Chapter 14 #3
She added a picture she had taken from her shop. She’d just barely shoved the phone back into the pocket of her joggers when it vibrated.
Hawk
What are you still doing up? Are you still at the bookstore?
Nope, but I was there earlier. I’m at Alex’s place now. She’s having a party.
Hawk
Alex? Like Alex Carerra?
Is that her last name? I always thought it was Alex Dread of the Seas.
What are you still doing up?
Hawk
Hockey game was on. First college exhibition game of the season. About to crash.
Beside her, Margo shifted the conversation to all the slang she’d come to discover since working as an elementary school art teacher. David seemed completely invested in the conversation, trying out the words as she explained them.
They looked pretty cozy together. Cute, even. Her chest pinched uncomfortably as she realized she was a third wheel.
She should focus on her friends. Have a good time at the party, but the empty loneliness that settled over her wouldn’t go away. She didn’t want to talk to anyone at the party. She wanted to talk to him.
Her fingers punched in the request before she could think better of it.
Do you want to come over?
He didn’t respond. Again. And Lilian was too much of a coward to send a follow-up text. The message was clear. He was not interested in her. At least she knew now that this was strictly a friends-only relationship. No, even worse, a business partnership.
She downed her beer before realizing he wasn’t going to answer. The embarrassment of being shot down not once but twice burned through her, causing her to search for something harder.
Someone brewed up a margarita that tasted mostly of tequila with only a hint of strawberry. Perfect.
She promised herself one drink, only enough so her pride didn’t hurt quite as much.
She still needed to drive home after all.
As the night went on, she settled in the backyard, where a small fire pit was set up.
Alex was drinking the margarita mix as well, glaring across the fire to where Logan had a pretty brunette in his lap, whispering in her ear.
Only moments ago, Courtney had told Alex that Logan had asked her to sing in his band. An offer the wannabe singer couldn’t refuse apparently.
“This means war,” Alex whispered to Lilian, feeling sulky.
“I wouldn’t take it personally,” Lilian offered.
“It’s personal,” Alex growled. “I thought that leg injury would slow him down a little, but it’s only made him more devious in his tactics.”
“What tactics?”
Alex waved a hand at the couple. “He’s trying to fuck with my crew… literally. He lures them away with his… his… siren song! And when he’s done with them, he throws them to the fishes.”
“You know you don’t have to make pirate puns here.” Lilian patted her leg emphatically. “This is a safe place.”
Alex’s eyes widened. “You don’t believe me? He’s got you under his spell as well.”
“I’m not under anyone’s—” Before she could finish the sentence, the chatter from inside the house came to a stop. It happened so fast the crackle of the fire-pit sounded like gunshots against the abrupt silence.
David appeared in the doorway, his smile timid. “Hey, look who decided to join us.”
Lilian’s heart hammered as a familiar tall shadow appeared next to the blond man.
Hawk.
No one said a word. To his credit, Hawk didn’t look at all surprised by the reception. “Sorry I’m late. I can leave if things are winding down.”
Alex recovered quickly. “No! Of course not. If Logan is welcome here, then so are you!”
“Hey!” Logan shouted behind her, not at all amused. But Alex didn’t pay him any attention. She shot Lilian a curious look.
Lilian couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing in front of her. Hawk wasn’t dressed in his usual polo and khakis. His casual flannel button-down and jeans fit perfectly for their first night of fall weather. He looked good.
There was no denying it now. Her heart was kicking its feet, screaming at the top of its lungs like a preteen. He came!
He’d come because she’d asked him to.
She stood and crossed the yard in a few rushed steps. David ducked back inside the house, shooing a curious Margo back as the hushed conversation of the fire pit returned.
“You’re here,” she said. “I didn’t think you would come. You didn’t text me back.”
“I debated on it for a little while,” he said, rocking back on his heels. “By the time I decided to come, it was getting late, so I rushed over.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
He gave an easy shrug. “I live in an apartment a few blocks away. Besides, you said you were celebrating. I wanted to be here for it.”
A blush touched her cheeks. There he went again, sprinkling her with compliments.
Only a few weeks ago, she’d despised the man, and now she was gravitating toward him. Unable to stay away.
“You never commented on my business cards,” she said nonchalantly, looking to ease the fire from her cheeks. She turned and started toward a nearby cooler. She hadn’t planned on having another drink, but now there wasn’t a rush to leave.
