11
BECCA
Exhaust fumes,restaurant food and the smell of him lingered in the evening air. I couldn't identify the precise scent, but it contained notes of sandalwood and citrus, along with something so uniquely Hawk.
He wore black trousers and a dark green button down shirt. The black tie he wore, he'd slid off the moment we stepped out of O'Rourke's. He looked more comfortable without it, and with the first couple of buttons of his shirt undone.
I got the distinct impression he was as at home in a fancy restaurant as I was. He seemed like a burger joint kinda guy, all the way. No matter how much money someone gets, you can’t change them deep down.
"Where are we going?" I should probably have taken back my hand when we stepped out onto the street, but I liked it where it was. In his. Strong, calloused, safe, and warm. "Will your friends mind us skipping out?"
"In reverse order: probably, and you'll see. At least we didn't eat and run."
As far as I could tell, the plates wouldn't have had enough food on them to give us the energy to run.
"Yeah, but someone else could have used that table," I said.
"Naw. Neil will have someone sitting there by now, knowing him. Sometimes he treats his staff with a table and a free meal. In this case, he'll probably send me the cheque."
"And you'll pay it?" Of course he would. Hawk wouldn't miss a few hundred dollars.
"Money isn't the enemy, you know," Hawk said. "It's just a thing. A means to an end."
"It's easy to say when you have means," I replied. I wasn’t suffering now, but tabloid writing didn’t exactly roll one in riches. Unless you were a creep like Harvey.
"I guess so." He stopped on the sidewalk. "This is the place."
We stood outside an open door. The sound of music and laughter came from inside. They were accompanied by the welcome rattle of plates and aroma of cooking carbohydrates.
"My cousin on my Dad's side owns the place. Best burgers and beers in town."
"That sounds more like it." It smelled even better.
He still held my hand as we stepped through the doorway. I quickly let go and looked around in surprise.
A sign just inside declared 'Waves on Bell St'.
To the right was a small restaurant with solid timber tables and tall-backed chairs which reminded me of thrones. To the left, a bar was half filled with people who sat around small round tables, or leaned on the bar.
None of that was as surprising as the woman who stood behind the bar. She gave a warm smile to Hawk, but when she saw me her face lit up. She hurried out from behind the bar and gave me a hug, heavily pregnant belly and all.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said. "Penny is forever running ahead, but that was the first time she's left my sight like that. I was so worried."
I hugged her back, careful of the bump. "You're welcome. I was happy to help."
Hawk looked at us both in confusion. "You know each other?"
"We've met." I told him about finding Penny at the mall.
"Penny takes after her cousin Conrad," the woman said teasingly. "Always running and getting into trouble"
Cousins? The little girl I helped was Hawk’scousin? How small was Lowball Bay, again?
"Thanks, Vera." Hawk stuck his chin out at her and made a face. "This is Becca."
"It's lovely to officially meet you," Vera said. "You have dubious taste in men, if you're here with him." She jerked her head toward her cousin and grinned.
Hawk put a hand around his mouth and whispered loudly, "She's not wrong. I'm very dubious."
