I felt my throat constricting as Dash Arnold unveiled the custom portrait I’d won a commission of at a fundraiser a few months before. It was the perfect likeness of my old mentor, Harold, down to the kindness that had just seeped out of his pores. He’d been a tough businessman, no doubt about it, but he’d taught me that good business meant putting people first; customers, employees, partners, family. In so many ways, he was the completely opposite of my old man. Harold had passed away six months ago, and it still threw me for a loop that I couldn’t just call him up to get his input on new opportunities, or how to deal with employee situations. I’d always had him to turn to. But no more.

“Top notch work as always, Dash.”

Dash tried to hide it, but I noticed the look of relief that washed over his face. Someone else might not have noticed it, but Harold had taught me to read people. “Sorry it took me so long,” he said. “I had it almost finished a couple months ago, but with the baby I hadn’t been able to put the last touches on it until last week.”

“That’s absolutely not a problem. How’s your baby?”

Dash broke into that ridiculously infections smile all new parents seemed to get when talking about their children. “He’s growing ridiculously fast. I can’t believe it’s already been a month!”

“Before you know it, he’ll be driving a car.”

Dash shuddered. “Don’t remind me. I’m enjoying this stage so much. Sure, I’d like more sleep, but I don’t want to miss out on a single moment, you know?”

I didn’t, but nodded politely. I tried not to think about what might have been. It was in the past, and I shoved those thoughts back in their box and slammed the lid. “Have you been over to the new shelter?” I asked to change the subject. “I was in Japan during the dedication, so I wasn’t able to make it.”

Dash nodded. “It’s going really well. I keep telling Wyatt he’s going to have to hire Chloe on as a full-time rehoming specialist.”

“That’s his little girl, right? How old is she? Seven?”

“Almost eight if you ask her.”

“That’s incredible. I don’t know if I had half her drive or passion at that age. I’m not sure I do now.”

“She’s going to be a force to be reckoned with when she’s all grown, no doubt.”

How did every conversation seem to circle around to children? I guessed I was just at that age, everyone had already settled down and either had a few or were on their way to starting their family. Not me, though. Maybe never me. I didn’t have the time to commit to a family, anyway. I was out of state, out of the country on business too often.

“You should swing by the shelter sometime,” Dash interrupted my thoughts. “I think you’d be really pleased with the facility.”

“I just might do that.”

Dash saw himself out and I called my assistant, Lisa, to the room.

“Lisa, can you see that this is sent to Harold’s family? And check my calendar, if you wouldn’t mind. See if I have time to visit the new animal shelter and set that up?”

I knew I didn’t have to be more specific than that. Lisa knew my life and business almost better than I did.

Lisa made a few notes on her phone. “Anything else, sir?”

“What’s my itinerary for the rest of today?”

“Nothing today, but you have an early meeting with Ambassador Tanaka and I sent the investment reports you asked for to your email.”

“Excellent. What time should I be ready for the meeting?”

“The car will pick you up at quarter to seven tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you, Lisa.”

Instead of opening my email to review the investment reports like I should, I pulled up my list of Café Om locations. It had been three months since I had met someone at the fundraiser who had mistaken me for my twin brother, Zeke, and revealed that he was working as a barista. I’d only been able to mark six locations off my list. I could have hired someone else to investigate for me, hell, I could have hired a private investigator and had my answer in less than twenty-four hours, but I honestly hadn’t decided what I was going to do. I hadn’t decided if I truly wanted to find him after he had shunned me so thoroughly with no explanation. But every couple of weeks, I found myself pulling up the list and driving to a new location and subtly asking about him.

I doubted he wanted to see me, and I didn’t know if I wanted to see him. But something made me keep looking.