Page 126 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
Step one: Tell him you’re a widow. Step two: Let him know you have a child who requires constant care and attention. Step three: Have that child announce you’re in the market for a husband ASAP. For bonus points, have the child start calling him DADDY immediately.
I won’t lie and say watching the two of them together didn’t make me think of the possibility. The man is handsome enough to make my toes tingle. And watching him change a tire while keeping my little boy engaged and entertained? A solid ten out of ten, would highly recommend. Add in the soft flannel he was wearing (Fine. I didn’t actually touch it, but itlookedsoft.), those deep brown eyes, and the close-cropped beard that lines his jaw, and I could have watched him all afternoon. Pulled up a chair with a mug of coffee and watched like I was attending my own personal drive-in movie. Movie title:The Hottest Hawthorne Brother.
I mean, I can’t be certain. He’s the only one I’ve ever seen in person. I just can’t imagineanyone, celebrity or not,being hotter than Perry.
But acknowledging that my boss is objectively attractive and believing anything could possibly happen between us are two very different things. And I am nothing if not a realist. I mean,yes,he did ask if I would be interested in coming out to the farm. Adorably, in fact, in a way that almost seemed like he was asking me on a date. But that was before Jack showed his hand. He’s in it to win himself a daddy, come what may.
For three whole days, I refused to let myself dwell on anypossibilitiesorfantasiesregarding my boss. The man is aHawthorne.I know better than to set myself up for that kind of disappointment.
But then Perry messaged me at the end of work today and asked me to come out to the farm tomorrow.
Even after Jack practically proposed on my behalf.
Even after learning about my widowed status.
Even after seeing me in person.All of me. Hips and all.
It could just be a work thing. (It’s probably just a work thing.)
But something in my gut tells me it might be more. (Maybe that’s just indigestion?)
Something in my gut andmaybethe fact that he added an actual photo to his profile?
I may or may not have spent more than a few minutes staring at the updated picture, because good grief, who wouldn’t? But that’s not the point. The point is, he added one.
But why? Why now? Was it because he met me in person and decided I was normal enough to trust me with his face? Or could it be because hewantsme to see his face whenever we communicate?
As soon as the change came through, I felt guilty for leaving my old lady avatar up, so I changed mine too. It’s an olderpicture, taken a year or so ago, but my hair is amazing in it, and I still look enough like that version of myself that I felt okay about using it. It looks more like me than a gray-haired lady in pearls anyway.
Whether it was or wasn’t on purpose, whether I’m spinning all of this into something it actually isn’t, I one hundred percent didnotexpect him to follow through with the invitation, and now that he has, I’m a little bit of a mess.
First, what am I supposed to wear to work that is comfortable, cute, and farm appropriate? And yes, the cute part is absolutely essential. Because Perry didn’t say he had a project forme. He said he had a project for us to work ontogether.
I’m more excited about this than I should be. But honestly, who am I kidding? It’s not like I didn’t see this coming. I saw Perry’s photo. I felt the reaction. Then I met him in person, and he was everything I expected him to be.
Serious. Unsmiling. Generally grumpy, but not in a way that’s off-putting. He just doesn’t seem like a lean-his-elbow-on-the-truck-and-talk-all-night kind of guy.
But he was also kind. Especially when Jack was talking his ear off, though that part maybe didsurprise me a little. Jack can be trying even for the people who love him most in the world. Perry was basically a stranger, and he took it all in stride, listening, demonstratingso muchpatience. He even smiled a few times—small ones—but they seemed genuine. (They also made me very anxious to see a real, full smile from the man, though it might be the end of me if I ever do.)
The point is, Perry intrigues me. Interests me. And despite the fear of rejection roiling in my gut, I want to show up looking my best.
Jeans? Jeans and boots? Flannel? Hair in pigtails and a straw hat?
Okay, that last one is probably too much. But SHEESH this is a stressful decision.
I settle on jeans and a flannel, cinched up and tied in a knot around my waist, and my plaid duck boots. They’re comfortable enough that I’ll be fine wearing them all day and they’ll work no matter where on the farm we wind up. At least I hope they will. I don’t have a ton of experience as an actual farmhand, though surely manual labor isn’t what Perry has in mind.
I’m only slightly alarmed that if manual laboriswhat Perry asks me to do, I’ll probably say yes. Assuming he’ll be laboring beside me.
I drop Jack off the next morning (on time!) before making my way down the mountains to Silver Creek. I’m dressed to impress andpossibly muck out goat stalls. Not exactly an easy balance, but I think I’m pulling it off?
The entire drive down to the farm, I work through everything I know about Perry’s upcoming high school reunion. Not because I need to, just because I’m really curious. I responded to the email just like Perry asked. Without any puns or even a tiny bit of snark and immediately received a reply which made me wish Ihadbeen snarky.
The woman sending the emails—whoever she is—was more than a little snippy, going off on how “just like Perry” it was that he would have his assistant reply without dignifying her with a personal response. I hit reply and was halfway through typing a reply about how Perry was too busy hanging out with his super-hot assistant to give her a passing thought, but I finally came to my senses before actually hittingsend.
She has to be an ex-girlfriend of some kind. But fifteen years later, she’s still bitter enough to be this snotty? I think of the woman’s initials in the first email.JH.Could the H stand for Hawthorne? Maybe the reunion lady is Perry’s ex-wife? Regardless, I can’t decide if it’s in Perry’s best interest for me toshow him her reply or not. He isn’t going to the reunion. It’s over and done.
But that doesn’t make me any less itchy to know the full story.
