“Good evening and welcome to The Hawthorne. My name is Stefan. Can I start you with a drink? Perhaps something from our wine menu?” Stefan’s smile was so perfectly placed on his lips that it might as well have been plastic.
“What do you think?” Cain turned his attention back to me.
“I think I’ll just start with a water.” I nodded quickly.
“Same for me.” Cain smiled and turned his attention back to the waiter.
“Okay, I’ll be back with those and I’ll take your order if you’re ready.” He gave a slight nod and then walked away.
“I guess we should look at the menu.” Cain picked up two and handed me one.
“I’m not even sure what this place serves…” I opened the menu.
Well, there are no prices on any of the meals—that’s usually a sign that everything is really expensive.
“It looks like they’ve got a little bit of everything.” Cain scanned the menu. “I’ve never been here either.”
“You didn’t have to take me to an expensive restaurant.” I raised an eyebrow. “I would have been perfectly fine eating a burger and fries.”
“Ah yes, the staple diet of any college student.” He chuckled. “I don’t get to eat out very often, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to see how the other side lives—apparently they live on stuff I can’t pronounce. You’ve got a college education—what does this mean?”
“Uh…” I tilted my head as Cain turned his menu to me and pointed at a word. “Papperdelle? I have no idea.”
“Then I’m not eating it…” Cain turned his menu back towards him and kept reading. “Steak au Poivre. I hope that means I get a steak…”
“It seems like a safe bet.” I lifted my hand to my lips and chuckled.
“What do you eat when you’re not living off burgers and fries?” Cain put his menu down, seemingly satisfied with his choice.
“Pizza?” I grimaced. “Chicken fingers? I think I need to work on my diet…”
“Do you want to just get out of here?” He looked towards the door.
“No, you wanted to see how the rich people eat—I’m sure I can find something. Grilled Chicken Paillard? I guess that’s got chicken…”
“I’ve seen it. I’m not impressed.” Cain scoffed and shook his head. “I’m seriously okay with just leaving if you would rather go somewhere that has burgers and fries.”
“Please?” I put down my menu and nodded.
We escaped before the waiter returned with our water, and I was pretty sure I would never go back to The Hawthorne. It was fancy, but that wasn’t me. I didn’t need a fancy restaurant to be impressed—and I was actually dying for something fried. We got our keys from the valet, but we didn’t wait for them to get our vehicles. Cain took my hand and led me towards the parking area. He walked a little faster than me, and I struggled to keep up in the heels, but I so happy to leave The Hawthorne that I didn’t care.
“You want to ride with me?” He hit a button on his keys, and I saw the tail lights on a blue truck flash. “Or is it too soon for you to get in a truck with a stranger?”
“Nah, I guess I can trust you.” I grinned and followed him to his truck.
We drove around for little bit until we found a sports bar that didn’t have many cars in the parking lot. That was definitely my version of upscale because it wasn’t fast food. We got a table, ordered two waters, and when I opened the menu—I didn’t see anything fancy at all.
“Much better…” I traced the list with my fingers. “They even have steak!”
“Yeah, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a real steak here—I even get to choose what cut I want.” Cain chuckled.
“Look at those appetizers. Everything is deep fried!” I struggled not to lick my lips in anticipation, which would have definitely smeared my lipstick.
We ordered mozzarella sticks for our appetizer and I was able to get a burger, with double fries. Cain ordered a steak with a fully loaded baked potato. The entire meal was probably going to cost less than the glass of water we would have gotten at The Hawthorne. Our waiter was a lot less rigid, told a couple of jokes, and made a big fuss when he found out that it was our first date. By the time our food arrived, my nerves had leveled out and I was actually having alotof fun.
Cain told me all about his life, especially the parts that weren’t covered in the letters. His sister, Bridget and his niece, Abby, were a huge part of it. His sister had struggled a lot over the years after becoming a single mom before she got her driver’s license. Cain might as well have been a saint in my eyes for stepping up and helping them after he got out of the Navy. It seemed like he was more of a father to Abby than the one who knocked up his sister, that was for sure. If someone like him had come into my life when I was dealing with everything after my parents’ divorce, I might have believed in something other than disappointment.
We finished our food and it was time for dessert, but I was seriously stuffed. The burger was enormous, the fries were bigger on the plate than in my head—especially since I got a double serving—and all I really wanted was a long walk to work off a few calories. Unfortunately, I was wearing murder-heels so that wasn’t going to happen.
