She hugged her mother-in-law and took the boots. Donna took that as a cue to leave and Hannah was grateful the moment wasn’t drawn out.
The boots fit great but didn’t offer a lot of support, so she decided it was a good idea to tape that ankle. She didn’t want to walk with a limp. Maybe the tape would help.
She’d watched Mr. Perlin wrap her ankle dozens of times after she had turned it during the first game as a senior, twelve years ago. It amazed Hannah how easily the technique came back after so much time. She slipped the boot on over the wrapped ankle and tried it out. Her walk was almost without a limp. Another dose of ibuprofen might eliminate the limp altogether.
It was almost six o’clock. Aaron would be there any minute. Her nerves unraveled thinking about his full, luscious lips, desperate to know what they felt like – and not just on her lips. She wanted to feel them all over her body.
Whoa, who turned up the thermostat? Hannah really needed to stop thinking about Aaron Hawkins’ body. That was going to be tough to do sitting across a table having dinner with him, watching those lips and those hands. Oh hell.
Chapter 8
When the truck pulled in, Hannah took a few deep breaths and headed to the door. Aaron knocked once before she opened it. He just stood there, like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car. She didn’t know if that was a good sign or if she had gotten it all wrong.
“Maybe I should change,” she finally said, sure that wearing a skirt probably wasn’t the best decision.
“You’re beautiful,” he said when he finally snapped out of the daze. “Hannah, you’re absolutely beautiful.”
Not the greeting she was expecting. His words, his approval, only made her heart race faster and her cheeks burn. Kiss me, she thought. Kiss me now, but he just stared at her. Apparently he wasn’t a telepath.
Regret filled Hannah’s mind. Regret that she hadn’t gotten her ass out of that recliner all afternoon and gone to the store to pick up some sexy underwear.
She wasn’t sure how to thank him for his praise, so chose not to. “You look nice,” she said, but that was an understatement. Dressed in varying shades of gray, his light gray silk shirt shimmered in the sunlight. The shirt was tucked in to dark gray slacks with a pinstripe the same color as the shirt – and were those cowboy boots? Nice touch. A smile crept across her face as she thought about the good guy, bad boy look he had going on again. The clothes were mostly nice guy. The boots and the way the silk clung to his strong chest and arms, that was totally bad boy. “We kind of match,” she said across a laugh.
Aaron laughed too. “Yeah, I guess we do,” he said as he looked at her clothes then down at his own. As his eyes made their way back to her, he looked down at her boots. “How’s the ankle?”
“It’s fine. I told you, it looks worse than it feels.” She wasn’t about to admit she had popped 600mg of ibuprofen and taped the thing like she was about to take to the court.
As they reached his truck, Aaron, ever the gentleman, opened her door and helped her in. Hannah was grateful when he didn’t try to buckle her. He went around the front of the truck, climbed in behind the wheel, and they were off.
Aaron turned right at the bottom of Hodge Hill, headed up Pearl Lake Road – the scenic route. Wherever they were going, he wasn’t in a hurry to get them there.
Hannah sat quietly in the passenger seat. Her fidgety fingers found the wedding ring she still wore and guilt washed through her. Steven is dead, she reminded herself. You’re not cheating. As she looked out the window, she tried not to think about the ring on her finger and the man who had put it there. She tucked her hands under her legs, staring out the window. The trees were full of leaves now, making for lush green woodlands all along Pearl Lake Road. Hannah loved this drive, taking it often when heading south and not in a particular rush. Tabitha loved the scenery too, especially once they drove by Pearl Lake and took in the majestic views.
Aaron’s hand landed low on her thigh just before he spoke. “Is everything alright?” he asked as he squeezed her leg.
“Yeah, fine. Everything’s fine.” Her lie wasn’t convincing. Maybe it was time to be honest. “Actually, Aaron, this is, umm. Well, I haven’t had a date for a while. Not since Steven. So umm, if I seem nervous, well, it’s because I am. Nervous.” There, it was out. Now he knew. Maybe he’d assume that the lack of dating also meant she was desperate for sex, and maybe he’d help with that – and not care about the lack of sexy underwear.
