Page 153 of The Way I Hate Him
“She’s an expert crocheter, and I’m pretty sure she could help patch it up. I want it to last forever. I know one of the reasons Cassidy stopped wearing it so much was because it started to unravel. Thought it would be a nice present for Aubree.”
“Thoughtful, Hattie.”
“Thank you.”
“So tell me why you were nervous?”
“Why did I think you would let that little snippet go?”
“Not sure. It’s not my style, though.” I squeeze her bare thigh and slide my hand an inch higher. “Why are you nervous? You’ve been alone with me plenty.”
“I know, but this is different. I feel like I have to impress you.”
“Untrue,” I say. “And hey, want to know a secret?”
“Yes,” she answers.
“I was nervous too. I changed my shirt seven times.”
She glances at me. “And you went with plain black after seven choices?”
“The others were also black and gray.”
She leans her head back and laughs. “So what you’re telling me is that you don’t have any other clothes?”
“Pretty much,” I answer.
“I’m glad you were nervous too. That makes me feel better.”
“I was also nervous to give your brother flowers.”
“Oh my God, I can’t believe you did that.”
“Me neither. I think he might hate me more now. Not sure that won me any brownie points.”
“I don’t think it did either,” she replies.
“Looks like I’m going to have to give him candy next time.”
“Just don’t trip over toys and smash it in his face.” She chuckles.
“Trust me, I’ve noted to look where I’m walking in that house from now on.”
* * *
I hada few thoughts when I thought about where I wanted to take Hattie for our first date. I know she likes By the Slice, but we just had pizza. And I wanted to do something more intimate. So I stopped by Coleman’s and picked up some cheeses, crackers, and her favorite pickles to make a charcuterie board. I also stopped by The Sweet Lab for some assorted cookies. I considered making some of the almond cherry cookies but didn’t want to burn them, so I thought better of it.
There’s this spot over in Almond Bay, the actual bay where it’s dry, where there’s a beautiful view of the ocean and the cliffs that flank the west side of Almond Bay. Not many people go down there, so I’m hoping it’s uninhabited tonight.
“You okay?” I ask Hattie as we make our way through the sand. I have my backpack full of food and a blanket. I thought about bringing my guitar but decided not to at the last moment. I don’t want this to be about me. I want it to be about us learning more about each other.
“Great,” she says as she takes my hand and smiles up at me.
“We’re almost there.”
We round the corner that leads into Almond Bay, and thankfully, it’s abandoned. Like I said, not many people would be here or even know about it, for that matter. There are more old people in Almond Bay at this point than young, and the older residents would never make the trek.
“I’m sorry if this was longer than you expected, but this is one of my favorite places.”
