Chapter 28

I looked at Hunter as we ate our dinner. He had found chicken casserole that we had reheated and now we sat at one of the tables in the communal dining room and ate. I had been preparing for this to be the final time I saw him. But his kind offer to let me use their kitchen for my catering meant we would get to see each other again. Maybe not as often, but it would give me an excuse to talk to him from time to time. The thought made me happier than I would like to admit. After the whole Simon fiasco I had promised myself that I would stay away from men for a couple of years. Give myself time to deal with what had happened, to heal. But then I had to go and catch feelings for someone else. And not just anyone, but for Simon’s father. I had a hard time seeing if it was because I actually saw him as a better man and had a genuine interest in him. Or was I so damaged that he acted as some kind of surrogate? I didn’t think that was the case, but I didn’t trust my own feelings. Maybe I could find a way to introduce Hunter to Wictor? I trusted Wictor to tell me the truth, and he was a good judge of character.

“Where has your mind gone? Did the detective say something to upset you?” Hunter asked.

“What? Oh, no. I was just trying to take in the fact that this whole thing might be over and my life can get back to normal. No detectives popping up, no bad guys chasing me. I really am grateful for all your help. Without you I would still be in the middle of all that craziness,” I told him. He smiled at me.

“That’s what I’m good at. I’m amazing at sorting out other people's issues. Mine? Not so much,” he said.

“Still no word from Simon?” I asked.

“No,” he confessed and he sounded down. “But let’s not talk about him.”

“I know you avoid the subject because of me, and I’m thankful for your consideration. But if you need to talk, it’s okay. I can lend an ear or two. You have been a good friend to me and let me vent when I needed it.”

“That’s sweet of you. But as you told the detectives, there is a reason Simon is your ex. I can respect that.” His voice sounded normal again, but some of the sadness stayed behind in his eyes. I hated seeing those warm pools of ember tainted by sadness. I was so used to their warmth. I reached out and placed my hand over his on the table.

“I really am sorry. I can’t imagine how hard it must be as a parent to see your child go through all of this and not be able to help,” I told him. He nodded and turned his hand around so he could grasp mine.

“It’s driving me a little insane that he refuses my help. On the other hand, both me and his mother are stubborn as mules, so I shouldn’t be surprised.” As he mentioned Simon’s mother I tried to school my face to not grimace. Sometimes I thought I hated that woman more than I hated her son. But even on my good days it was an even trade between the two of them. He chuckled. “Not a fan of Mandy’s I see,” Hunter said. His eyes had become warmer again. I couldn’t help but to scrunch my nose.

“I have met people I like more,” I said. Not wanting to speak ill of his and his son’s mother in front of Hunter.

“It’s okay. There isn’t any love lost between me and her either. No need to be so polite, she’s a bitch. I didn’t see it when I met her, but she always was. Though she has always made sure that Simon had what he needed and she put him first. I can respect that. Doesn’t mean I have to like her as a person,” he told me. I nodded with a smile. I liked the fact that Hunter was able to see the positive sides in his ex. It showed maturity and grace. I tried to think of positive things about Simon, but I drew a blank. Maybe I had some growing up to do, or maybe I needed more distance before I could see it. “So, still enjoying your new job?” he asked, changing subjects.

“I am. It’s another thing I’m grateful you helped me with,” I said and told him some funny stories about working with customer service. He laughed and we cleared away the plates. “How about you? What exciting new thing will you be doing now that you don’t have to babysit me?” I asked. “Bodyguard to a princess or a movie star maybe?” He laughed as we made our way to his car.

“No, nothing that fancy. I’ll be cooped up behind my desk for a while. It’s rare that I do field work these days. I leave that to the younger men,” he said.

“Oh, then I’m honoured to have got your help. Everyone knows it’s the experienced ones that are the best,” I told him. We both laughed.

“I am craving something sweet, how about we stop and get ice cream on the way?” he asked. I hesitated. I really shouldn’t eat ice cream. Especially not after eating that enormous portion of the chicken casserole Hunter had plated for me. But it had been delicious. Hunter glanced at me from the driver’s seat. “Please don’t tell me you are thinking about turning my offer down because you think it’s unhealthy?” he said. I squirmed in my seat. “Sweetness, you need to listen to me. There is nothing wrong with you. You do not need to lose weight, you are perfect. Fuck, those stirs you have to run up and down will make sure the ice cream melts away. Please let me treat you to some ice cream,” he told me. I looked at him. He had his eyes on the road but even from the side I could see the determined face he had.

“Okay, thank you. But it’s my treat this time. As a small thank you for today. You actually made this fun,” I agreed. He took my hand and squeezed it.

