It was unacceptable for her to feel that way about him. About any man. Tara had learned her lesson the hard way about what lay that way. Such emotional vulnerability could open her up to the kind of hurt she never wanted to endure again. But this was different. She made a conscious effort to draw her shoulders away from her ears. There was no need to panic. No harm could come of her seeing Seth. He was flying off to Paris in less than four weeks. Things couldn’t possibly lead to a toxic relationship. She wouldn’t let it.

The dating dare was all about fun and forgetting her woes. Seth had a way of making her feel seen, respected, and valued. The hollowness that had been eating away at her since Aubrey’s wedding was receding, and she felt far less alone thanks to his entertaining ways. She simply enjoyed spending time with him. That was all. Nothing more.

“Tara, when did you come in?” Justine walked out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a pristine white towel that she tucked into her apron once she finished. “Why didn’t you come back to say hi?”

“Oh, I knew you guys were busy with your afternoon bake. I didn’t want to distract you.” Tara got off her stool and went around to give Comfort Zone’s sous-chef a big hug.

“Well, you’re always welcome in the kitchen whether or not Aubrey is here. I miss her already, and it’ll help if you came in to chat with us. Lily still barely talks.” Justine laughed. “She would rather scowl or roll her eyes at my attempts at jokes.”

“She probably misses Aubrey, too.” Tara missed her best friend like a toddler missed her binky. “Why don’t you stop by the brewery tonight. We can catch up.”

“I’d love to.” The lovely baker’s smile widened. “Can I get anything for you?”

The salted caramel brownie was the first dessert to pop into Tara’s mind, and she blushed furiously. No. She wasn’t going to order that, or else she would be daydreaming about their kiss for as long as the taste of the brownies stayed in her mouth. She needed to plan, not daydream. “I’ll have two … no, three … cherry-almond cookies.”

“I have a fresh batch coming out in five minutes. I’ll bring it over when it’s ready.” Justine winked at her.

“Ooh.” She rubbed her hands together in anticipation. “I’m going to snag that corner booth.”

Just then the part-timer returned with a steaming mug of Americano and Tara carried it with her to the cozy diner-style booth. She planned on hunkering down for a while to iron out her plan, and the booth was much more comfortable. Her eyes slid shut with her first sip of coffee. The warm aromatic brew wrapped her in a comforting hug.

“Tara.” Seth’s voice appeared from somewhere over her head. Was she imagining things now? She slowly turned to find a tall gorgeous man with windswept hair standing by her booth, grinning at her as though she was a surprise birthday present. “This must be my lucky day.”