Nathan thought it was a minor miracle he’d been able to calm his racing pulse on the drive to the casual chain restaurant Barnaby had chosen. Sitting next to him in the front seat, Barnaby smelled of cinnamon, cloves, and orange. It reminded him of his favorite tea.
The restaurant was open and cheery with a skylight in the ceiling and a large rectangular bar in the middle. It was crowded, but not enough to cause a wait and they were quickly seated by a bubbly hostess who openly gawked at Barnaby.
He was actually glad for the well-populated restaurant. He didn’t know if he was ready for a dark, cozy, candlelit setting.
“Nice choice.”
Barnaby flashed his blinding white smile. “I figured we both needed a place like this to put us at ease.”
It would never have occurred to him that Barnaby
