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“I guess so.” Haylee smiled, and its lightness helped untwist the knots in Tori’s stomach. “I believe there are definitely people who are meant to be together. But it’s not always the together forever that is implied with the term soulmates. And we’re not even beginning with people you love who are assholes that you really shouldn’t stay with.”
Tori smiled wryly at that. “So do you think I’m an idiot for trying to find that mythical one and only one?”
“Did you think Siena was your soulmate when you two were together?” Haylee snagged a handful of blueberries now that Tori was sufficiently distracted. She ate them one by one.
“Well, yeah. For a while at least.” Tori shrugged. Haylee did have a point with that one. She’d thought for years that Siena was her soulmate, until everything started to go sideways. It still hurt to think about that time in her life.
“But now you don’t?”
“Obviously, she can’t be.” Tori blinked—had she had more than just the one glass of wine with dinner?
“Unless…” Haylee smiled “…you believe in multiple soulmates. All who are absolutely destined to be your person. But maybe not all of them will be the forever-after you were taught to believe soulmates were.”
“All right.” Tori stood back up and narrowed her eyes at Haylee. “How old are you really? Because there’s no way you are only thirty-one.”
Haylee laughed and stood up, coming over to help Tori pull the baskets from the oven and get them turned upside down and cooling on the racks.
“These smell amazing.” Haylee inhaled deeply, bringing her mitted hands that held the basket upside down up to her nose.
“Right?” Tori sighed as she copied Haylee’s deep appreciation of the smell. “And they taste absolutely amazing.”
With a flick of her hip, Tori shut the oven and brought the tray with the upside-down bowls over to the island.
The two chatted and enjoyed their date, knowing there wouldn’t be a second, and sex was well off the table now. Tori wasn’t sure she could force herself through it anyway. She would need time to forget what Miranda felt like against her, as she came with Tori inside her.
“Oh my god,” Haylee moaned around the spoon.
Tori laughed and enjoyed watching as Haylee’s eyes opened and stared from the bowl to Tori and back again.
“I told you.”
“I get it now.” Haylee nodded and dug in for another mouthful.
“They are amazing.” Tori’s eyes crinkled. She loved when people discovered something new, something amazing.
“Yeah, but I mean. I get you and Siena.”
“Oh?” Tori asked before closing her eyes and indulging in the dessert.
“When she told me she was friends with her ex, I didn’t entirely believe it. And then when she set up the date for us, that made me intrigued. But now, I get it.”
“What do you get?” Tori laughed.
“I can see how easy it would be to stay friends with you.” Haylee winked. “You’re an amazing person, Tori. And from what I can tell, you lead with your heart, no matter what.”
Tori stopped the spoon from scooping up the next mouthful. Fuck, Haylee was intuitive. “I try.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong tonight. Please don’t be racked with guilt because it didn’t go the way you thought it would.”
“I think I did.” Tori looked up. “And I’m so sorry. I mean, we definitely have a connection, and I didn’t lie about that. But it wasn’t right for me to go on this date with you while Miranda is still taking up space here.” Tori tapped her chest.
“Okay, so I will ask again, since you brought it up. What are you going to do about it?”
“I don’t know.” But Tori bit her lip. Not from a nervous habit but from a desire to keep the crazy idea that had come to her during their cooking and talking from spilling out.
“I suspect, Ms. Frazee, that you know exactly what you are going to do about it.” Haylee pointed her spoon at Tori with a quirk of her lips.
“But I don’t think I should.”
