Chapter 8 Dawson
DAWSON
The diner is only three doors down from Giving Grace. The sidewalks are full of people, everyone waving and saying hi as we pass in a way that never happens in the city.
When we get to the diner, Briar holds the door open for me. “Such a gentleman,” I tease.
“You came all the way out here with me, I figure I should treat you right.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be your boyfriend if you didn’t.
” I wink, and he gives me an unsure smile.
I’m enjoying spending time with him, getting to know Briar even more than I already had when he’d come into Sip and Savor to see me.
Okay, I guess I should reword that. He wasn’t coming in to see me, I just wanted him to.
Just like a part of me wishes that erection I felt digging into my back this morning had been about more than morning wood.
“Briar Maxwell! Look at you!” A woman in her sixties approaches us.
“Your mama and daddy said you were coming. It’s good to see you!
” She wraps Briar in a huge hug. It’s been like this everywhere today, and I wonder if he knows how special it is.
He really has the best of both worlds—a career in the city and somewhere special like this, with family and friends who adore him to come home to.
“Hi, Ms. Hattie. How are you?”
“Oh, as good as can be expected. Get some swelling in my feet sometimes, but you don’t want to talk about that. Who is this young man?” She looks at me.
“Hattie as in the name of the diner?” I ask.
“The one and only.”
I hold my hand out to her. “I’m Dawson Jones, Briar’s boyfriend. Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“Oh, I hoped you’d say that. Our sweet Briar deserves a good man.
I’ve been hoping he’d bring someone home with him every year since he left.
” She looks at Briar. “You know I love Mark, but he did you dirty back then. I won’t say you deserve better.
The two of you just weren’t a match, but I won’t say I’m not glad for it either. ”
Well, that can’t be comfortable to hear. It’s obvious Ms. Hattie doesn’t mean anything by it, but I’m sure Briar doesn’t want to be reminded of being dumped by the man he was supposed to leave for college with.
“He deserves the best. I won’t pretend I’m not glad it’s me who landed him.”
She gushes and swoons, while Briar gives me a fish face, mouth dropping open before he covers his surprise with, “I’m glad it’s you too.” When he reaches out and grabs my hand, I thread our fingers together.
Ms. Hattie tells us how cute we are together while leading us to a table.
“I agree with you. We’re adorable,” I tell her, which makes her gush about us even more.
The diner is pretty busy, but there are a few open tables. She seats us at one of them, me sliding in on one side of the booth and Briar across from me. Once she’s set menus in front of us, she slips away.
“Besides the pie, they also have the best burgers in the county,” Briar tells me.
I open my mouth to respond, but another Bright’s Hollow local pops up, followed by another.
Just like the people we’ve met before, everyone’s kind, and it’s clear they all like and care for Briar, but I can’t help noticing how many of them either mention Mark or how nice it is to see Briar with someone, as if that’s so surprising or like his life wouldn’t be quite as fulfilling without a partner.
“I’m happy to be here with him,” I say to the next guy to come to our table.
“He’s a good man with an accomplished career.
In fact, he was recently awarded employee of the month for solving a huge issue for his company.
I had my eye on Briar before he noticed me.
The first time he came into my shop, I was drawn to him.
” In my periphery, I see Briar’s head whip in my direction and feel his intense gaze on me.
Goose bumps dart across my skin while I try to ignore him, try not to look at him so he doesn’t see how serious I am or how much I pay attention to things he tells me.
It had been over a latte one of our Thursdays when he mentioned the award, but I don’t have many people in my life who pay attention to those kinds of things, so I try to for others.
Maybe he’ll think it’s part of the show.
“A lot of people are drawn to him, but I don’t think he notices.
I’m just lucky he felt the same.” I clear my throat, paying more attention to my water glass than needed, feeling foolish about going off the way I did, and nervous to look at Briar.
“I’m lucky you did as well,” he replies, voice slightly huskier than usual.
“I hope I didn’t insult you. I didn’t mean anything by what I said,” the man tells us, and I immediately feel guilty.
“You’re good,” I say. “Just like to brag about my boyfriend.” I risk a playful glance at Briar. God, I’m such an asshole. I shouldn’t be here. He thinks this is all a game, but really, I want to be his boyfriend…and on top of that, what kind of brother does that make me?
“Scooch over, Wilson,” the waitress says. “You two ready to order?”
Wilson excuses himself, and my gaze finds Briar’s again. He’s still looking at me. What is he thinking? Does he know how I feel about him?
