“Here? Already? You said lunchtime!” I glared at Tony, my frustration spilling out before I could stop myself. The words were sharper than I intended, and guilt quickly followed. I opened my mouth to apologize, but the knot in my chest tightened, making it impossible to get the words out. A cold prickle crept up my spine. I wasn’t ready to face them—not yet.
Thankfully, Tony seemed to understand my distress and didn’t balk at my panic or the way I practically blamed him for their being early. His steady gaze met mine, calm and understanding. “It’ll be fine, Lara. You’re not doing this alone.”
“Come on, love.” Kelton said gently, holding out his hand to help me out of my seat.
My eyes flicked to Tony instinctively, worried about how he might feel about Kelton’s attentiveness. I didn’t w
