My Stand-In Groom Is A Secret Tycoon by Lydia Pierce

Sophie feigned contrition quickly as she prepared to leave. "Sorry, Mr. Hayes, that was out of line. I'll get going!"

With her goal accomplished, Sophie backed away, pretending to be remorseful, but smirking internally. She couldn't wait to see what might happen next, knowing Dominic's temper. Eliza gauged Dominic's mood carefully and spoke softly. "Dominic, maybe we should... find somewhere else?"

"Let's just eat." Dominic cut her off, his tone firm as the server brought their dishes. He picked up a piece of crab meat with his spoon and placed it on her plate.

Eliza looked down at the seafood on her plate, her eyes slightly misting. "Dominic, I'm allergic to shellfish."

Dominic frowned a little, then swapped their plates without missing a beat. "Sorry, I forgot," he said flatly.

Eliza offered a forgiving smile and said sweetly, "It's okay, really. If you're not feeling up to dinner, we can go."

"I'm fine. Let's eat." Dominic sounded defensive, and his voice was sharper than usual. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, the irritation on his face was unmistakable. Watching Eliza eat quietly across from him, Dominic couldn't help but picture Audrey instead.

It was a sunny afternoon, and Audrey had tapped him on the shoulder with that familiar smile, tilting her head with a playful request.

new restaurant on Harbor Street. They say it's

responded then?

day of their anniversary, they never made it. Dominic

never held it against him. And now, here

There was still plenty of food left, and

she stopped Alistair. "Could you grab a couple of takeout boxes from the front? There's so much left,

plenty of money, yet

we can, you know? It's practical to

Alistair heard this, his

support her, but knowing her independent spirit, he simply nodded and

out that Alistair was taking leftovers, they'd

gave him a playful