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“Not yet. I went to the Kind Brewhouse for a drink. My brother Sebastian wasn’t there, but I did meet a cute ER doctor,”I sent the smile emoji.
“Already, Claire? Leave the poor guy alone.”He sent the rolling eyes emoji.
“I’ll think about it. Goodnight, Richard.”
“Goodnight, sweetheart. Stay safe.”
Richard Rothschild was like an uncle to me. He was Joseph’s best friend and always around as I grew up. He had a thing for my mother, and they had slept together a few times after Joseph passed away, but that was as far as she took things. He wanted more. She felt guilty. He looked out for us and the company. I sat her down once and told her there was nothing wrong with getting involved with Richard, and I fully approved. She told me it was a betrayal to Joseph, and she couldn’t do that to him.
Grabbing my laptop from the nightstand, I opened it and stared at the picture of my father. I looked like him and knew my mother saw it whenever she looked at me. I also looked like my brothers. We all had the same blue eyes. But the one thing I noticed was that I looked more like Sebastian.
CHAPTER 3
Claire
I opened my apartment door, stepped out, and inserted the key into the lock. Nick’s door opened.
“Good morning.” He brightly smiled.
“Good morning.” I locked the door. “Off for another fun-filled day in the ER?” I smiled as we took the elevator down to the lobby.
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “Where are you off to so early? Work?”
“Something like that.” I smiled as I climbed into my car. “Have a good day, Dr. Nick.”
“You too, Claire.”
I drove to Venice and slowly down their street, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of them outside, maybe leaving for work. It was quiet. No one was around. As I drove, I noticed a coffee shop. Perfect. I needed to figure some things out. I stepped into Mojo Madness and stood in line. Damn, this place was busy. When it was my turn, the barista asked how she could help me.
“I’ll have a medium Americano with a little bit of half-n-half steamed in.”
“Name for the order?”
“Claire.” I smiled.
An older woman walked up to the counter. “Tracy, is Julia in yet?”
“Yes, Barb. She’s in the back.”
“Thank you, dear.”
I stared at the older woman named Barb. It was her. She was the woman I saw on the internet with Henry. My heart started racing.
“Americano with a splash of half-n-half steamed in for Claire.” I heard another barista shout.
I grabbed the cup of coffee and saw Barb leave the shop. I followed her next door to a bakery called Baked With Love. It was just as busy as the coffee shop. Looking inside the cases, a cranberry cream muffin caught my eye.
“Welcome to Baked With Love.” A pretty woman smiled. “How can I help you?”
“I’ll have one of those cranberry cream muffins.”
“Excellent choice. For here or to go?”
“For here. I love the aesthetic of this place. Pink is my favorite color.”
“Thank you. Mine too.” She grinned.
I took the muffin to a small table and sat in the chair facing the counter, watching Barb help the patrons. Why the hell was a woman like her working at a bakery? She kept staring at me, probably because she caught me staring at her. I finished my muffin, and she walked over to the table.
