Page 13 of Hazel and Elijah Find Out: First They F*cked Around

“It is?” she asked.

“Yeah. I don’t know what that text was about, or why you haven’t texted me sooner, but I get to take you out to dinner, and I like that.”

“You do?”

I pulled into an angled spot on the street just outside of Benji’s Place. Putting the car into park, I turned the key and shifted to look at her. “Yeah.”

“I like it, too.” Her incredible smile hadn’t faltered, but it had turned a bit shy.

I considered giving in to the desire to kiss her—to see if she tasted like the giddy light in her eyes. Could I pull that excitement in and give her some of mine? I’d pined for this woman for month after month, berating myself for not asking if it was okay if I reached out to her when the sale of the clinic was done. The way my dad had lorded the sale over her to control me, I didn’t want to threaten her stability. I found her social media platforms, typed out messages, and then deleted them. Without so much as sending a friend request.

I assumed if she wasn’t calling or texting, when she’d gone out of her way to get my number from Ransom, there had to be a reason.

But now she was in my car, looking at me like I’d just told her something she’d hoped to hear.

Fuck, I wanted to kiss her.

Displaying incredible self-control, I stepped out of the car.

I was determined to make a point that I wasn’t just a guy she’d fuck around with every few months. If she didn’t want a relationship, I couldn’t give her anything else. I liked her too much, and it would hurt to not be liked back.

It was a weekday, so there weren’t many other patrons, but we still got glances from the few that were there. A table of women who appeared close to our ages shared excited whispers about us. I thought maybe I recognized one of them, but I wasn’t sure. Judging by their reactions and age, we probably all went to school together. Which meant they knew my…reputationfrom high school.

A reputation that was earned. It was fueled by a flirty nature, being a horny teenager, and a need to claim control of my life in some way.

And of course, getting caught with someone I shouldn’t have been fooling around with…

Hazel must have been aware of my history, like everyone else in town. As a grown man, my monogamous relationships were few and far between. I only entered them if I really cared for the person and saw potential for a future.

And that was exactly what I wanted with her, a future.

Hopefully, my past wouldn’t get in the way of that.

It had been a long time since that sweaty summer day. The earthy smell of the shed’s interior. The blinding sunlight slicing through the dark. A booming angry voice making Hannah’s body turn rigid in my arms. Her sudden fear as sharp and potent as mine was in me.

I took Hazel’s hand and led us by the gossiping table, walking by them as if they weren’t there. Her fingers were cold and strong. They fit nicely in mine.

She let go of my hand and slid into a navy booth, sitting with her back to the other women.

“Sorry about that,” I mumbled, lowering to the booth across from her.

Her eyebrows drew together. “Why are you sorry?”

“I didn’t realize us being seen together would cause a scene.”

“Elijah, you haven’t lived here in like over ten years, and they’re still using you as gossip fodder. That’s… embarrassing for them. Also, I think it was more about what they thought of me being with you.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Just the expression on Lily’s face.” She shrugged. “I’ve never been one of the cool kids.”

I opened my mouth to tell her they were wrong when a familiar voice boomed, “Eli, I was wondering when you were gonna darken my door again. Why do you always keep me waiting?”

Ben Hart strode around a table between us and the bar, two paper menus in one hand. The lines around his blue eyes and smirk were deeper than they had been when we were in school, but he was just as welcoming as ever.

I gave Emily, the bartender, a wave that she returned.

Standing, I hugged him, both of us pounding on each other’s backs. “Anticipation makes the heart grow fonder.”

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