“I’m ready if you are,” I say.
“Um…yeah, sure.”
We both end up getting a burger and fries with blueberry pie for dessert. Briar doesn’t bring up what I said, and I don’t either. We’re able to finish our meal without many more interruptions, just one more person asking us if we’ll be at the festival the next day, which we say we will be.
The conversation flows well the whole time. Does he notice how we never run out of things to talk about? While I’m a people person, I still don’t think I’ve ever found anyone I can talk to as easily as I can with Briar.
“Here’s your dessert.” Ms. Hattie herself sets a piece of pie in front of each of us. Both she and Briar watch me, seeming excited to see my reaction to it.
“The pressure is on,” I joke.
“You’ll love it.” Briar’s foot taps mine. “If you don’t, then you have the absolute worst taste.”
I chuckle. “But I like you.”
“Good point. I guess just in pie, then.”
I cut into the flakey crust, blueberry spilling out. The sweet scent fills my nostrils, and damn, does it smell good. The second it hits my tongue, I moan. “Holy shit.”
“I told you. Incredible, right?”
“The best I’ve ever had,” I say, and it’s the truth.
“That’s what I like to hear!” Ms. Hattie beams, then leaves us to it. I literally devour my pie, and Briar doesn’t hesitate to tease me about it. It’s gone before he can eat half of his.
“Want to finish mine?” He tries to scoot his plate over to me.
“No. You enjoy it. You’ll just have to make sure to bring me back here before we go home.”
Briar grins. “It’s a date.”
A date. I hope so. A real one.
I insist on paying, and though it takes a little begging, he lets me. We finish exploring the town, and I love that Briar doesn’t rush me, even though none of this is new for him. Afterward, we make our way back to the farm to help his dad for a couple of hours, then to the house for dinner.
“We can ride together to the tree lighting,” Donna says. I look over at Briar, who’s looking at me as if to say it’s up to me.
When I give him a small nod, he says, “Sure, Mom. That’d be great.”
Before I know it, we’re back downtown, Jeffrey driving and looking around for a parking spot. It’s even busier than it was earlier, and I have a feeling the whole town is out here for the tree lighting.
“Wow, great turnout.”
“It’s the event of the season,” Donna says. “Did Briar tell you he volunteered to help with the tree lighting when he was in high school? It was him and Mark. There was a little snafu that year, and the tree went up in flames.”
“Gee, thanks for making me look good in front of my boyfriend, Ma,” he jokes.
“Was it your fault?” I ask.
“No, it wasn’t,” Jeffrey replies instead. “Briar takes the blame for things he shouldn’t. Some might say he gets it from me.”
I look over at Briar. “I can see that about him. People who care about others often do that. They just want everything to be perfect.”
Briar cocks his head slightly, one of those moments where it’s like he’s not sure what I’m thinking or surprised at what he hears.
“You know my son well…and you appreciate him. That means a lot to me,” Donna tells me. “You’re a good match for my Briar. He deserves someone who really sees him.”
The thing is, I do. Even before I knew him as well as I do now, I think I saw him.
“The two of you are going to make me blush,” Briar jokes, but I can tell he’s unsure how to react.
“You’re cute when you do,” falls out of my mouth, without any thought from my brain. I wish I could suck the words back. That’s not the kind of flirting we’ve had in this little charade of ours.
Briar opens his mouth, but before he has the chance to say anything, his dad shouts, “Found one!” and pulls into a parking spot, killing the conversation.
The four of us climb out of the car, and Jeffrey immediately takes Donna’s hand. I wonder if I should do the same with Briar, but I don’t want to overstep.
Main Street is lit up with multicolored lights and packed with people. Toward the end of the road there’s a huge tree in the space they’d been working on earlier in the day, glimmering shop windows looking like they’re spotlighting it from behind.
It’s tough to find a comfortable spot in the crowd, but we do our best. The mayor talks for a little while, and then a group of young kids comes out on a makeshift stage and sings. The second the tree lights up, oohs and aahs fills the air around us.
Briar’s warm arm presses against mine, and I lean into it, hoping the pressure of my touch tells him how much I really want to be here, how much I like him, how perfect this feels.
I feel like a child looking at the tree, the joy and wonderment you feel when you’re young, only now, I’m getting it here, in this moment, with this man I desperately want to be mine.
When I drop my head against his shoulder, Briar sucks in a breath, then wraps his arm around me.
Everything feels perfect.
Magical.