Page 17 of Living for Truth
“I don’t understand how you don’t see how fucking beautiful you are, Hannah. Not only are you physicallystunning—which I thought as soon as you walked into my shop—but your personality is beautiful. I know it’s only been two weeks, and we’ve only talked through text, but I’ve had more fun texting you than I have on real dates. I’m not trying to propose right now, but I want to get to know you. I can understand needing time after a heartbreak like yours. At the very least, I’d like to be friends.”
Chapter 6
Morgan
Ihold my breath as I wait for Hannah to respond.
I’m not lying,per se.Idowant to be friends. But I also want so much more. When I saw her walk into the dining room, I swear the whole restaurant faded away, and it was just her and me.
A goddess gracing me—a mere mortal—with her presence.
Am I being dramatic? Absolutely. I’ve always been one for theatrics. But the fact the two women I haven’t stopped thinking about are thesame person?That’s got to be fate.
Hannah chews her plush bottom lip anxiously as she considers my spiel. God, what I wouldn’t do to be able to reach across the table and hold her hand, to touch her somehow.
“I think I’d like to be friends. If that’s okay?” Her full cheeks blush again, and I’m dying to feel their heat under my palm.
But I will take the gift she’s given me and be friends.
I can definitely bejustfriends with my dream girl.
Pull yourself together, man. You just met her.
“I would love nothing more.” My smile is genuine, though I feel a little like I’ve been sacked on the field. “Now, down to important business. Since I’ve been here before, I’m more than happy to order what I think is best if you don’t want to make a decision about food. And since I asked you to come, I will be paying, and I will not take no for an answer.”
Hannah rolls her eyes. “Fine, but next time we hang out, I’m paying. Go ahead and order, I don’t know what to choose.”
“Whatever the lady wants.” I don’t think I could smile wider if I tried. She’s already thinking about the next time we’ll hang out! This bodes well for my plan to win her trust and, hopefully, her heart. “Do you have any allergies or preferences?”
“No allergies. I’m not a fan of fish, but that’s the only thing I can think of.”
“Perfect, I know just what to get then.”
Cody comes back with our coffees and our baby pancakes with a bunch of different toppings, and Hannah’s eyes light up with interest. They look absolutely delicious.
Almost as delicious as the woman across from me.
No! Friends don’t think like that.
“Alright, have we decided what to have for the main course?” Cody asks, a notepad in hand.
“We’re going to have the eggs cochon, the steak gorgonzola flatbread, and two cinnamon rolls, please. We’llbe splitting all of it, so if we could have some empty plates that would be great.”
“Fantastic!” Cody clicks his pen and takes our menus. “It should be out soon. Enjoy the Dutch babies.”
“Thank you,” Hannah says politely. I push the plate of pancakes over to her, and she hesitantly takes one and fills it with some raspberries, blueberries, and a dollop of whipped cream.
She takes a bite, humming happily as the flavors melt on her tongue. “That’s really good. The pancake is soft on the inside but crisp on the outside, and the sweetness from the whipped cream balances the tart from the berries.”
“Yeah, they’re one of my favorites,” I say absently as I watch her little pink tongue dart out and lick a falling drop of whipped cream.
This whole “being just friends” thing is going to be extremely difficult if I can’t even watch her eat a fucking pancake without getting turned on. I feel like a pervert.
“So,” her melodic voice brings me back to the present, “how did you get a reservation on such short notice?”
“My friend Charlie is the manager here. We dated for like a week, but it was an amicable break up, and he said whenever I need a reservation, to give him a call.”
“Oh, well, that’s cool. Do you…” she trails off before shaking her head—something I’ve noticed she does a lot, like she’s censoring herself—and continuing, “So you come here a lot?”