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m nervous, too. I haven’t dated anyone since I moved up here. More than two years ago.”
She laughed. They were quite a pair. She wondered if he was paranoid about the sexy state of his underwear, too. Maybe he wasn’t wearing any under those gray pinstriped slacks. “Yeah, that doesn’t really make me feel any better, but thanks for trying.”
“You could try that whole public speaking strategy. You know, picture everyone else naked. Maybe that’d help make you less nervous.”
“Aaron, I’m on a date with you. Honestly, I don’t think picturing you naked will make me less nervous.”
Their laughter echoed in the truck cab, easing Hannah’s nerves. Somehow, picturing him naked did make her less nervous, and a lot warmer. “So where are we going?”
“You really don’t get the meaning of surprise, do you?”
“I told you, I don’t do surprises. Just tell me.”
“I’m not going to tell you and there’s nothing you can do to make me,” Aaron said.
Oh, that sounded like a dare, but the last time he alluded to a dare she turned her ankle. Right now, she could picture herself sticking her tongue in his ear and moving a hand between his thighs. High between his thighs. Then he’d tell her. He’d also probably drive off the road. Probably better to ignore the dare.
“Fine, don’t tell me, but don’t think I’m going to let you give me a good night kiss when you bring me home.” Ok, that was a total lie.
“Oh. Well, the thought never crossed my mind.”
Ok, with lips as delicious as his looked, she really hoped that wasn’t true.
At the top of Pearl Lake Road, he maneuvered the F-150 onto Route 117, then immediately turned onto South Road. At the next crossing, he turned onto Sunset Hill Road and pulled into the parking lot next to the Sunset Hill House.
“This is where we’re having dinner?” Hannah asked, a little surprised. She had never been there, but had heard it was pretty upscale. Quite a place for a first date, or was it their third?
“Yes. Have you eaten here before?”
“Umm, no, never. You know, the more time I spend with you, the more I realize I hardly ever get out of Lisbon. It’s a little embarrassing.”
“It shouldn’t be. You’ve got a busy life. It’s not like this is family dining. It is, however, a nice place for a first date.”
Oh, so this was their first date. Hannah was glad that was clear now. No sexy underwear was probably a good thing. She was sure he was too nice of a guy to put the moves on her on a first date. Dammit.
“So have you eaten here before?” she asked.
“Yeah, for work. I wrote a review not long ago. That’s a little tough to do if you’ve never experienced the place. I even spent the night in one of the rooms. It was quite the mini getaway. And on the paper’s tab, so that was great, too.”
He hadn’t dated in two years and had spent the night here? Alone, or was he into the casual fling thing? How she wished she’d known him when he was doing that research.
“You get to see a lot of cool things with your job, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do. Our reservation isn’t until 7:30. Do you want to go for a walk around the grounds or go inside for a drink? Either way, I can tell you all about the cool things I see in my job.”
“Let’s take a walk.”
He helped her out of the truck and they set off in the direction of the gardens and walking path behind the old inn. She wasn’t surprised when he held her
hand. The electricity was a little distracting. Hannah wondered if it was one-sided. He’d asked her out, so he obviously liked her. He was a guy, so sex had to be on his mind, right? But was he feeling the same heat from even the most subtle touch? Maybe he’d read her thoughts and give her the answers she was terrified to ask.
“So tell me about this place. About the history,” she prompted.
“There was a grand resort that once stood across the road. Back in the early 1900’s it was a hot spot for the wealthy. This building here was built as servant quarters, but because it offered better views than a lot of the rooms in the grand hotel, it was converted to a guest house.”
“When was the Grand Hotel torn down?” she asked, disappointed once again he wasn’t psychic.
“In the 1970’s. The whole getaway concept revolved around rail transportation. As the car become more popular, long stays at grand resorts diminished and day trips became more popular. The next generation didn’t keep the same traditions, so the clientele dropped at the grand hotel here and the building was torn down.”
“Kind of like in the movie Dirty Dancing,” she laughed. Maybe he’d seen the movie, and maybe that would put some dirty ideas in his head.
