Page 28 of And Then There Was Us
Hugh made a mental note of the date. “Let’s look around. We can get a coffee or a soda in the mall.” He wasn’t into shopping, but he’d do whatever it took to keep their time together from ending.
“Sure.” She looked at her watch. “How far away is my car?”
“It’s at my place. They dropped it off about half an hour ago.”
Her jaw dropped open. “They dropped my car off at your house? That’s a really good friend.”
“It’s my pit crew chief, Art. He’s a nice guy.”Except when he tries to set me up on blind dates.
“Now I feel bad. You asked your employee to do it? He probably felt obligated.” She rolled her eyes as she paid for the jacket.
Hugh laughed. “It’s not like that at all. I’ve never asked Art to fix anyone’s car besides my own, and only the cars I race. He’s a friend, Bree. I’d do the same for him if he needed it.” Art hadn’t given him an ounce of grief about fixing her car, and he knew Art had a litany of questions he’d been holding back, but that was how their relationship worked. Respect above all else, and after the mistake Art had made with the blind date, he owed Hugh a favor.
They made their way back downstairs and into the mall. Hugh noticed two teenage boys following them, and he tightened his grip on Brianna’s hand. He’d counted himself lucky not to be recognized the last time they were out together. It appeared his luck had ended. When they slowed to look in the window of the Gap, one of the boys tapped him on the shoulder.
“Um, excuse me, but aren’t you Hugh Braden?” The lanky teen looked at his heavyset friend, then back at Hugh with a nervous smile.
“Yeah. Want an autograph?” The quicker he got it over with, the less chance he had of others taking the opportunity to gather around. He faced the window of the store as the boys looked at each other. “Either of you have a pen?”
They shook their heads.
“I do.” Brianna snagged a pen and notebook from her purse and handed it to Hugh.
“Are you here for a race?” the taller of the two boys asked.
“Just practicing and relaxing. Hey, I’ll let you watch me practice if you don’t draw any attention to us. Deal?” He handed them each an autograph.
“Cool. Yeah. You’re awesome,” the heavyset boy said.
“Call this guy. He’ll hook you up.” Hugh wrote down his public relations rep’s name and number and handed it to them.
“Thanks, man. We really appreciate it.”
Hugh watched them walk away and breathed a sigh of relief when no one else stopped for an autograph. Without his jacket on, he rarely got stopped in public.
“Wow. That was kinda cool,” Brianna said.
Hugh rolled his eyes. “I guess.” He pulled her close. “But I’m a little spoiled. I don’t want to share my time with you.” He felt a pang of guilt, thinking about Layla. “I mean, with strangers,” he added.
“I know what you meant.” Brianna stopped at Gap Kids to look at a dress in the window. “Does that happen a lot?”
“Thankfully no. Not unless I’m at a race or wearing my racing jacket.” Her eyes were serious, and he felt her dwelling on the autograph. “Let’s go in,” Hugh suggested.
“No. I can’t go in there. They’re a little expensive for me, and I can’t walk out without a whole new wardrobe for her. It’s a seriously dangerous store for me.” She took a step away from the window.
He grabbed her hand. “Am I allowed to just buy her a pair of sparkly shoes? I noticed that she had a few pairs lined up by the door in your apartment, and look.” He pointed to row of sequined ballet flats in various colors. “You can tell her they’re from you, or from a friend.”
“I can’t let you do that. You haven’t even met her yet.” Brianna shook her head.
“It’s not like I’d be buying her a car. It’s a pair of shoes. We can even get her pink to go with her new coat.” Hugh hadn’t expected to be excited about buying any kid a present, but now that he’d spotted those little sequined shoes that were so similar to the ones Layla had at the apartment, and he saw the idea dancing in Brianna’s eyes, he really wanted to buy them for her.
“She would love them.” She put her hand on the window and looked at the shoes.
Hugh took her hand. “That decides it, then.” He pulled her into the store and picked up a pair of the pink flats, turning them over in his hands. “What size does she wear?”
“Two.”
“They make shoes in a two?” Hugh laughed. “That seems impossible.”
