Lilian blinked.“That’s it?Don’t lots of boys do that when they're little?”
“They do,” Hawk agreed.“All my friends played little league football, and my parents said I couldn’t because all the games were on Saturday, and we had faire on the weekends.They volunteered me to help here.I know it sounds stupid, but it felt like they always picked the thing they wanted to do over my wants every time.”
“Oh.That’s not stupid.That’s…”Sad.
It was such a simple request.One that most parents would be happy to fulfill.But instead, it was a wound that he obviously still carried with him.
Hawk shrugged off her concern.“It’s not a big deal.When I got older, I signed myself up and had one of my friends' moms carpool me to practice and games.I was the opposite of what my parents wanted.I was jealous of the attention they gave the faire for a long time.Then when my dad mentioned they could use some business advice, it was like a lifeline.Something we could finally do together.”
She didn’t know what to say to that.All she knew was that here, between a turkey leg stand and a funnel cake shop, Hawk Carlisle had finally opened up to her.It felt like a gift.
She thought about the way the queen had looked in her shop when Hawk walked in.The way her entire face had lit up at the sight of her son.How she had loved those days when she worked the bookshop with her mom.“I bet your parents really enjoy that you’re here with them.”
“Yeah.”He nodded.“And I like being here with them.Even if I’m not into all this faire stuff.”
There was more he wasn’t saying, but Hawk suddenly looked like he’d swallowed a vegetarian hotdog.Lilian was nothing if not merciful and offered a change in subject.“So tomorrow’s show is going to be a big one for Romance Weekend.”
Hawk’s face relaxed.“Are you ready?”
“I will be.I plan to dedicate all evening to my script.”
“Hey.”He stopped walking, and she found her feet coming to a halt beside him.When Lilian looked up, Hawk was standing very close.The urge to step back pulsed through her chest, but her feet refused to cooperate.“You’ve been doing a lot of hard work these last couple days…” he said quietly.“Keep it up.”
Her jaw went slack.Did he know how unusual it was to hear him give a compliment?Probably not.Even more strange was the effect it had on her.Turning her mind to utter mush.She’d once prided herself on being quick to respond to Hawk, now all she could manage was, “Um… thanks.”
For a moment, it looked like he might say more, but a group of men dressed like Vikings came trudging down the path, singing a strange made-up drinking song that interrupted the moment.
Lilian watched him shake off the look in his eye and clear his throat.“Let’s get your water so you can get back to your busy shop.”
Sixth Week of Faire: Romance Weekend
“ContestantNumberOne?Ifyou were to take me out for dinner, where would we go?”
“Ach.”Mr.Berscotta’s thick Scottish accent reverberated across the theater.With the divider between them, it was easy to forget he was a mailman and not a seventh-century Scot.“I’d take you to the nearest Scottish castle.There, I’d have the servants light the fire to set the mood.”
A collectivecoocame from the audience of The Crown Theater.It wasn’t full by any means, but it was their biggest crowd yet.Lilian’s eyes swept across the benches, taking in the diverse crowd.
For Romance Weekend, there were more women at the performance than normal.But a few husbands and children filled the theater.So far, no one had gotten up and left in the middle of the performance, which was a good sign.
Mr.Berscotta was still waxing on, describing the Scottish hills and gifting her a cow, when something caught her eye.
Standing in the back was Hawk.He didn’t have his trusty clipboard with him.Instead, one hand held a paper coffee cup, which he drank as he watched the performance with a stoic expression.
Mr.Berscotta continued, his brogue reaching new heights as he proclaimed, “And I’ll hand feed you delicious haggis and Cullen skink.”
The audience laughed as Lilian feigned disgust.“Cullen stink?What is that?”
“Not Cullen stink.Cullenskink.”
“Contestant Number Two, same question.”
“Well,” came Ian’s deep Viking baritone, “I hear women like meat just as much as I do.”A strategic pause gave the audience time to laugh at the clear innuendo.“And I hear there is a good turkey leg shop down the corner.”
At the mention of turkey leg, her stomach curled in on itself.Across the theater, she saw Hawk’s dark eyes cut up to meet her own.Even though it wasn't in the original script, she couldn’t help but make a face as she shouted, “Next.”
The improvised line received its own salacious shouts of agreement from the crowd.Logan as Captain Locke let out a whoop of laughter.Hawk dipped his head down, but she was sure there was a flash of a smile.
Damn, she liked seeing him smile.All her well-rehearsed lines flew out of her head at the sight.The world fell away.She couldn’t take her eyes off him.
