Page 85 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
“Do the thing?”
He growls in frustration. “Talking. Flirting. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to start?”
I press my lips together.
“If you start to laugh at me, I’m rescinding my offer.”
I clear my throat. “Not...laughing,” I say. “Let’s godo the thing.”
We make our way toward Lennox who is across the room, his back against the bar, his ankles crossed. He almost looks the part of a movie star as much as Flint does.
I loosen my tie on my way over. I’ve been wearing a suit for close to four hours now, and that’s about three hours and fifty-nine minutes too long.
I’m five yards away from Lennox when three women approach, leaning on either side of the bar next to Lennox. Perry’s steps slow beside me. “Nope,” he says. “I changed my mind. I’m not ready for this.”
I grab his arm. “Lennox has already seen us,” I say. “If we turn away now, there’s no way it won’t look rude.”
“But there are three of them,” Perry argues. “I don’t care if we look rude.”
“There are three of us. One conversation,” I say. “You can do this. You don’t even have to say anything. Just stand there and try not to frown.”
Lennox introduces us when we stop in front of him, and the women shift to make room for us. The brunette closest to me slips her hand around my forearm.One conversation,I think to myself. If I can make it through one conversation, maybe hope isn’t completely lost.
“Lennox tells me you’re a kayaker,” she says.
My phone buzzes in my pocket before I can answer.
Could it be Kate?
Do I want it to be Kate?
That last one is a stupid question because of course I want it to be Kate. I may know I need to get over her, but I’m less than five minutes into this new life plan, and I’m only human.
But I’m also a gentleman, and I will not ignore this woman’s question no matter what text pinged into my phone.
I nod. “I am.”
She twirls her hair around her finger. “Will you tell me about it? When I think of kayaking, I imagine paddling around on placid lakes. But I’m guessing what you do is more than that?”
My phone buzzes one more time.
I run a hand across the back of my neck. “Yeah. It’s...not on lakes,” I manage to say.
She wrinkles her brow. “The ocean, then? Rivers?”
Another buzz from my phone, and then another.
“I’m sorry, can you just...” I pull out my phone. “Excuse me for one second?”
I’m the literal worst.
The grimace the woman offers me as I turn away confirms it.
I move a few yards away and pull up my text messages. The messagesarefrom Kate. One right after another.
Kate: Hi.
Kate: That’s a dumb way to start.
