She stood and crossed the yard in a few rushed steps.David ducked back inside the house, shooing a curious Margo back as the hushed conversation of the fire pit returned.
“You’re here,” she said.“I didn’t think you would come.You didn’t text me back.”
“I debated on it for a little while,” he said, rocking back on his heels.“By the time I decided to come, it was getting late, so I rushed over.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
He gave an easy shrug.“I live in an apartment a few blocks away.Besides, you said you were celebrating.I wanted to be here for it.”
A blush touched her cheeks.There he went again, sprinkling her with compliments.
Only a few weeks ago, she’d despised the man, and now she was gravitating toward him.Unable to stay away.
“You never commented on my business cards,” she said nonchalantly, looking to ease the fire from her cheeks.She turned and started toward a nearby cooler.She hadn’t planned on having another drink, but now there wasn’t a rush to leave.
“Oh, yeah.They’re nice,” Hawk said, taking the beer she offered him.“Whoever designed them did a great job.”
“Margo did that actually.”
He hummed, twisting off the cap.“She did your flyers, too, right?She’s really talented.”
“I know.I tell her that all the time.”
“You have a pretty good eye for business ideas, too.”He held the bottle out, clinking it gently with her own.“Congratulations, by the way.On making a profit.”
“Thank you,” Lilian said, fighting against the glowing heat of his compliment.
“Okay, so hear me out.What if we had people read romance novels out loud?Like dramatic readings?”
Hawk sipped his beer in consideration, but she could already tell by the pull of his mouth that he wasn’t keen on the idea.“We can’t have actors reading erotic scenes out loud at a family event.”
“We do it at the 21 and Over Night,” she countered.
“Maybe.”
The concession surprised her.If this were any other person, it wouldn’t have been a win, but with Hawk it was as good as an “I’ll consider it.”
“Don’t smile like that yet.Let’s focus on your shop before you start volunteering folks for stage performances.”
They were some of the last people huddled by the fire.The crowd from earlier had slowly dissipated.Lilian couldn’t pretend she didn’t notice the stares he got.Some of the women were not shy about showing their interest, while others acted as if he wasn’t there.She knew Hawk was disliked by most of the faire crowd, but she hadn’t realized it ran so deep.
Even though Hawk worked at the faire, he was an outsider to this group.Worse, he was the boss.
The care and ease people had before were replaced with caution.They all migrated inside to ensure they could talk more openly.Not long ago, she would have agreed with them.Now it hurt to see how he was treated.
Hawk didn’t seem to mind, though.He’d stuck with Lilian since his arrival, holding her attention with easy conversation.They talked about her shop, of course, but then she’d told him about the last couple episodes ofThe Lions’ Denshe’d watched.
“Are you thinking up more devious marketing schemes?”Hawk asked.
She realized her thoughts had distracted her, letting an easy quiet fall between them.“Actually, I was thinking—” She stopped before she could finish the thought, but she had Hawk’s attention now, and damn if that didn’t send a thrill down to her toes.
“Thinking about what?”
“Why are you helping me?”
His smile faltered.“I told you.”
“Right, you told metwoof the reasons.I’m still waiting for the others, however many there are.But what I mean is why are you helpingme?”