“Oh, yeah. They’re nice,” Hawk said, taking the beer she offered him. “Whoever designed them did a great job.”
“Margo did that actually.”
He hummed, twisting off the cap. “She did your flyers, too, right? She’s really talented.”
“I know. I tell her that all the time.”
“You have a pretty good eye for business ideas, too.” He held the bottle out, clinking it gently with her own. “Congratulations, by the way. On making a profit.”
“Thank you,” Lilian said, fighting against the glowing heat of his compliment.
“Okay, so hear me out. What if we had people read romance novels out loud? Like dramatic readings?”
Hawk sipped his beer in consideration, but she could already tell by the pull of his mouth that he wasn’t keen on the idea. “We can’t have actors reading erotic scenes out loud at a family event.”
“We do it at the 21 and Over Night,” she countered.
“Maybe.”
The concession surprised her. If this were any other person, it wouldn’t have been a win, but with Hawk it was as good as an “I’ll consider it.”
“Don’t smile like that yet. Let’s focus on your shop before you start volunteering folks for stage performances.”
They were some of the last people huddled by the fire.
The crowd from earlier had slowly dissipated.
Lilian couldn’t pretend she didn’t notice the stares he got.
Some of the women were not shy about showing their interest, while others acted as if he wasn’t there.
She knew Hawk was disliked by most of the faire crowd, but she hadn’t realized it ran so deep.
Even though Hawk worked at the faire, he was an outsider to this group. Worse, he was the boss.
The care and ease people had before were replaced with caution. They all migrated inside to ensure they could talk more openly. Not long ago, she would have agreed with them. Now it hurt to see how he was treated.
Hawk didn’t seem to mind, though. He’d stuck with Lilian since his arrival, holding her attention with easy conversation. They talked about her shop, of course, but then she’d told him about the last couple episodes of The Lions’ Den she’d watched.
“Are you thinking up more devious marketing schemes?” Hawk asked.
She realized her thoughts had distracted her, letting an easy quiet fall between them. “Actually, I was thinking—” She stopped before she could finish the thought, but she had Hawk’s attention now, and damn if that didn’t send a thrill down to her toes.
“Thinking about what?”
“Why are you helping me?”
His smile faltered. “I told you.”
“Right, you told me two of the reasons. I’m still waiting for the others, however many there are. But what I mean is why are you helping me?”
He didn’t look irritated by the question, but a puzzled dip appeared between his brows. “I don’t follow.”
“You know everyone is afraid of you right? They think you don’t like the faire.”
“I don’t.”
“That’s not true,” she said. “You like it. Not in the same way everyone else does. You show it differently. We all want the faire to succeed. You do it by making sure customers are happy, keeping actors safe, and making sure the rules are followed. So why do you put on this big act? Do you like scaring everyone?”
“Lilian—” Hawk sighed, taking a breath as if he were about to present an in-depth business report that would surely put her to sleep.
She interrupted before that could happen. “You have great insights and ideas. I don’t know why you don’t share those with everyone else.”
“You know why…” he mumbled, eyes darting toward the fire.
“Not really.” He’d said people didn’t ask for help, but Hawk wasn’t exactly approachable to new vendors. “You’ve helped me so much, Hawk. And I appreciate that. If you did the same for others, maybe… maybe they would all realize you’re not such a mean guy.”
He looked stunned at the suggestion, just as much as Lilian felt for making it.
What was she doing? Hawk hadn’t asked her for advice on how to be friends with people. For all she knew, he was perfectly happy being the outcast. He didn’t blink twice at the looks he got. He didn’t seem to care about the opinions of everyone else.
Suddenly the warmth of his company disappeared. She’d crossed a line. Hawk’s silence was all she needed to confirm that. “Sorry, there I go again. Signing people up for things they didn’t ask for.”
“It’s all right,” he said, but his voice sounded rough. “I never thought about it like that before. But Lilian, you should know people don’t really want to hear my advice. I act like this because I’m their boss, not their friend.”
“Why can’t you be both?”
“Because…” He trailed off as if realizing for the first time there really wasn’t a reason.
“Your parents are their boss. And your mom is always hanging out with the actors and vendors.”
He sighed, but there was no way to argue the point. “And my dad?”