Chapter Eleven
Dominic checked his watch as he left the house on Friday morning. He was going to be early, so he decided to run, rather than drive, to the gym. He and Damon tried to meet there at least twice a week. That way, no matter what else was going on in their lives, they were still guaranteed to get some time together.
They hadn’t known each other until a few short years ago. He imagined that would be tough on any siblings. He felt as though it was even tougher for them, considering that they were twins – identical twins at that.
If he were honest, he knew that it had been harder on him than it was on Damon. Their mom had been a teenager when she had them. She’d known that she wouldn’t be able to raise two boys, and she’d given Damon up for adoption. As it turned out, she’d only kept Dominic until he was three. Then, he’d been taken into foster care. Damon had grown up in a loving family who was open about the fact that he’d been adopted – even if not about him having an identical twin, since they weren’t aware of that. Dominic had bounced around the foster care system. He’d been all too aware that his mom had given him up, and that he had a twin brother out there somewhere.
A gust of wind off the lake roused him from his thoughts. He slowed his pace as he approached the beach. He still had plenty of time, so he ran down to the water’s edge. When he reached it, he slowed and turned to walk along the shoreline. He wouldn’t be able to spot any quartz or interesting stones if he were running.
He frowned. He wasn’t sure that there’d be any point in searching for quartz. If he found any, he’d want to show them to Sadie. And now, he didn’t know if he’d get the chance to do that. He didn’t know what was going on with her. He’d called her on Wednesday, as he said he would, but she hadn’t answered. He’d left a message, and she hadn’t called back.
By last night, he convinced himself that perhaps she hadn’t received the message, and so he’d called again. She still hadn’t answered, and he’d left another message. Still nothing. In his mind, they still had dinner plans for this evening. But if he didn’t hear back from her, he didn’t know what he would do.
It shouldn’t matter to him if she’d changed her mind – but it did. He’d been looking forward to this evening. Now, he was dreading discovering that it wouldn’t happen.
By the time he reached the gym, he’d decided that he was fine with it either way. If she got in touch and confirmed, he’d go over there and have dinner with her and Harvey. The dinner part wasn’t all that important – the part he was hopeful and nervous about was after dinner. They’d said that they could sit out back to talk while Harvey watched his shows.
He was looking forward to talking to her. Looking forward to getting to know her better. He nodded to himself as he entered the gym. He was looking forward to maybe another kiss. Maybe even a real kiss. Their last one had been nothing more than a brief brush of their lips.
“Morning!” Russ greeted him with a grin. “How’s it going?”
“Great, thanks. And you?”
“I’m a happy man.”
Dominic laughed. It seemed that Russ was always happy. If you only went by the way he looked, he might come across as something of a grouch. But the moment he smiled, his features transformed. The thing most guaranteed to make him smile was the mention of his lady, Ria.
“And Ria?”
Russ grinned. “Yep. She’s doing great. Thanks for asking.”
They both turned when Damon came in. “Morning. Sorry I’m late.”
“Not a problem.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask; do you have any clients this afternoon?” Russ asked Damon.
“Only Nate. We should be done by three, why?”
“I have a new client coming in at four. He’s an older guy. It’s more physical therapy than anything else. I think he might be more comfortable if we have the place to ourselves.”
“Well, I’ll be out of here. I won’t be in your way.” Damon turned to Dominic. “You ready to work?”
“I am.”
An hour and a half later, they were both sweating and grinning at each other. They might not have grown up together, but they still had a fun kind of sibling rivalry going between them.
Damon grinned at him. “Are you going to come out with everyone tonight?”
“No.”
Damon laughed. “Are you sure you don’t want to think about it for a minute?”
Dominic laughed with him. “I am.” His smile faded. “Although…”
“What’s up? You have other plans?”
“I…” He glanced over at Russ. He wouldn’t mind telling his brother what was going on, but he wouldn’t want to share with anyone else. Not that he had anything against Russ.
“Are you seeing Sadie?”
Dominic sighed. So much for keeping it private. Russ grinned at them.
“You’re seeing Sadie?”
He shrugged. “I wouldn’t exactly say that. I helped her out when her minivan broke down. And I know Harvey – her dad – anyway. I was going to go over there for dinner this evening with them, but I haven’t heard back from her.”
“Maybe she’s busy?” Damon suggested.
“Maybe, but it’s been a few days.”
Russ looked puzzled. “When were you supposed to talk to her?”
“On Wednesday, why?”
“I could be wrong, but I may know what’s going on.”
“What?”
“She was in here on Wednesday, making an appointment for Harvey – he’s the new client I was talking about. She kept watching Damon and seemed a little put out that he didn’t acknowledge her.”
“And?” Dominic wasn’t following.
“Does she know about me?” Damon asked.
“She knows I have a brother, if that’s what you mean.”
He didn’t understand why both Russ and Damon laughed.
“I take it you haven’t mentioned the fact that you have an identical twin?” Russ asked.
“Oh, shit!”
Russ nodded. “Yeah, and it gets worse.”
“How?”
