Page 236 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
“Much better. Thanks for asking,” he calls to her retreating form.
She lifts a hand in a backward wave. “I’ve got a little more of that soup if you decide she needs it!”
Zach and I turn and make our way back to the Hawthorne kitchen. “Your mom is sick?”
He nods. “She flew down to visit and must have picked up something on the airplane. Tatum made her some chicken noodle soup.”
I . . . don’t even know what to say about this. I thought I knew Tatum, but here lately, every conversation I have either with her or about her just shows me more ways that I was wrong.
“In other news,” Zach says as we approach my office, “can we talk about how Tatum actuallyisyour type, you reallydohave a thing for her, and when you told me I better keep my hands off, it wasabsolutelybecause you’re into her?”
I step into my office, turning my body to block the way so Zach can’t follow me. I do getsomeprivileges as the boss.
“We aren’t going to talk about any of that.” I hold up a finger. “But the hands-off rule still applies.”
I shut the door in his laughing face, then move to my desk, anxious to have a few minutes of solitude before our pre-dinner service team meeting.
I’m glad I talked to Tatum, and I think her suggestions will help, but I need to have a conversation with Perry and Olivia about the restaurant anyway. They deserve to be in the loop, especially if I wind up firing Griffin.
I drop into my desk chair, hesitating when I see a small gift box on top of my closed laptop. I untie the ribbon and tug off the lid to reveal a hand-carved black bear about the size of my palm.The variegated colors of the wood swirl together like marble, and it’s been polished to a glossy sheen. The craftsmanship and artistry of the carving are next level. At the bottom of the box, there’s a handwritten note from Tatum.
For the hero I didn’t know I needed. Thanks for saving me. I’ll never forget it!
I set the bear on my desk and stare at it for a long moment.
I like Tatum.
I like that she’s so thoughtful. That she gets to know people. That she’s so smart and perceptive. I like that she pays attention andseesthings others miss. Details. Nuances. People.
I like her, and that scares me. I don’t usually give myself enough time to like someone before I cut things off.
But Tatum is here. Around me every day.
I couldn’t cut that off even if I wanted to.
And Ireallydon’t want to.
So now what am I supposed to do?
Chapter Nine
Tatum
I bounce up anddown on my toes, the cold concrete of the loading dock behind the restaurant seeping through my fuzzy socks and chilling me all the way to my bones.
I keep my eyes on Toby, watching as he wanders around the small lawn beside the restaurant. This early in the morning, he shouldn’t venture far, and we aren’t close enough to the woods for there to be bears—at least I don’tthinkwe are.
When Lennox said the bears wouldn’t come back, did he mean they wouldn’t come backever?
I’m going to tell myselfyes.Otherwise, I might never come outside again.
A sharp wind blows, and I rub my hands up and down my bare arms. I should have grabbed a hoodie on my way down the stairs. But Toby was anxious to go out, and I keep forgetting how cold it is outside until I get there. I’m too used to Southern California where the weather is pretty much hoodies optional three hundred and sixty-five days a year.
At least there’s no one else around. Which is good because I’m wearing tiny pajama shorts you can hardly even see underneathmy oversized T-shirt. My fuzzy socks complete the look, branding me, if nothing else, as an idiot who has no idea how to dress appropriately for the weather.
Even worse, my outfit is uncomfortably close to what Bree suggested I wear in front of Lennox to try and grab his attention—a realization that makes me all the more anxious to get inside before he randomly shows up and sees me. The last thing I want is for him to think I’m wearing this outfit on purpose. I may be growing more comfortable with whateverfeelingsare happening, but I’m not going to woo himlike that.
Gravel crunches behind me, and I turn to see Lennox’s dark sedan pulling into the parking lot.