“I’m happy to hear that, and I will gladly accept,” he said. He didn’t let go of my hand, he just held it. He must have forgotten my hand was in his and I had no plans on telling him. We stopped at a small ice cream shop. I had been there before and they had amazing ice cream.

“What are you in the mood for?” I asked him. He studied the flavours for a moment.

“Everything looks good. Would you mind picking for me?”

“Me?” I asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, I think I would like that,” he told me.

“Okay,” I tentatively agreed. It was my turn to study the flavours. It seemed they had every flavour in existence and I felt the onset of panic. Then I took a deep breath and reminded myself that it was Hunter who had asked me. He wouldn’t be upset with me if I picked something he didn’t like. He wouldn’t find ways to torment me for weeks because I made a mistake. I could do this. The girl working was sweet as she greeted me. “I would like to ‘Share the love’ with one scoop each of black cherry, raspberry, lemon meringue, chocolate chip and coffee,” I told her.

“Sure thing,” she said cheerfully and started putting together the big bowl of ice cream, topping it off with whipped cream and maraschino cherries.

“I hope you don’t mind sharing? That way you can avoid any flavours you don’t like,” I asked Hunter. He had a big smile on his face.

“I don’t mind the least,” he told me. I paid and Hunter carried the treat over to a small round table in the corner. He held out my chair and then took the seat opposite mine. We started digging into the ice cream as we picked up the conversation. “When do you think you can have your business up and running?” he asked me. I scooped up some cherry ice cream and ate while I was thinking.

“The permit should take around three weeks, I think. So if I fill out the paperwork and send it in, I would say in about a month. Wictor can help me with business cards, flyers and things like that while I wait,” I told him.

“You have mentioned Wictor before, he is a close friend?” Hunter asked.

“More like a brother,” I said. I looked at him for a moment, I was almost certain he had done a background check on me. Why wouldn’t he? I would have done one on him if I had the means. It meant I could assume he knew about my background. In a way it was nice not having to go through the whole ‘I grew up in foster care’ conversation. “We stayed in the same foster home when we were teens and since then we are family,” I explained. “Do you have any siblings?”

“No, my mother died when I was ten and my father never remarried. He focused on raising me. He passed away the year after Simon was born,” Hunter told me.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you. He was an amazing father.” We continued talking about our childhoods. There were similarities that made us connect, we both had experienced profound loss at an early age. But while my loss had left me an orphan, he had still had his father. While I was being moved between homes, he had a good childhood for most part. I did my best to downplay the negative aspects of the way I grew up. No one wanted that dumped in their laps and I didn’t want to ruin the nice mood. About half way through the ice cream bowl I noticed that as we turned the bowl around to allow us both to taste the different flavours, Hunter always made sure the lemon and cherry flavour were pointing my way. They were my favourites and somehow he had figured it out and in his kind and unstated way, he made sure I could eat as much as I wanted from them. I finally had to admit that the warm feeling he always created in my chest had nothing to do with transferring feelings or any other excuse I had. I had fallen hard for the sexy man on the other side of the table. I met the eyes of the girl behind the counter and she gave me a big smile and two thumbs up behind Hunter’s back. She must have thought we were on a date. I smiled back even as I felt myself blush. I saw Hunter watching me, but fortunately for me, he didn’t comment. We finished our ice cream and then Hunter led me back to his car. “Ready to go home?” Hunter asked. I wanted to say no, I wanted to find an excuse to stay with him a while longer. But I couldn’t find any.

“Sure,” I told him. He parked outside my building and insisted on walking me to my door. I had stopped objecting, it never worked and I liked the gesture. I unlocked my door and turned around towards him. Should I invite him in? He had worked all day and then stayed late to help me. I should let him go home and rest.

“I really enjoyed our evening,” he said and smiled at me.

“Me too,” I agreed. There was tension between us. Hunter stood close to me and when I looked up and met his eyes I was trapped in them. Neither one of us said anything, we just looked at each other. The pull towards him almost felt physical. He took a step closer and I did the same. The space between us was almost non existing. He leaned closer and I raised my hand to place it on his chest. Somewhere a door opened with force and was slammed shut and angry steps were coming down the stairs. Hunter and I both jumped back. As if we both snapped out of a joint daze.

“I should be heading home,” Hunter told me, rubbing his neck.

“Right, it’s getting late. Drive safe,” I said and opened my door to head inside.

“Hana?” I paused and looked back at him.

“Yes?”

“I really had a nice time tonight. Thank you for the ice cream. Next time it’s my treat,” Hunter said. There was a look in his eyes that I couldn’t place. Regret?

“It was a lovely evening, thank you for keeping me company. Let me know that you got home safe,” I told him. We said goodnight and I went inside and locked my door.