“Yeah, something like that. Unfortunately, this building wasn’t well maintained and was condemned in the 90’s.”
They made their way onto one of the garden paths. Hannah gasped as she took in the view. The Presidential Range was amazing. Mount Washington still wore a blanket of snow at the peak.
“What a shame. It’s so beautiful here. It’s hard to imagine having something so beautiful and letting it go to ruin but I know that financial difficulty can fall on anybody. I see it all the time at the bank.”
“Yeah. Fortunately for this place it was sold at auction and completely renovated and restored.”
“It’s been sold a couple times, hasn’t it?” she asked, recalling reading about the sale in the paper.
“Yep. The current owners bought it in 2000. They have a deep appreciation for its history. They even purchased the golf course a couple years later and put a protective easement on the entire property, so it can never be developed.”
“That’s wonderful. This place definitely deserves to be protected. It’s just so beautiful. I mean, look at this view.” They stood in front of one of the gardens. It was still early in the season, so the lupines hadn’t bloomed and the colors were limited, but the lush green gardens were still spectacular.
“It’s even more beautiful with you here.”
Modesty flooded her cheeks. It was the second time tonight he’d told her she was beautiful, and though she was embarrassed by the compliment, she didn’t want him to stop. She’d forgotten what it was like to have a man say that to her. The closest she’d come to such a compliment since Steven had died was Tabs telling her she was pretty. Somehow it just didn’t give her the same warm fuzzies Aaron’s words inspired.
His hand slid across the small of her back as he turned and pulled her closer. She watched his eyes move from hers down to her cheeks.
“I love it when you blush like that,” he said. The soft caress of his fingers made her cheeks flush more, but it wasn’t embarrassment or modesty this time. Anticipation danced with desire.
Her heart raced like a greyhound as his eyes drifted down to her lips. Hannah resisted the urge to lick them, not wanting to appear too anxious – or desperate.
This was what she wanted, his lips on hers. Smiling despite the fear awakening, her lips parted. Kissing another man had never been part of her plan. She could stop it, pull away. She didn’t want to. Hannah just wanted to be lost in this moment, forget about her plan and her formula. It really it was all irrelevant – this was just a date. Just one kiss. She wasn’t going to fall in love with Aaron Hawkins.
His other hand slid under her hair, caressing her neck. Finally, his lips touched hers, slow and soft with no intentions except for more of what was offered now. She surrendered to the warm press of his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck, welcoming him, wanting more.
Aaron was the first to pull away. As his lips slowly left hers, she opened her eyes and found him smiling. She was already smiling back.
“Why’d you stop?” she asked, looking straight into his eyes.
He caressed her cheek again. “I don’t want to get carried away.”
“Mmm. Yeah, I could see how that could happen.” God, she wanted to get carried away with him. She didn’t care about first date or third date or whatever. Of course, there was the lack of sexy underwear issue. No one wanted to see practical, single mom undies, at least not on a first date. Maybe after the fiftieth, but definitely not on the first. How was she going to get from a first date to naked without fifty more dates in between?
“Maybe we should go inside for a drink,” Aaron suggested.
What more could they do after a kiss like that? She knew exactly what they could do. They weren’t going to drop down right here in the garden however, and do it with the diners looking on from the windows of the restaurant. No, a drink was definitely the best option right now. “A drink sounds good.”
They made their way around the inn, walking in through the front door where they were greeted by the dinner hostess and the front desk clerk. Both women seemed to recognize Aaron. “You’re table isn’t ready yet, Mr. Hawkins. Would you like to sit in the tavern? Or we can have a drink brought to you and your guest in one of the parlors?” the hostess offered.
“Tricia, please, call me Aaron. Mr. Hawkins was my father,” Aaron said to the hostess with a charming smile. Well, at least he didn’t ask them to call him Hawk. The nickname was cute, in a high school athlete kind of way, but she liked the way Aaron rolled off her tongue.
Before that thought could get her into trouble, he introduced her to the hostess. “This is Hannah Locke.”
