Chapter Three #2
“The one thing I will say, honey, is you don’t think you want to go out with him because of ... well ... you know.”
“No, Mom, this has nothing to do with Adam.”
“You couldn’t help him in the end.”
“Mom, I’m not going on a date with Hawk because I think I can save him.
I like him, and the past month, it is insane, but I’ve looked forward to him coming to the shop.
He’s a great guy, and trust me, I didn’t think I would ever say that about him.
” She picked up a black dress with white flowers. “What do you think? Boots?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Not too high, though, because if he wants to dance, I don’t want them pinching my feet at the end of the night, wishing for ice to soothe them.”
Her mother laughed. “I’m glad you’re getting out there,” Ana said.
“It’s a date, Mom. Nothing too serious.”
Her mother walked over to her. “But at least it is something.” Her mother kissed her on the head. “I will let myself out and I’ll see you for Sunday lunch, yes?”
“Yes, I’ll be there.”
Again, another kiss to the head, and she left.
Katie didn’t wait to listen to the door closing, she quickly got dressed, ran a brush through her hair, and gave it a spray to liven up the lengths.
Next, she touched up her makeup. Nothing too much, just going from daytime to night, with a little sparkle on the eyelids, and a touch of gloss to the lips.
She touched up her blush, just a nice flush to the cheeks.
Then, she was done, and walking downstairs, her doorbell rang.
Her heart raced as she got to the door and opened it to find Hawk, dressed in a flannel shirt she knew his father had worn many times around town, along with a pair of jeans.
“Hey,” he said. He’d combed his hair to the side, and he looked the epitome of a good man, like she had seen in so many movies.
“Hey,” she said.
She couldn’t believe she was going on a date with Hawk Masters. There were so many girls in high school who would have dreamed of this moment. Not her. Not for a second had she even cared to date him. She’d been immune to his charm. It helped that their interactions had never been good.
“Are you ready to go?”
“Yes. Do you want me to drive?”
“Nah, I got my truck. I’ll bring you back home.”
She laughed. “Don’t worry, my parents haven’t given me a curfew.”
“Mine have,” he said.
Katie looked at him a little surprised.
“That was a joke. They’re not home. They’ve gone on a date themselves. I probably should look for a place to stay, shouldn’t I?”
“Why?” she asked, stepping out of her house and locking the door.
“You know, I’m a thirty-five-year-old man, a multimillionaire, currently living at home with his mom and dad. It’s not exactly a good image.”
“And you care about that? Having a good image?” she asked.
“Uh, you don’t think it’s important?”
“I think you need to do what makes you happy, and if that is staying at home with your parents and living with them until you’re seventy or eighty, or even ninety, then you go ahead and do that.
” She shrugged. “Don’t worry about what other people think.
Especially not about your living arrangements. ”
“You’re not home with your parents,” he said.
“Yeah, well, come Christmas, that is exactly where I am going to be, and Thanksgiving. Family is important. If Adam’s family had still been alive, I’d stay with them as well. Family means a lot.”
“You’re right.”
“So, are you going to take me dancing, or are we going to talk about your current social status you’re not quite happy with?”
He chuckled. “You’re a hardball, you know that, right?”
She laughed, and they walked to his truck. He helped her inside, and she noticed the way he put his hand on her hip and guided her up into the truck.
He closed the door and she secured the seat belt as he climbed behind the wheel. Within minutes they were heading out of her street and toward the edge of town.
The bar, known as Hope’s Bar, very original, was the only one in town. Some big corporation had tried to open one of their many branded places, but the town rejected it. They didn’t need anyone to overrun the town.
It was not a long drive, and they could have probably walked.
Friday nights were always a busy time, and this was no exception.
There were a lot of cars, trucks, and bikes.
The music was loud, and there were a lot of people who had spilled out and were across the gardens, and out the front of the bar.
They parked and Hawk climbed out. Katie was already making her way out of the truck, and Hawk was there, helping her. He closed her door and locked the truck, putting the keys into his pocket as they walked hand in hand toward the bar.
Being in a small town, several people greeted them as they made their way inside, and it was busy. It was summer, the height of tourist season, and the locals wanted a place to relax.
They made it to the bar, and he ordered them both a beer.
“You know, I don’t drink beer,” she said, trying to whisper to him.
He slapped his hand on the counter. “Roger, sorry, my man, make that two orange sodas.”
Roger nodded, and they were with their sodas and looking out across the crowded room. She didn’t know what to say or do. It felt ... still.
“How do you feel about dancing?” he asked.
“I’d love to.”
He took her soda from her, which she had taken a couple of sips from, and then grabbed her hand, walking her onto the dance floor. It had been a long time since she danced.
Of course, she didn’t know what was happening. The upbeat song changed to a slow number, which made no sense in a crowded bar. Yet, it happened.
She had a feeling Hawk was going to lead them back to the bar, but he grabbed her hips and pulled her in close.
“I guess people have different ideas of what a fun night of dancing and partying actually means,” he said.
She looked up at him. “You don’t think slow dancing can be fun?”
“With the right person, absolutely. I’m having fun, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I’m having fun.” She slid her hands up his chest and wrapped them around his neck. “It’s busy.”
“Yeah, more so than I ever remember.”
“You came to the bar when you were a teenager?” she asked.
He chuckled. “I sure did. I had a fake ID and everything. I figured no one cool would know my dad. I had no idea that my parents actually came to the bar. In fact, that night, I had the shock of my life as my dad walked in and saw my fake ID.”
She gasped. “You’re kidding?”
“Hell, no. Mom was pissed, and Dad promised to punish me. The following day, out in the barn, when it was just the two of us, he told me that if I was going to use a fake ID, I needed to find someone who was better at it, and a good fake ID cost good money. Another thing he told me was that underage drinking was not all it was cracked up to be. That people made a lot of mistakes with alcohol. He also showed me a woman giving birth, and children. It was a horror talk. I never came back to this bar, and in fact, this is the first time I’ve been here.
I wasn’t even here for Sarah’s wedding. By then, I had work and didn’t have time. ”
“You didn’t stay for your sister’s wedding?”
“My priorities were all a mess,” he said. “Trust me, I’m learning from it.”