Page 10 of His Curvy Woman

Chapter 5

Whitley

As soon aswe pull into the restaurant, I know this is a bad idea, but Hunter is so sweet about it, I can’t tell him no. Russel’s is one of our nicer restaurants in Emerald Isle, and I’ve never felt good enough to come here. I know Dad takes Mom here on date nights and they rave about the food, but I’ve never been brave enough to go. I know it seems silly, to be afraid to go into a restaurant, but I tend to shy away from places that make me feel uncomfortable. Being around people who look better, and dress better than me makes me very uncomfortable. I know I need to get over it, but insecurities are hard to get passed, especially ones that are so deeply ingrained in me. It’s like second nature for me to shy away from things I feel are better than me.

That’s part of my hesitation with moving forward with Hunter. Am I good enough for him? A man like him deserves to have someone beautiful and confident supporting him, not some short, curvy virgin who has no idea what she’s doing when it comes to a man, especially one as sexy as Hunter.

We walk into Russel’s, my arm wrapped tightly around Hunter, using him as my human force field against anyone who might look at me like I don’t belong. I quickly realize how foolish I’m acting. I look around and notice that Hunter is right, what I’m wearing is fine, and there are other women here dressed similar to me. When we arrive at the hostess stand, she asks if we would prefer inside seating or out on the deck. I stare out at the deck longingly and just beyond, at the waves that roll and then crash on the shore. The sun is just starting to go down, and even though we can’t see it, the sky is colored in beautiful shades of orange and pink.

I stand taller, finding my spine that I lost somewhere between last night and just now. “On the deck,” I tell the hostess.

“Right this way.” She says, smiling.

Hunter guides me forward with his hand at my lower back, then pulls out my chair for me when the hostess stops at our table. The amount of care he’s taking with me is something I’m not used to. A guy will rarely hold open my door or show kindness to me. Usually, I’m just another human, not worth treating like I’m more than something that’s in the way. Once we’re both seated, she hands us our menus and asks what we would like to drink. I order a glass of sweet tea, and Hunter orders a beer. Then she’s gone, and I breathe out a sigh of relief then laugh at myself for being so weird about this.

“What’s so funny?” Hunter asks, smiling.

“I’m just crazy sometimes, that’s all. You’re right, though, this place is great.”

His smile only widens and sends my butterflies into overdrive, and my pussy starts to throb. It’s going to be a long night. Clearing those thoughts from my head, I start a conversation with Hunter while looking at the menu. “How was your first day at the firehouse?”

“Good. I know most of the guys there so, it was like another reunion of sorts. I had to do some first-day stuff like paperwork and training videos from HR, but other than that, it was good. I’ll be training with James for the next couple of weeks, getting the hang of the way they do things here.”

“How long have you been a firefighter?” I ask, curious if this is his first job at a firehouse.

He studies my face before answering. “For over five years.”

“Really?”

Hunter laughs. “Why are you so surprised by that?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. I guess it’s hard to picture since I thought of a million different scenarios of what could have happened to you since you up and disappeared.”

“So, you’ve been thinking about me?” He asks, giving me that devilish grin that must get him out of all sorts of trouble.

“Where did you go?” I ask instead of getting pulled into his sexy man charm.

His smile vanishes, and for a few seconds, I think he won’t answer until he leans in close. “Whitley, I promise to tell you everything after dinner. It’s kind of a lot to get into while we’re out. I don’t want you thinking I don’t want to share, but I had hoped we could do it after we were alone.” He tells me quietly.

“Okay,” I whisper back, not understanding what the big deal is. It’s his story to tell if he needs it to be a private conversation, so be it.

Hunter quickly changes the subject. “What made you take a job at the Emergency Call Center?”

Ah, that’s an easy one. “I was looking for a solid job with good hours, something I could work during the day and take college courses at night. Dad told me about the position when it became available, and that was that. After working the job for a year, I decided to change my major to Emergency Management. I never realized how many people need help and the many different emergencies that come about. I love what I do, and one day, I hope to move up and have more responsibility.”

His grin is back. “You always did like helping people. That’s one of the things I admire about you. I’ll never forget the day I saw you walking down the road soaked to the bone and covered in mud. When I asked you what happened, you told me how you saw some little kid get his bike stuck in the mud. You helped him get it out and then walked him home.”

“That’s when Ramsey started calling me Swamp Thing. You know, every time it rains, he still calls me that.”

“You got so mad at him, it was cute.”

“I can’t believe you picked me up in your car and gave me a ride home though. I got your car so dirty.” I say laughing.

“I couldn’t let you walk home in the rain, baby.”

Every time he calls me baby, my stomach flips. I can’t help but smile like a silly girl. Before I can respond, our drinks arrive with our server.

“How are we doing tonight, you two? I’m Dave, and I’ll be your server this evening.” The guy says as he sets our drinks down in front of us.

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