Chapter 15 #2
How I didn’t jump out of my seat and into his lap was a mystery to me. It had only been a matter of days since we’d talked about what dating might be like. Days since I’d told him to take me places that didn’t require us to be indoors where people might ogle him.
I thought it might take him some time to feel ready to do anything like that.
But it was clear Hawk wasn’t interested in wasting any time, and I thought that said a lot about what was ahead for us.
Just as I was about to respond, the door opened, and a customer walked in.
I sent an apologetic look his way. “I’m sorry. Just give me one minute.”
“Take your time.”
Rising from my seat, I stepped away from the table and toward my customer. “Hi, Patty.”
Startled, she turned to look behind her and saw me approaching. “Oh, dear. I didn’t see you there, Chloe.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just enjoying some cake, but I’ve got your order all set to go.”
As I moved past her, so I could make my way behind the counter and into the back of the shop, where I had her order waiting, I noticed she’d looked back at where I’d been sitting.
Not thinking twice about it, I continued moving forward to get Patty’s order. When I returned to the front of the shop and stood beside the register, I realized that Patty was still looking at Hawk. He wasn’t looking at her, but it would’ve been impossible for him not to know she was watching him.
Is this what he meant? Is this what he’d been referring to when he said people didn’t like him? Or was I imagining things?
“And here it is,” I said as I set the box down on the counter.
Patty swung around to face me, her eyes a bit frantic. “Yes. Right. Sorry, I didn’t even hear you walk back out here.”
“No worries.” Wanting to give her the benefit of the doubt, I smiled and opened the box to show her the cake. “How does this look?”
She placed her palm against her chest. “Oh, Chloe, this is perfect. It’s gorgeous.”
“I’m glad you like it. Do you need anything else today?”
Shaking her head, she set her purse down on the counter. “Nope. That’s it. How much do I owe you?”
I shifted my attention to the register to ring up her cake order, and while she waited, Patty made another quick glance behind her. Her focus was completely on Hawk.
This time, I saw him take notice of her unrelenting stare. He brushed it off quickly, looking down at his cake that I noticed he hadn’t finished yet. Evidently, he was uncomfortable, or he was a gentleman who intended to wait for me to return before finishing it.
I rattled off the total to Patty, once again directing her attention away from Hawk.
As she dug into her purse and pulled out her wallet, I was tempted to say something to her about the way she’d been staring at him, but I wasn’t sure how that would make Hawk feel.
Plus, I couldn’t be certain she had any negative thoughts about him, either.
So, I let it go.
I handed Patty’s credit card back to her, and once she put it away and picked up the cake box, she leaned forward and whispered, “I know how kind you are, dear, but you should be careful.”
My brows shot up. “Pardon?”
Patty tilted her head back and in Hawk’s direction. “Trust me. You need to be careful. This community would be devastated if anything happened to you.”
I blinked and jerked my head back, my lips parting in shock.
Patty gave me a warning look as she walked to the door and stepped outside.
For several long moments, I simply stood there. I was entirely too surprised by what had just happened, and if I was honest, it hurt to watch.
My eyes slid from the door to where Hawk was still waiting patiently for me to return, and the way he was looking at me broke my heart. Seeing that look, I wished I would’ve said something to Patty about the very inaccurate assumptions she made about Hawk.
Wanting to be close to him, I stepped away from the register and walked out from behind the counter again.
I came to a stop beside Hawk, placed my hand on the back of his head, and scratched. “I know you don’t want to tell me what you have planned for us, but can you at least confirm that whatever it is won’t result in me having to fight people?”
Hawk was taken aback by my request. “Fight people?”
“Is it always like that for you? When people see you?”
He shrugged. “Sometimes. It’s the reason I try to avoid most places.”
My stomach sank, and without thinking twice, I twisted my body and settled myself in his lap.
Hawk’s arms came around me, and our foreheads touched.
“I’m so sorry you go through that,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry for how unfairly you’ve been treated.”
“I appreciate that, sweetness. But I’ve got a beautiful girl sitting in my lap now, so it’s not all that bad.”
“I can make it better,” I teased.
“Oh?”
I nodded. “You can have a beautiful girl sitting in your lap while you kiss her.”
“Mmm. Cake and kisses. This just might be my best lunch break yet.”
Thoughts of Patty’s reaction to seeing Hawk vanished as I touched my mouth to his and spent the remainder of Hawk’s lunch break kissing him.
And before he left, I fed him the last few bites of the cake.