Page 38 of And Then There Was Us
Hugh held out his arm, and she took it as they walked down to the parking lot. Brianna’s eyes lit up when she saw the Ferrari.
“You brought the red one!” She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.
Seeing her reaction was more than he could have hoped for.
“How could I drive anything else on our first real date?”
BRIANNA FELT LIKE she was in a fairy tale. Seeing Hugh in his white button-down shirt and dark slacks was enough to melt her heart, and when he handed her the roses, she thought she’d died and gone to heaven. But the gift for Layla had taken her right over the edge. Thoughtful was not a big enough word to describe Hugh’s generosity and consideration of her daughter. He did all the right things, and his emphasis was on the things that mattered. The people that mattered.
She ran her hand along the smooth leather seats. As beautiful as the car was, Hugh had been right. It was just a car—a beautiful, extravagant car. It was the fact that he’d driven the red one, the one she’d wanted to take the day before, that made her swoon, and then when he called the evening theirfirst real date, she knew she was a goner.
They drove through town, and Hugh took a back road that led behind the park. Brianna couldn’t take her eyes off of him. She kept waiting for something bad to happen. For him to say he was married or had three illegitimate children. Something that would crush her hopes of allowing her heart to embrace him, but everything he did and said made him more appealing. She wondered what his father was like. Hugh was a testament to the man who had raised him. It dawned on her how similar that thought was to what her mother had told her about Layla, and that thought boosted her confidence about going out with Hugh. She was a good mother. She did deserve to follow her heart, even if carefully.
“Where are we going? Isn’t this for maintenance vehicles?” Brianna asked as they drove through the open gate clearly markedMaintenance Vehicles.
“Yeah.” He covered her hand with his. “But tonight it’s just for us.”
Anticipation prickled her arms. Brianna hadn’t been on a first date in forever, and just being near Hugh was enough to make her nervous, but to think he had planned something special was almost too much to bear. She fidgeted with the edge of her dress.
He pulled up behind the lake and parked beneath the umbrella of a large colorful tree. Hugh opened the door for her and offered her his arm. Though she hadn’t dated many men, she’d watched Kat and other women with their dates, and she couldn’t remember any of the men acting consistently like gentlemen the way that Hugh did.
“Are you warm enough?” Hugh asked.
“Yeah, I think so.”
He grabbed his leather jacket from the backseat and put it over his arm. “Just in case.” Hugh dragged his eyes down her dress again, and Brianna looked down, wondering if she’d overdressed. She wasn’t sure how to dress with Hugh. He seemed comfortable in jeans or slacks, and she was sure that even if he had shown up in rags he’d have still looked like a million bucks. She didn’t know how to dress for a date. Period. Thank goodness Kat had some ideas, but now she questioned her selection.
“Is it too short?” she asked.
“Too…Bree, you look so hot that I’m having a hard time following through with our plans and not taking you right home to ravish you.”
Ravish me?The thought terrified and excited her at once.
As they crested the small hill toward the lake, blue lights in the water came into view.
“Look.” Brianna pointed toward the lake, and they walked over. “I haven’t been here in forever, but I’ve never seen lights in the lake before. This is so beautiful.” Briannaoohed andaahed as the lights changed from blue to pink to lavender. “This isgorgeous. Is there something going on here tonight? Why aren’t there more people here?”
“The park closes at sunset.”
She looked at him, and understanding dawned on her. “You rented the park?”
“Not really. I just pulled in a few favors. But it is all ours tonight.”
“Hugh? Really? I didn’t even know you could do such a thing.”Oh my gosh! Definite fairy tale.
“Let’s walk this way.” Hugh put his hand on the small of her back and guided her across the grass.
She’d already come to love the feel of his hand on her back. It was a possessive, caring touch, and she’d been taking care of herself for so long that just for one night she wished she could crawl right into his arms and let him care for her.
“I used to take Layla here when she was a toddler. There’s a playground on the far side of the park, and she used to love the swings. She could swing for hours.”
“Why’d you stop taking her?” he asked.
“Oh, life got busy. I had to work more to make ends meet. My mom always says life is what happens when you’re busy making plans.”
Hugh pulled her close. “Then maybe we should never make plans and just keep living our lives so we don’t miss anything.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder, adding another thing she loved about him to her mental list.Sees the good in everything.
