“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Not back then, when our age difference was so obvious. I was a kid. You would’ve never fucked around with me then — regardless of the circumstance.”

She stopped mixing the pancakes and turned to me with a look on her face that I couldn’t read.

“What?” I asked, worried that I’d said something wrong.

“Nothing. I just… Thank you for saying that because I’ve been thinking about that and worrying that I might’ve done or said something to give you the wrong impression back then—”

“No, Darcy. Never—”

“Good. Good… I’m just glad to know that I wasn’t inappropriate with you back then.”

I had to laugh at that. “Darcy… If you were ever even slightly inappropriate with me back then, last night would have happened a lot sooner because I would have been all in.”

Darcy rolled her eyes. “Really, Tommy?” she scolded lightly.

“Yes, really. I’ve been in love with you for years, and if you’d given me even the slightest…” The words died on my tongue, and I couldn’t finish the thought because the look on her face made me realize what I just said. “Shit, I didn’t mean to say that.”

“Tommy…”

I did love Darcy. Of course, I fucking did. How could I not? But that wasn’t her problem. My feelings for her were none of her business.

“Let’s just pretend those words never came out of my mouth,” I continued, not wanting to hear what her eyes had already told me. “But anyway…what if we met this weekend? You’re you now, and I’m me now, and we met at…I don’t know…that oyster bar. We’re both eating alone at the bar. Would you…” Fuck, now that I’d told her that I love her, this little fantasy felt too vulnerable and not at all fun. “Never mind. This is silly,” I said, shaking my head.

“No…” she said. “You want to know what would happen if we met one night while I was eating alone at Leon’s…if I would be interested. Of course, I would, Tommy,” she said, with a shake of her head and a sad smile. “I would question your interest in me, but yes… I would absolutely be interested.”

“Question my interest? Look at you. You have no reason to question why any man would want you, hermosa. I know I would want you just the same. I wouldn’t be able to sit at a bar and watch you eat alone without trying to shoot my shot.”

She laughed out loud at that. “And I would probably have this exact reaction.”

“What could I have done or said to convince you that I was serious?”

Darcy smiled and shrugged again, suddenly shy. “I don’t know, Tommy. It’s been so long since a man hit on me.”