Page 29 of His for the Holiday

14

SUTTON

Iwasn’t sure why I felt like I was sneaking out of my house to see a boy. Nearly thirty and a mother who had lived abroad for years, it wasn’t like I was hiding a bottle of cheap booze in my purse or wearing low-cut jeans from Hollister.

Yet, I felt like I might as well have been as I adjusted my outfit in front of the mirror.

Wearing a simple, powder blue cardigan and a pair of warm, fleece-lined navy pants, I’d put on some light makeup and left my hair loose, even making a few waves in it with my curling iron. Through it all, my heart kept hammering and I couldn’t stop myself from glancing at the door every so often, hoping that my parents wouldn’t appear.

Winnie was in the main house having a sleepover with them, which she loved. When her grandmother was involved, my daughter was the absolute center of attention at all hours, and even though I hadn’t asked for the sleepover, I still felt slightly guilty that my parents were watching her while I went out.

Once I was ready, I left the apartment as quietly as I could, still not understanding why I felt like I was sneaking out, but I was also still glancing around and swallowing hard, genuinely nervous about getting caught.

Hawk and I were meeting up at a wine bar across town and I was glad I’d told him not to come pick me up. He’d offered to walk over with me, but I’d declined, already suspecting even right after agreeing to go out with him that I was going to feel this way.

Hurrying down the street in the brisk evening air, I only breathed again as I reached downtown. When I arrived at the glass-fronted bar overlooking the pier and the port where I was meeting him, I stared through the windows. Butterflies woke up in my stomach when I saw that Hawk was already there.

His dark brown hair was cast in a warm, golden glow on account of the fire roaring in the charming fireplace at the center of the bar. The soft lighting of the huge, exposed globes above added to the cozy feel inside. Sitting by himself at an intimate table for two, he nursed a drink that looked like whiskey, his strong upper body encased in a hunter-green, V-neck sweater.

Paired with jeans and gray sneakers, he was as effortlessly stylish as ever. I sighed. That outfit probably cost more than my entire wardrobe put together and yet he looked so darn good in it that the sight of him made tingles shoot through me.

Finally making my way into the bar before he started thinking I’d stood him up, I smiled and sat down. “Hi.”

Surprised at how nervous I sounded, I cleared my throat, but Hawk looked up from his drink and my mouth dried up completely when those blue eyes focused on mine. “Hi.” He paused for a beat before he leaned forward, gaze locked on my own. “Can I be honest with you?”

“Sure?” I said, not quite knowing why I sounded so completely unsure. “What’s up?”

“I’m really surprised you showed,” he said, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “Pleasantly surprised, obviously, but surprised nonetheless.”

I laughed. “Can I be honest with you?”

“Sure,” he said, sounding a heck of a lot more confident than I had. “What’s up?”

“I think I may be more surprised than you are,” I admitted.

“You had second thoughts about meeting me here?”

I shook my head. “I should probably have, but no. I was glad when you asked.”

“So was I.” He paused for another moment, those eyes moving from one of mine to the other before he chuckled. “Okay, one last bit of honesty.”

“Last bit?” I asked. “That doesn’t sound good. What are you going to do after that? Lie?”

“No, but this isn’t exactly light chitchat,” he said before he leveled with me. “Your dad told me to stay away from you.”

So that’s what was going on the other day. “He straight up told you that, and you asked me out anyway?”

“I’ve never been good at following instructions. Unless, of course, you want me to stay away too, in which case, I promise I’ll listen.”

“My dad was probably right,” I said, my eyes boring into his from across the table. “It would definitely be better for both of us to stay away from one another.”

“True,” he agreed, surprising me. “Can I buy you a drink?”

“That’s why I’m here,” I said, ordering a whiskey for myself when the server came around. When Hawk arched an eyebrow at me, I frowned. “What? I spent almost a decade in Scotland. A girl picks up new habits when she does something like that.”

He chuckled. “Fair enough. Lagavulin, huh? It seems like you picked up a few good things, especially for a girl who used to get tipsy off half a light beer.”

I pumped my eyebrows at him. “I can drink at least one whole full-strength beer now.”