“You ready?” Shane asked Keira, strolling over and picking up a piece of discarded toast from her plate.
Keira nodded.
“Keira was just attempting to lift my spirits,” Orin explained.
“Oh?” Shane asked. “Why do you need your spirits lifted?”
“Because I’m a lonely old fool,” he said.
Keira felt a pang of guilt then. She should never have used Orin like that, trying to make him feel bad about his situation and lack of luck in love just for her own gains. This article was toxic for her. The whole job was. She felt like more of a fraud than ever.
She got off the stool and leaned forward, kissing Orin right in the middle of his forehead. He looked bemused.
“What was that for?” he said, blushing.
“You’re not an old fool,” she said. “You’re a lovely, gentle man. There’s someone out there f
