Because the one woman he wanted to see again was the only one he couldn't. Dahlia wasn't real. Maybe that was what made her so interesting, but she'd died a long time ago. She had a girlfriend, and that pair seemed to be pretty serious. Granted, fucking him in front of her was a little weird, but when sex counted as lunch instead of cheating, it probably changed the rules a little.
Dahlia might be interesting, but it was the taboo of her existence that drew him the most. She was powerful. She was confident. She was definitely beautiful, but she was also a walking enigma. He was drawn to her because she should not exist, nothing more. Hell, he'd probably be chasing Mei if she didn't make his skin itch whenever she was around.
Cora was pretty, she was safe, and she was going to be stable. She was smart - at least from their little conversation - and a committed relationship might take off a little heat from the church elders. Especially if he found a woman he could actually take to church!
So, when it was finally time to meet her, Thane looked his best. He had on a body-hugging shirt with a religious logo on the chest. His jeans didn't have any stains on them - blood or otherwise - and he'd even cleaned up his face. The pub was easy to find, and when he pulled in to park, it wasn't overly crowded. Hopefully she'd look at least something like her profile picture, so he could recognize her.
As he headed to the door, he pulled out his phone and found her picture. The moment he stepped inside, he saw her. Cora had a seat at the back, off in the corner. There was a plate of something on the table in front of her, and a fancy coffee sitting before her. He headed that way, checking the picture again, because she really did look the same.
"Thane?" she asked when he was almost there.
"Cora, right?"
She nodded, then gestured for him to have a seat. "You really do look like your picture. That's refreshing."
"Same," he agreed. "The other two women I met were at least ten years older than their profiles suggested."
"Oh, just two others?" she teased before waving to the plate between them. "Fried pickles. I half expected to be stood up."
"Happen a lot?" he asked, taking one to see if they were any good.
Cora sighed. "More than I want to admit." Then she tipped her head at him. "Just get off work?"
"This morning," he admitted. "It's a rotating shift. Two days on, two days off. Thankfully, the last two days were nice and slow."
"So, what do you do for the church?" she asked.
He'd had enough time to come up with a good lie. "In truth, it's a lot of suicide prevention. Some of it is helping people in need, like women trying to leave an abusive husband, unplanned pregnancies, and the whole gamut. How about you? What are you hoping to teach if you can get a permanent position?"
"Junior high science," she said. "Not really the most exciting, but when I was in school, my teacher found all the ways to make it boring. I like to think that maybe I could show kids that being smart doesn't have to make them less cool."
Eventually, a waiter came by to see if he wanted anything. Thane ordered himself a plain coffee, then checked to see if Cora wanted anything else. She got another cappuccino. Overall, she seemed nice. He couldn't find a single thing to complain about, and yet he felt absolutely nothing for her.
Would he fuck her? Sure. She was cute. Maybe not gorgeous, but she certainly wasn't ugly. He could definitely see her as a friend, but girlfriend would take a lot more of these "get to know you" dates. Nothing about her made him feel enraptured. There was no immediate spark between them. He wasn't hanging on her every word.
In fact, while she talked, he found his eyes roaming the rest of the room. There was a group of guys at one side laughing just a little too loud. A couple of tables behind them, another couple looked like they were out on a date. A cluster of middle-aged women sat together in a booth, talking animatedly about something.
Then his eyes landed on the woman sitting quietly at the bar. Thane's heart slammed to a halt in his chest, and for just a moment, he stopped listening to Cora. The lady had blonde hair, and it was naturally wavy. Her body was lean, yet muscular. She was facing the other way, and yet she looked just like Dahlia.
"Thane?" Cora asked, pulling his attention back to the present.
"Sorry," he said. "I thought I saw someone I knew, and I completely missed that."
The smile she gave him proved that was the right answer. "I asked if you have any siblings. I have a whole brood. Two sisters and a brother. I'm the youngest."
"I have an older brother," Thane admitted. "Laird's a priest, actually. That's how I got the job. Used to have a younger brother, but he and Mom died when I was little. Car accident. Drunk driver hit them head-on." It was a lie, but a safe one.
"I'm so sorry," she breathed.
Thane just nodded, his eyes jumping back up to the bar. "Yeah. I was twelve. Took a long time to get over it. Granted, I'm not sure grief ever really goes away. It's why my brother went to seminary. Dad's a bit of a recluse now, but Laird and I are close."
At the bar, the woman turned to wave down the bartender, and Thane was sure of it. That was Dahlia! His eyes immediately scanned the room again, looking for Mei this time. Of all the places for her to be, she was here? Cora had picked this place. There was no way for Dahlia to know he was coming here, and yet here she was.
He had to pull his eyes back to his date. She was talking about how she loved children, but preferred them once they were teenagers. Thane nodded his head in agreement, but he was really trying to find Mei. Where one of those women went, the other wouldn't be too far behind.
"Um," he said, forcing himself to give his date the attention she deserved, "I should probably mention up front that I'll never have kids."
"You don't want kids?" Cora asked.