

  "Perfect. Because I still have almost a full bottle from our earlier cocktail hour." Lizzie poured them two glasses of wine, and then they sat down on a couch by the window. "Tell me about your date."

  "There's not much to say. Danny seemed interesting enough when we were texting. He was a lawyer, but now he's writing a novel, which is why he moved to Whisper Lake."

  "Not the first lawyer turned writer we've met."

  "No, it's almost becoming a cliché. I like creative people who make things, so I thought I'd give it a shot. He was nice enough. A big talker, though."

  "One of those who never asks you a question about yourself?"

  "Exactly. He chatted on and on about himself. And he was so indecisive. We looked at the menu for like fifteen minutes and he could not make a decision. It's not rocket science. But maybe I was just being too impatient."

  "You just didn't click."

  "We definitely did not click."

  "Well, just because he didn't work out doesn't mean someone else won't."

  Dante's image ran through her head. "Actually, I did meet someone that I found myself clicking with right away."

  "Now that sounds interesting," Lizzie said, with a gleam in her eyes. "Who and where? Give me the details."

  "It happened at Micky's. When I first got there, I mistook another guy for my date. He had brown hair, and he was sitting alone. I was a little late, so I was rushing. I asked him if he was Danny, and he said yes, so I sat down and just started rambling like a crazy person. I thought he was a really good listener, because he didn't say much. But he was so attractive he made me nervous, and I couldn't shut up."

  "What happened?"

  "Joanne came over to the table and told me that my date was waiting for me by the door. I was so embarrassed. Then the guy told me his name was Dante, not Danny, and that he probably should have told me earlier."

  "Wait a second. Dante? Dante DeAngelis?"

  "He didn't say his last name, but he did say he was staying here."

  "He arrived last night. I actually suggested he try Micky's for dinner."

  "That's what he said. So, what's his deal, Lizzie?"

  Lizzie hesitated, her body stiffening. "What do you mean?"

  Her gaze narrowed at Lizzie's reaction. "Who is he? And why is someone with a camera chasing him?"

  "There was someone with a camera chasing him?"

  "Yes, we walked out of Micky's together, and this guy jumped out of a van with a camera, and Dante took off."

  "Oh, that's too bad."

  "Why is it too bad?"

  "Because he came to Whisper Lake hoping for privacy."

  "Why? Is he an actor? A reality TV star? A billionaire? What?"

  "I'm sorry, Keira, I can't tell you. He's a guest, and my inn was recommended to him by my brother, Grayson, who said I could guarantee him privacy."

  She needed to respect Lizzie's decision, but now she was even more insanely curious about him.

  "I'm sure if you take out your phone, you can figure out who he is pretty quickly," Lizzie added. "I'm surprised you didn't already try that."

  "I didn't have his last name."

  "Oh, good point."

  "He was really nice to me. He actually rescued me from the real Danny. He saw the boring time I was having, and he came over to the table and made up an excuse for me to leave, saying the alarm on my store was going off."

  Lizzie raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

  "Yes. And the story gets better. He ordered me fish tacos to go. I'd actually been raving about them when we were talking, and he remembered. It's so rare that someone would do something like that. He said he felt bad for not having told me he wasn't Danny as soon as he realized my mistake."

  "I wonder why he didn't tell you."

  "I don't think I gave him a chance. I couldn't stop talking. We just had this instant connection." She paused, licking her lips. "I think he felt it, too. That's why he didn't cut me off."

  Concern moved across Lizzie's now serious expression.

  "What?" Keira asked.

  "You need to leave Dante alone, Keira."

  "Why?"

  "He has a girlfriend."

  "He did mention he'd been seeing someone, but he didn't call her his girlfriend."

  "Well, the media calls her that. There are a lot of pictures of them together online. That's all I can say."

  "Fine. I'll either look him up, or I'll just forget about him."

  "Somehow, I don't think you're going to forget about him," Lizzie said dryly. "I haven't seen you this excited about a guy in forever. I'm sorry he's taken. I'm also sorry that he's not someone who's going to be in town for more than a few weeks."

  "I figured he was just passing through." She felt a wave of depression at Lizzie's words. It was stupid to feel such disappointment over a guy she'd spoken to for about fifteen minutes. She needed to change the subject. "What's new with you? Where's Justin tonight?"

  "He and Zach are going over plans for Justin's new office building. I'm glad you stopped by, even if it was just to get dirt on Dante. Or maybe you thought you'd run in
to him?"

  "He did leave me in an abrupt and mysterious way. If he'd just said goodbye and walked away, I wouldn't have thought twice about it. But he literally bolted out of sight. It made me curious. Not that I have time to be curious. I should be in the shop, working on Hannah's dress."

  "I thought that was done, and you were down to the bridesmaids' dresses."

  "No. Hannah's dress is not quite perfect yet. It needs something and I haven't been able to figure out what."

  "Are you sure it's not perfect? Hannah said last week she loved it. Maybe you're being too hard on yourself."

  "I just can't let her walk down the aisle in something that isn't the best it can be."

  Lizzie gave her a thoughtful look. "You don't usually get stuck or blocked on design. You did Chelsea's wedding dress in a few weeks and her gown for the awards show in less than a week."

  "I know. I'm not sure what's wrong with me."

  "Maybe because it's Hannah. You two have been friends since you were kids."

  "That might be part of it."

  "Or you're burning out, trying to do too many things: selling real estate, running your shop, designing clothes... It's a lot, Keira."

  "Says the woman who always does too many things."

  "True. But I'm learning to delegate, mostly because Justin screams that word into my ear several times a day."

  "How romantic."

  Lizzie grinned. "He says other things, too. But seriously, he showed me how to prioritize the things that really matter. It may not always make the most practical business sense, but if it's part of my vision, my dream, then I just have to decide what else I can give up, because I can't do everything. And you can't, either."

  "I know, but I can't let go of anything, at least not yet. It's not the right time."

  "I get it. I wish I could help. You suddenly look exhausted. I'm tempted to tell you about Dante just to put the light back in your eyes."

  She gave her a tired smile. "That was a fun distraction while it lasted. I should go."

  "Why don't you just give yourself a night off? See how the dress looks in the morning."

  "That's not the worst idea. I also need to go through the real-estate listings for a new client, an old friend of my mother's, although I had never heard of him until he showed up at our house last night. He said he's staying here at the inn, too. Mark Langley."