Tricia was a petite woman in her early twenties as far as Hannah could guess. Shoulder length blonde hair was smooth and shiny, framing a round face with no make-up. On the cute side of pretty, her smile was infectious, the kind that brightened her whole face. Even her eyes seemed to smile.
Aaron also introduced Hannah to Linda, the front desk clerk. She was older than Tricia maybe fifty, with short dark hair naturally peppered with gray. She remained behind the check-in desk, ready to answer the phone if it rang. Her face was round and friendly and she spoke with a thick North Country accent.
“I think we’ll grab a drink from the tavern. Then I’d like to give Hannah a little tour,” Aaron explained.
“Oh, wonderful. Grand 308 is open tonight, if you’d like to include one of our wonderful rooms in your tour.” Linda grabbed the key to Grand 308 from the back wall and handed it to Aaron over the front desk.
“Sure, that sounds great.” He took the key and then led Hannah into the tavern just a few steps away from the front desk.
The tavern was dimly lit, and she was struck by the quiet, almost intimate atmosphere. There were only a few people. One couple whispered to each other as they sat on a bench against the burgundy-striped wallpaper of the back wall. Their affectionate gazes and the subtle way they held hands across the table fed the longing in her heart. An older gentleman sat near the window, reading the newspaper. She wondered if he was a guest, or a local who might be considered a regular, like Francis at the coffee shop.
“Good evening folks. Oh, Aaron, so good to see you again. It’s been a while,” the bartender said as he greeted them.
“Hi, Jack. Good to see you. This is Hannah.”
Hannah held out her hand and Jack took it, but instead of shaking it, he brought it to his mouth and greeted her with a small kiss on the back of her hand. “A pleasure, Hannah,” he said with an Irish purr.
“You need to watch out for Jack, he’s quite the ladies’ man,” Aaron warned with a smile.
Of that, she had no doubt. The charming bartender was probably in his sixties. Gray dusted his thick blonde hair and closely-trimmed goatee that covered his sharp
chin. He was tall and slender with a sexy smile and a twinkle in his eye. Hannah knew immediately he could charm the pants off the most devout prude.
“It’s nice to meet you, Jack.”
“So what can I get the two of you to drink? A before-dinner Irish Coffee, perhaps? They are my specialty, you know. Or might I suggest a chardonnay?”
“Irish coffee sounds intriguing, especially if it’s your specialty,” Hannah said in a flirtatious tone. Maybe it wasn’t appropriate to flirt with the bartender, but she just couldn’t help herself.
“Oh, yes ma’am. Folks come from far and wide for one of Jack’s famous Irish coffees. Now would you like that decaf or fully loaded?” the bartender offered with his Irish accent.
“Fully loaded. I’m not a big fan of decaf.”
“Oh, my kind of woman. You better keep her close, Aaron, I think I could fall in love.”
Aaron laughed as he wrapped his arm around Hannah’s waist and pulled her close. “I’ll take an Irish coffee as well.” Hannah laughed to herself, noticing the possessive hold. She wondered if it was real or if Aaron was just playing his part in this little sketch.
“Alrighty folks. I’m gonna brew a fresh pot of Green Mountain. Can I interest you in one of their specialty flavors? We’ve got Southern Pecan and Organic Vanilla Cream. We’ve also got the Vermont Country Blend.”
“What would you recommend? What best suits the Irish Coffee?” she asked, still flirting with the attractive and charming bartender.
“How ‘bout I surprise you?”
“Oh, Hannah doesn’t like surprises,” Aaron interjected.
She laughed at Aaron’s apparent jealousy. “Please, Jack. A surprise would be wonderful.” Then she winked at him.
“It’ll be about ten minutes then, my dear, but I promise you, it’ll be worth the wait.” Jack winked back.
“That’s my date you’re flirting with, old man.” Aaron said.
“Flirting. No, no son. It’s just my Irish charm. I can’t help me-self,” Jack responded, playing up the Irish accent, “especially in the presence of such a charming and beautiful young woman.”
Book Boyfriends Cafe Summer Lovin' Anthology 2015 Page 223