Page 68 of Worth the Want
Knox Holloway is a man of action. A quality that, if I had one, would be at the top of a list for a potential husband. Han will have a field day psycho-analyzing that thought.Potential husband? Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?
I’m smiling when I speak again. “The feeling is mutual, Mr. Holloway.”
He grins. “Well, thank God for that.”
“Bye, Knox. Thanks for asking me to stay.”
“Open invitation, Indie.”
“Yeah? Next time, I want to wake up with you still in the bed with me.”
“Oh? Why?”
“I’ll tell you tomorrow night at dinner,” I call, walking thepath to my house. My smile begins to fade, already feeling the weight that disappears when I’m with Knox and Hazel settle back onto my shoulders.
If I want this to work,and fuck I really want this to work, I’m going to have to be honest. Not only with Knox but with myself.
“I’m sorry your truck is acting up. I kinda love that old thing,” Indie says from behind the steering wheel of her car.
“I know. It’s a real shame,” I tell her, knowing full well that my truck is fine.
“So why did we need to come all the way out here? I’m always down for a hike, but it’s getting late, and I would have been perfectly happy with you making me dinner, rubbing my feet,” she says, flashing me a smile before continuing, “and just staying in with Hazey tonight.”
I believe her, but I also want to show her that life with me, though much slower paced than she may be used to, doesn’t have to be boring.
“As much as I love a quiet night in, this is also an apology of sorts, if you remember,” I tell her.
“Yes, I remember. You also mentioned dinner, but where are we possibly going to be getting dinner out here?” she asks, taking one hand off the steering wheel and gesturing out her window.
Last night I told her that I didn’t like going to the movies. She was shocked and hurt to hear that even after I explained that I don’t care for large crowds, but more than that, I don’t like watching movies with other people because I don’t like gauging my own reactions against others. She didn’t like my explanation at all. I made it even worse when I said that going to the movies is silly.
I’m not exactly a glass-half-full guy, but I never want any cranky thoughts I have to dull her shine. So when she arrived at her home this afternoon, she found a note attached to her door.
I’m sorry I was an ass.
Have dinner with me?
-Knox
What she doesn’t know is it took me most of the day to set our date up.
“The turnoff is just around the corner up here,” I instruct, as we drive up the side of the mountain.
“Okay? I’m still missing where the restaurant is going to be. I’m fairly easygoing, Knox, but you don’t want to see me hangry,” she threatens.
I chuckle. “I wouldn’t dream of it, Honey.”
She turns onto the dirt road, following it a little further until the lights come into view.
“What’s this?” she asks me, eyes wide, looking between me and my truck that’s parked in the middle of a wildflower field. The bed is filled with pillows and blankets, and I have Christmas lights strung up around it. Behind it is a white sheet attached to two wooden posts that we’ll watch our movie on.Alder dropped off our food about five minutes ago in the cab of the truck.
“Thatis where we’re having dinner tonight,” I tell her.
“You’re kidding. You did all this for me?”
“I did.”
“I don’t know what to say. No one’s ever done anything like this for me,” she says, her voice full of wonder.
