“On?”
“How will I be introduced? Who is planning to attend? And does the guest list include anyone from the team?”
I thought about the complications. And yes, there would likely be some players and possibly managers there. We could always explain her appearance as professional rather than personal. Usually, I would have no issue introducing her as my date, but I understood Kendra’s hesitation. She wanted to be known for earning accolades on her own merits.
“I often attend these events with platonic friends and even my sister. I bought two tickets, and if you come with me, it will be far more tolerable than if I have to go on my own.”
“Dress code?”
“Black tie.”
“I have nothing to wear.”
“We can look for something when I pick up my tuxedo.”
She sighed. Fuck, I was losing this battle.
“I just returned from a vacation in the Caribbean. While Sam and Kelsey covered a staggering amount of my expenses, my budget is tapped. Does your sister have anything I can borrow?”
Colby definitely had something she could borrow, but that went against my plan to spoil her.
“How about this, let’s eat, get a little buzz on, and then you go try on dresses. If we find something, you can pay me back?”
There was no way I was letting her pay me back.
“You’re gonna need to get some booze into me before you ask me questions that set my anxiety off.” She shook her head, and I knew that she was at least willing to consider it.
“Noted. I’ll do better next time.” I winked, and she rolled her eyes.
“How do you even do that?” she asked.
“Do what?”
“Manage to be boyish and amanat the same damn time. You’re impossible to say no to.”
“Good. I don’t want you to say no to me.”
“Does anyone ever tell you no?” she asked as we pulled up in front of the restaurant.
I shrugged again. She had me there. I was used to getting what I asked for, always. Between my family, and work, the only one that kept me on my toes was Nonna. And she purposely made things hard for me to make up foreverything that fell in my lap. Or that’s what she said, at least.
Once we were seated and had ordered cocktails, Kendra sighed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing’s wrong, Hawk. Absolutely nothing.”
“You make it seem like that’s a problem?” I asked, confused.
“It’s not a problem.”
She crossed her arms in frustration. How was she even pissed right now? Was she pissed at me, or at herself?
“Here’s the thing, Kendra. I don’t think you’ve ever had a man treat you right. And that’s a big problem for me. Not just because these fuckers disrespected you, but also because somewhere along the line you started to think you didn’t deserve to be treated well. You accepted it. And now here I am showing you just a fraction of what you deserve—because this isn’t even all I plan to do—and you look at the crumbs I’m offering you as if they’re platters full of gold bonds.”
“Gah!” She let out a sound of frustration just before our server arrived with our drinks.
We both ordered Eggs Benedict, and by the time the server left, the tone at the table had lightened.
