“It’s too open-ended. Ask what you want to know and I’ll tell you.”
He kept his back perfectly straight in the chair. “Then that feels like an interrogation.”
I couldn’t deny that. “True. Let’s play a game instead.”
“What kind of game?” He raised his eyebrow like he was intrigued.
“I’ll ask you a series of questions and you answer them.”
“And that’s different how?” He tried to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
“I’ll show you.” I cleared my throat. “Coffee or tea?”
“Coffee,” he blurted.
“Waffles or pancakes?”
“Waffles.”
“The beach or the snow?”
“The beach.” He narrowed his eyes. “Now you know so much about me.” Instead of being annoyed, he seemed entertained.
“Hey, this is important stuff.”
He chuckled. “Yes, waffles or pancakes is important to know.”
“What if I want to make you breakfast in the morning?”
His eyes darkened in obvious interest. I hadn’t realized how that could be interpreted until it was too late. His mind clearly went to a place I hadn’t anticipated. “Now you can make me waffles and coffee while sitting on the beach.” The slight smile from his lips never faded away.
“Exactly.”
“My turn,” he said. “Dinosaurs or sharks?”
“That’s a really weird question,” I said while laughing.
He shrugged. “I think it’s important.”
“Dinosaurs.”
“Leather or cloth?”
“Leather.”
“Rocks or sand?”
“Sand,” I answered.
He grinned. “Now I know your soul.”
“I guess you do.” I kept my hands in my lap and fidgeted with my fingers so he wouldn’t see them. I was a little nervous and I couldn’t fight the feeling.
“Are you in school?” He glanced out the window before he turned back to me.
“Webster University.”
He nodded. “That’s a great school. What are you studying?”
“Business.”
He didn’t bother hiding his cringe. “Really?” He seemed to realize how rude he sounded because he said, “Sorry. There’s nothing wrong with that degree. I just didn’t expect it from you.”
“What did you expect me to major in?”
He shrugged. “Something interesting. Like art or music.”
“Well, I’m terrible at both of those things. You should see the finger paintings I made as a child.”
“I would love to.” He said it with complete seriousness.
I continued on. “I want to open my own bakery someday. It’s been my dream since I was young. But I wanted to get an education in business before I pursued it. I don’t know anything about running a shop or getting it started. And if things don’t work out, I’ll have something to fall back on.”
Hawke nodded in interest. “You have a good head on your shoulders. And if all your pastries are as good as the one I tried, it’ll definitely work out.”
“Thanks.” Some people thought my dream was stupid. It was nice to hear some encouragement once in a while. “What do you do?”
“I’m an intern.” He released a sigh like he didn’t like admitting it out loud. “I work for an investment company. Basically, we manage all of our clients investments but we don’t actually make any decisions. We’re advisors more than anything else.”
“That’s cool.”
“The internship doesn’t pay much so I’m excited to do my time and move on.”
“They’ll probably offer you a full-time position when you’re finished.”
“Maybe.” He didn’t sound enthused about that idea. Maybe he didn’t like the company he worked for.
“My brother wants to be a stock broker. You guys would have a lot in common.”
“I’m sure we would.” When the waiter returned with the wine, Hawke sipped it and returned it to the table.
“How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I just turned twenty-six.”
“Oh. Happy belated birthday.”
“Thank you,” he said with a nod.
“Where did you go to school?”
“South Carolina,” he answered. “I just finished my master’s last spring so now I’m finally in the real world.”
I did the math in my head and realized we were four years apart. That sounded like a lot, but I didn’t see what the big deal was. It wasn’t like I was eighteen and he was twenty-two. “Congratulations. It sounds like you have a lot to be proud of.”
He drank his wine again. “I suppose.”
I noticed he didn’t like to talk about himself much, at least professionally. Maybe he was just humble. It was nice to meet a guy like that for once. “Do you like sports?”
“I’m a big sports fan—mainly baseball.”
“Cool. Who’s your favorite team?”
“The Yankees.”
I cringed. “I don’t think this is going to work out…”
He narrowed his eyes. “Please don’t tell me you’re a Giants fan.”
I shrugged in guilt.
He shook his head in disappointment. “Well, the rest of this date is going to be awkward…”
“Maybe we should just end it now.”
“Maybe you’re right.” The affection in his eyes told me he was kidding. “But I really like you so…I’ll see it through.”
“I guess I can put this aside…for now.”