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.

restaurant on Harbor Street. They say it's amazing! Can we go there

I responded then? I said yes?'

they never made it.

But she never held it against him. And now, here she was,

Alistair had finished their meal. There was still plenty of food left,

leave, she stopped Alistair. "Could you grab a couple of takeout boxes from the front?

plenty of money, yet she

job soon, and we should be saving where we can, you know? It's practical to make the most

this, his expression

about saying he could fully support her, but

Willowdale found out that Alistair was taking leftovers, they'd be in for a good

compliance, Audrey gave him a playful thumbs-up. "Good job!