Page 31 of Hawk

I got a little thrill when I arrived at my house and saw Hawk’s truck sitting out front. I had to remind myself he wasn’t here because he wanted to be. He was here to protect me, but it would be nice to have someone waiting for me at home. Someone to cook dinner for and to talk about my day with. That had always been what I wanted. Or at least it had been before Butch. I hadn’t even let myself think that way in a long time, but having Hawk around was waking up those old thoughts.

I thought I’d been doing good here in Vesper, but the truth was Butch was still in my head, making me scared and stealing my dreams. I didn’t say that because he was here, literally scaring me. I meant somewhere in my subconscious, where I held all my deepest wants and desires, and that dirtbag didn’t deserve to have that kind of power over me or my life.

I pulled into my driveway, and I didn’t even get the car stopped before the door opened and Hawk stepped out. I reached for the door handle, but he held up a hand in the universal sign of stop. I froze, looking around to make sure I wasn’t in any danger, but I didn’t see anyone around. He came down the steps and around the car to the driver’s door.

He opened it and looked down at me. “Hey.”

“Hey. Have you been here all day?” I knew he’d said he would take care of letting Seph out, but I hated for him to miss work because of me.

“No, I got here about thirty minutes ago.” He motioned for me to get out of the car. When I stood up, he placed his hand on the small of my back and kept it there until we were safely in the house.

Seph was sitting in the entryway, waiting for us to come in. “Hello, pretty girl. How are you today? You’re going home tonight. Did you know that? Your dads will be here to get you in a couple of hours, and then you can sleep in your bed.”

She wagged her tail and stared at me like she’d understood exactly what I said. I looked over at Hawk. “When all this mess is over, I want to get a dog of my own. I had a boxer when I was a kid that I just loved, and I really miss having one.”

“You should do that, then. What kind do you want? Another boxer?”

I shrugged. “I don’t think so. I think a different breed. Not one as big as Seph, but not a tiny one, either. Maybe something the size of a beagle or a terrier. But I’d like to adopt one from the shelter, I think.”

“That’s a good size. So how was your day? Anything happen I need to know about?”

“Not today. I helped Mary Ellen—that’s the woman I work for—repot some of the plants in her conservatory, and that’s about it.”

“Her conservatory?” he asked.

“I know, right? I didn’t even know conservatories were real things until I went to work for her.”

“She’s a very wealthy woman, so I’m not surprised.”

My brows furrowed. “How do you know how wealthy she is?”

“She lives in Fairway Oaks, so you can’t be that shocked I would know. But the truth is, I had Kat look into her just to be safe.”

“Be safe from what? She’s an eighty-year-old woman who’s lonely because her husband passed away, and they don’t have any children.” Mary Ellen was the sweetest person alive, and I hated the idea that her privacy had been violated like that.

“It’s just standard procedure, Mika. I wouldn’t have been comfortable with you staying there all day without protection if I hadn’t checked.”

“Fine, but don’t tell me anything you learned. She has a right to only share what she wants with me.” At least then I wouldn’t feel like I’d personally crossed any lines. “Now, have you eaten? Because I’m starved. She likes to eat brunch instead of lunch most days, so by the time I get home, I want dinner.”

“I could eat. We could order pizza.”

“I was thinking I would cook something. Cooking relaxes me.”

“You don’t have to cook for me, you know.”

“I have to cook for myself, so why not make enough for both of us?” I really did like to cook. At least Butch hadn’t managed to take that away from me. I especially enjoyed cooking for my friends and for people I liked, and I liked Hawk.

“I’m not going to complain about a home-cooked meal. I don’t get them very often.”

“Well, tonight you do. It won’t take me long.” I had all the ingredients to make one of my favorites, and hopefully he would like it, too.

“I left work early, so I need to check my email real quick. I’m hoping that maybe Kat has some information for me, so I’ll go do that while you get dinner ready.”

I was sliding the chicken into the oven a few minutes later when my phone chimed with a text notification.

Andy

You home?

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