“As I said, she looked put out when Damon didn’t acknowledge her presence. She looked pretty upset when Jo came in …”
Damon made a face. “And I greeted her with a kiss and a hug.”
Dominic shook his head. “Shit. So, she thinks that I already have a girlfriend – a partner?”
“That’d be my guess,” said Russ.
Dominic hurried over to where his coat was hanging and dug through his pockets for his phone.
“What are you doing?” asked Damon.
“I need to call her and explain.”
“If she hasn’t returned your call, do you think she’ll answer?”
He made a face. “Probably not, but I need to do something.”
Damon came and grasped his shoulder. “I think I’m the one who needs to do something.”
“What can you do?”
“Be here at four with you, when she brings Harvey in. If you thought someone had wronged you, would you believe them if they told you that they didn’t do it – it was their identical twin?”
“Probably not.”
“Exactly. It’s easy to dismiss words as a lie, but no one can deny the truth when they see us together. So, I’ll see you back here at four, alright?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
As he walked back home, Dominic wondered how he would have felt if the situation were reversed. When he thought about it that way, he could totally understand why Sadie hadn’t called him back. He just hoped that she’d understand when she met Damon. Maybe they’d even be able to laugh about it.
~ ~ ~
“What are you going to do with yourself while I have my session?”
Sadie glanced at her dad as she turned the minivan onto Main Street. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hang around and watch. I thought I’d go and have a cup of coffee at the bakery.”
She was hoping that she might be able to talk to someone at the women’s center while she was there. She’d forgotten all about it on Wednesday, she’d been so shaken up after seeing Dominic with that woman.
She wasn’t going to mention any of that to her dad, though. She didn’t want to talk to him about the divorce because he was insistent that she should go after Dale for every penny she could get. He wasn’t necessarily wrong about that, but she was more interested in putting the whole thing behind her and moving on than she was in getting embroiled in a legal battle. She didn’t want to say anything about Dominic, either. As far as her dad was concerned, there was no reason that she should be upset to discover that he already had a… lady friend of some description.
She just hoped that he wouldn’t be in the gym when they went inside. She didn’t plan to stick around just in case, but she’d have to at least go in with her dad and go back at the end of his session to pick him up.
She was relieved to see an open parking spot close to the gym. As she maneuvered the minivan into it, her dad said, “I like Russ well enough, but I was hoping to work with the other fella.”
Sadie didn’t know what to say to that. She decided it was best just to let it ride. By the end of this first session, he’d no doubt know that the other fella was Dominic. It’d be up to him to figure out who he wanted to work with. She intended to do her best to stay out of the way and leave him to his own devices.
She cut the engine and turned to him with a smile. Just because she was feeling uncomfortable about Dominic, she didn’t need to spoil this for him. He’d been looking forward to coming, and she knew that he was looking forward to building his strength back up. From what he’d said, Max Douglas had started working out after an injury and he enjoyed it so much that it had become a part of his life. She’d be happy for her dad if things worked out the same way for him. Even before his fall, he’d rarely ventured away from home and the garden center. If coming to the gym would broaden his horizons a little, then she’d be happy for him.
“Just wait there a minute, I’ll come around and help you out.”
He chuckled. “Okay, but be quick about it. I don’t want anyone to see me in a minivan – it’d ruin my street cred.”
“Well, excuse the heck out of me. I didn’t realize you had any street cred.”
He waved a hand at her. “Just shows what you know.”
As she helped him out, she couldn’t help remembering the way Dominic had lifted him down from his Sequoia. She’d been so impressed by him. He seemed so kind and so strong at the same time.
She scowled to herself. He was kind and strong. Maybe she was the one who had a problem. Maybe she was judging him for something that he didn’t see as an issue. She didn’t know how the dating game worked anymore. Perhaps it was perfectly acceptable these days for a man to explore his feelings for a woman even while he was already seeing another woman.
“What’s up with you?” her dad asked.
“Nothing, sorry. I just… Do you need a hand?”
He leaned on his cane and started heading for the gym. “I’m good. You can get the door for me if you like.”
She hovered by his side until they reached the gym, then she grabbed the door and held it open for him.
“Hey, Harvey! It’s good to see you,” Russ greeted him.
“And you. It’s been a while. Max tells me good things about this place.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I’m even more glad that you’re here. Do you want to take a seat? We need to fill out some paperwork before we can start.”
Sadie felt bad for him. He found it difficult to sit down, and even more difficult to get back up.
He looked around before saying, “I’m not here to sit around on my ass, I’m here to work. I can lean on the counter to sign my life away.”
Russ chuckled. “I wouldn’t ask you to do that, not sign your life away – we just need to go over a couple of medical forms.”
“And if you want to sit, you can sit on this.”
Sadie’s heart leapt into her mouth when Dominic appeared in the hallway that led to the office in the back. He was carrying a stool and set it at the counter next to her dad. It was just the right height for him to rest his butt against it.
He grinned at Dominic. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Sadie kept quiet. It seemed odd to her that her dad didn’t have anything else to say to Dominic; perhaps he was more nervous than she’d realized. She kept her attention on him and did her best to ignore Dominic.
