Nina Cox Must Date

Chapter 23 - Declan

Taylor's words repeat in my mind often over the next few days. He can't mean that... no, that's a crazy thought. We talked today during his lunch break. He was friendly as always and even wished me luck on my date.

I park at Waca Grill and look in the mirror. I made an effort with my makeup and wore new clothes. My usual T-shirt and jeans have been replaced with a comfortable knit gray dress. Maybe I should get a few more like this.

"Hey, Barb," I greet my friend hosting the restaurant.

"Oh, wow, Nina! You look gorgeous! You always do, but look at you!" she exclaims.

"Thanks! I tried something different."

"Well done then. I haven't seen you in a while. Did you ditch us for another restaurant?" she winks at me.

"Not at all. Life has been busy. I'm waiting for a friend," I say as I glance at the dining area. "What is Taylor doing here?"

I walk toward him and hear Barb say something I can't understand. He looks handsome in a navy blue shirt and grins when he sees me. I grin back.

"What are you doing here? Do you have a date?" I ask, but he looks at me strangely. "We talked earlier, and you didn't mention anything."

"Nina..." Taylor replies in a surprised tone.

"Are you hiding something from me?"

Taylor stands up from the table, and I take a step back. A loud gasp escapes me.

"You can walk, Taylor! Why didn't you tell me you could?"

"Nina, what is going on?" he says, but his voice no longer sounds like Taylor's.

"Taylor?"

"Why do you keep calling me Taylor? It's me, Declan."

I slump into a chair and rest my head in my hands.

"I'm losing my mind," I whisper.

I feel a hand gently caressing my hair.

"What is it?" Declan asks.

"I thought you were my friend Taylor. I'm sorry," I say, staring at the flatware on the table. A waitress approaches to take our order, but Declan asks her to return later.

"And you were surprised to see me stand up. Is your friend in a wheelchair, by any chance?"

I look at him and notice he's smiling. Taylor and he look so much alike—same hair color, same facial features. The only difference is that Declan doesn't have the faded scars on Taylor's face.

"He is," I reply.

"Is his last name Reed, by any chance?" His smile widens.

My mouth drops open. "Are you psychic?"

"No, but I have a cousin named Taylor who is in a wheelchair. I'm older than him, but people say we look alike," he explains, leaning back in his chair.

"Your cousin... How come he has never mentioned you?"

"I only moved here a month ago. Taylor and I didn't grow up together, and we only started messaging two days ago because my mom contacted his mom to get his number. I wanted to let him know I was in town and that I bought a fixer-upper. Hopefully, I'll have more time soon to work on it."

"Oh, then I'm keeping you from your free time," I say, embarrassed.

"No, not at all. I didn't mean it like that. I'm glad to be here and could rest from it all. I want to turn the place into a bed-and-breakfast, and it has been a lot of hard work with little sleep while renovating my bedroom. Everything else is not scheduled yet."