Page 1 of My Forbidden Valentine

Chapter 1 - Emma

I glance at the clock for the third time in the last five minutes. He’s not coming. Serves me right for scheduling a first date on Valentine’s Day. I should’ve known better.

The worst part is wondering if he showed up and saw me before leaving, deciding I wasn’t worth it.

Why do I still listen to my best friend? I have no idea. She was the one to set up this date, telling me how great this guy was, how we were perfect for each other. Part of me agreed to this date just so she would stop talking about it. This was two weeks ago, but today I was excited about the date. I even put on some makeup! All dolled up only to be eyed by the waitress for just ordering a glass of water since I arrived thirty minutes ago. A waste, really. And now, all the excitement has turned into pure disappointment. Mostly at myself for getting my hopes up. And because I've decided to drive, I can't even drink alcohol to drown my sorrows.

Gosh, I feel so stupid for being this disappointed at being stood up for a first date. It shouldn't affect me this much. I don't even know this guy! Maybe it's just because it's been a while or maybe it's the fact that this year I'm turning thirty. It seems immense, and the date has been looming on my head for a while. Especially since I’ve been recently laid off.

Life has just been too hard lately and someone to take the edge off, even for a while, would have been nice.

I'm also regretting not ordering an appetizer, at least I wouldn't be this hungry right now. Why the hell am I still waiting? I'm going home and stop at some fast-food restaurant on my way. I'm craving french fries and that's enough to make me stand up and apologize to the waitress for wasting her time. She is kind and seems to feel bad for me, so maybe I was just projecting my insecurities onto her earlier.

I drove thirty minutes away from Hope Peak, a small town in Montana and the place I call home, to get here. I love living in a small town, but it's hard to meet new people, so I usually have to drive to another town when I go out on a date.

I can't wait to reach Tee's Drive-In and get my hands on their french fries. Who cares about Valentine's Day, anyway? I walk to the car, but as the freezing air hits every single part of my body, I quicken my pace. I turn the key in the ignition and my car doesn't start. Of course, this had to happen! Of course I couldn't have a nice Valentine's Day like everyone else.

My best friend is currently on vacation on Pepys Island and while I could call her for emotional support, she is not going to be much help four thousand miles away. Ruining my parents' Valentine's Day is also out of the question. They love this holiday. Which is incredibly weird as I'm deeply indifferent to it. How can they love this holiday so much and that hasn’t rubbed off on me? They go all out, the chocolates, the flowers, they even take a day off every year to celebrate. No way I'm going to ruin that, even if I don't get what's so special about Valentine's Day.

I could try to get someone to tow me, but I don't know how long I'd have to wait. I should have brought somethingwarmer than my thin cardigan, which is stylish but terrible for this kind of cold.

I'm just going to call him.

August. The owner of Hope Peak's garage and my dad's best friend.

August... he is not the most talkative person and will probably be pissed about a call in the middle of the night, not that he doesn't look pissed all the time. But he's probably able to fix whatever's wrong in two minutes. And I trust him.

So I decide to call him, feeling thankful for my father's insistence that I save his phone number. "If anything happens and we are not available, just keep his number in case there's an emergency." He had said when I moved out eight years ago and now I'm glad he nagged me so much about it.

I hear a grunt and it immediately makes me regret this phone call. I take a deep breath. The car is not going to fix itself, no matter how intimidating this call is. "Hello? It's Emma, Jeffrey's daughter. My car broke down..."

He cuts me off and barks, "Are you hurt?" If he didn't sound so worried, I'd be pissed about the way he cut me off.

"No, I'm fine. The car just doesn't start anymore."

"Where are you? I'll come and get you."

After I explain where I am, I grab the blanket that's on the back seat and decide to lower my car seat while I wait. It's cold inside, but the blanket is one of those polyester comforters that quickly warms you. I must doze off for a while because I wake up to a small knock on my window. It startles me, but then I see August.

I forgot just how handsome he is. It’s not like I see him every day, and it seems like age is only making him moreattractive. Plus, this is the closest my face has ever been to his. Or maybe I’m just more into the whole rugged, gruff look now. He’s nothing like the guys my age—his beard is thick and a bit messy, with streaks of silver that only make him look more distinguished. His piercing eyes carry a quiet intensity, and his jawline is sharp and his neck shows me the beginning of a tattoo that makes me wonder how far it goes. And he’s so big. It’s like he could pick me up without a second thought, even though I’m far from petite. Right now, I feel ridiculously small.

Instinctively, I wipe at my mouth to make sure there’s no drool on my face. Part of me wants to look my best for him, but he quickly pulls back and starts examining the car, leaving me feeling foolish for even entertaining the thought that he might be interested in me. He’s probably more drawn to women his own age, women who actually have their lives figured out.

I leave the car, eager to be useful.

"You late for your date?" He asks without even glancing at me. "I'm not driving you around in this weather."

It almost makes me laugh at how abrupt he is. "He didn't show up," I say. He stops and looks at me, his eyes a bit more wild than earlier.

"I'm sorry." He says finally after a couple of two long seconds, he doesn't seem to be quite the grump he usually is. There's more empathy in his tone and I feel slightly better that I've called him.

"It's okay." I say as I avert my eyes to the car. Maybe it's the knitted hat and the worn out jacket that are making him feel terribly approachable, but something is pulling me towards him. Or maybe it's just because it's Valentine's Day and I'm feeling lonely.

"You must be cold." He says matter of factly, as he takes one look at my outfit and the small blanket wrapped around my shoulders. "Go, sit in my truck, I'll hook the car up, the air conditioning is on, you can increase the temperature if you want." He's barking orders at me, but there's worry behind them. Maybe he's just too awkward after all.

I do what I'm told and sit in the passenger seat of his truck. His truck is full of a scent that's sure to be him, a mixture of strong aftershave, which is weird because I doubt he shaves, with a hint of laundry soap, it's comforting, it makes me want to learn more about him. His truck is also warmer than my freezing car and I feel myself fully relax while I watch August hook my car to his truck. The windows start to fog up and I feel strangely at ease now. Despite being a shitty Valentine's, I'm glad he has come.

Chapter 2 - Emma

---