Her heart sank when Russ asked, “Have you guys met?”
She gave her dad a puzzled look when he said, “I don’t believe we have.”
She glanced at Dominic, who was agreeing. “No, I know you’re a friend of Max’s. He speaks highly of you.”
“Likewise,” her dad said with a smile.
Sadie could only stare at them. She didn’t understand what was going on. Why were they pretending that they didn’t know each other?
Russ smiled at her. “Have you met Damon?”
She turned her stare on him. “Damon?”
Dominic stepped forward with his hand extended. “That’s me. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
She didn’t shake his hand. Whatever was going on, she wanted no part of it.
He chuckled. “I bet I know what you’re thinking.”
She scowled at him.
“You’re wondering why I said that my name’s Damon, aren’t you?”
She nodded.
Her dad winked at her. “His name is Damon, honey bun.”
She felt thoroughly confused. Had he been lying when he told her that his name was Dominic? Was that what they meant?
“I don’t understand,” she said eventually.
She was relieved when she heard the front door open behind her. She needed a moment to figure out what was going on. The men all smiled to greet whoever had just come in. Sadie glanced over her shoulder and had to do a double take. Was she finally losing it? The man who’d just come in seemed to be Dominic. But Dominic was standing by the front desk with Russ. She swung her head to look from one to the other. Yep, there were definitely two of them.
Her dad chuckled. “You look like your head’s going to explode, Sadie.”
She felt as though it might. “I…” She didn’t know what to say – didn’t know what to think even.
The man who’d just come in came to her and rested his hand on her shoulder as he smiled down at her. The feel of his hand, the look in those big, brown eyes, and the sound of his voice when he said, “Hi,” left no doubt in her mind that he was Dominic.
Her voice was barely a whisper as she said, “Hi.”
He smiled. “I see you already met my brother.”
She swallowed and glanced over at Damon. “I…”
Her dad chuckled. “You might want to make the most of it – it’s not often that she’s lost for words.”
The others laughed, but Dominic continued looking down into her eyes. “Are you okay?”
She nodded.
“I didn’t understand what was going on. It was Russ who figured it out – when you came in here the other day you thought Damon was me, didn’t you?”
She nodded again, and he smiled.
“I wanted to explain, but I figured that seeing is easier than believing.”
She glanced from him to Damon and back again. “Yeah. If I hadn’t seen it, I’d never believe it.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“Why don’t you take him with you for that cup of coffee?” her dad asked. “That way, the two of you can figure things out, and I can get on with my session.”
Dominic cocked an eyebrow at her, and she nodded. She’d be happy to get out of here. She felt foolish.
Russ grinned at her. “I don’t know how long we’ll be, should I shoot you a quick text when we’re done?”
“Yeah, that’ll work.”
Damon smiled at her. “It’s nice to meet you.”
She gave him a rueful smile. “It’s nice to meet you, too. And… I’m sorry if I…”
He shook his head. “If anyone should be apologizing, it’s me. I felt bad when you first came in – I wanted to explain, but as Dom said, this seemed like the easiest way to explain it. Oh, and you briefly met my lady, Jo, the other day. She asked me to say hello for her.”
Sadie nodded, feeling a little guilty about how she’d misconstrued everything.
“Go on, get out of here,” said her dad. “There’ll be plenty of time for you all to figure things out going forward, I’m sure.”
As she and Dominic walked down Main Street to the bakery, she couldn’t think of a thing to say. She felt guilty when he touched her arm and gave her an inquiring look.
“I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “That’s what I was about to say.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“No, but you had no way of knowing that.”
She made a face. “You did tell me that you had a brother – I just didn’t…”
He chuckled. “Most people can’t believe it when they see us together, even if they’re expecting it.”
She gave him a rueful smile. “I can understand that. The big man convention is one thing, identical big men is another thing completely.”
By the time they were seated in the bakery, she finally felt as though she’d recovered.
“You really are identical, aren’t you?”
He chuckled. “Pretty much.” His smile faded. “I have to ask, is that why you didn’t call me back?”
“Yeah. I thought… Well, obviously, I thought you were with Jo. I didn’t understand why you would want to have dinner with me. Why you would have…” She didn’t want to mention their brief kiss. She didn’t need to.
He held her gaze as he said, “I would never have kissed you. I…” He shook his head. “Polly’s been gone for a long time and I’m struggling with feeling disloyal. If there were someone, if I were seeing someone, there’s no way…”
“That’s what I thought. It just didn’t make sense to me.”
He reached across the table and rested his hand on her arm. “That’s because it wasn’t what you thought. But now you know.”
She smiled. “Yes, now I know. Just half an hour ago, I was dreading running into you again. I didn’t think there was any possible explanation that would make me feel better about what I’d seen.”
“Does that mean that you’ll reconsider having dinner with me?”
A rush of warmth filled her chest. “It does. Do you still want to?”
“I do. I’m looking forward to it.” He gave her arm a squeeze. “I was really disappointed when I thought it wasn’t going to happen.”
She covered his hand with her own. “I was, too.”