An unlikely romance sprouts from a chance encounter between Cliff and Hannah after she spurns his good deed. ----------
Cliff tries doing a good deed for financially distressed Hannah by paying for her expensive car repairs. He expects nothing in...
The air was hot, humid, and the sky overcast with thick gray clouds. A tropical storm making its way up the coast would arrive in a few hours and dump inches of rain onto Pennsylvania. The less-than-ideal weather threatened to ruin Cliff's plan to spend the day with Hannah poolside. They might be able to get in a few hours before the skies opened.
It had been a long and busy week. He and Izzy had been in contact with existing clients and bankers. The plan for their new business venture was coming together, and he was ready to present it to his mother and father.
Their parents had escaped the storm by flying to Santa Fe, New Mexico, making good on their promise to hunt for a retirement home in the southwest, leaving the Hershey estate to him and Izzy.
He went for Hannah at eleven, picking her up and bringing her back. She wore a gray hoodie overtop a black one-piece bathing suit and Nike sneakers. While driving, Cliff had trouble concentrating on the road, distracted as he was from gawking at her long, shapely legs. She had also brought a beach bag with a change of clothes for after swimming.
During the drive, Cliff asked, "Why the hoodie? It's hot out."
She eyed him. "If I take it off, you'll be too distracted. I prefer to arrive in one piece. You'll get to see the rest of me soon enough. Also, when the rain arrives with the wind, the temperature will plummet."
Cliff thought she was acting unusually somber. She wasn't normally so quiet. "How was your week?"
"I should've gone back to work. I spent too much time alone with too little to do. It's left me feeling antsy."
He wondered why. "Your job is secure, and your bruise has faded. He whose name should not be mentioned is locked away and no longer a concern."
That got a smile out of her, but she said nothing.
"And a good-looking, fascinating man will be entertaining you today. I hope I'll be able to distract you from whatever else is bothering you."
She studied her hands in her lap. "I think the source of my anxiety comes from dwelling on what happened. The first few days no bad thoughts plagued me, but now I can't stop thinking about how close I came to tragedy."
"But you didn't. Focus on the future and thoughts of the past will fade."
"I'm trying."
She suffered from post-traumatic stress. Cliff hoped the routine of going back to work would help her get over it.
Hannah fidgeted. "At least I didn't have a razor blade to my throat. God, that poor girl must have been terrified. I hope she's doing okay."
"Izzy and Kayla have been in touch. Kayla was shaken up but appears to be getting back to normal. I spoke with her once over the phone. I think she's fine. Her true anxieties have to do with her father's political ambitions. She doesn't want to be a part of it. Speaking of Kayla, she's grateful to you, but I sense you won't be hearing from her."
"Because of us?" Hannah asked. "Because she has designs on you?"
"Yeah, it's tacky, and she's further alienated because her father is singing your praises."
"Her father," Hannah repeated. "That reminds me. I suppose you know your mother and I had lunch on Wednesday."
"She told me but wouldn't go into detail. I can't wait to hear from you how that went."
Hannah scoffed. "Your mother is a real piece of work. Since Kayla's father has pledged to be in my debt, your mother gives her blessing to our relationship. She said that I'm a proxy for Kayla." She went on to fill Cliff in on the entire conversation.
Cliff grunted. "You're right. She is a piece of work. Don't be concerned with my parents. They'll soon be out of the picture. Once they find a suitable retirement haven, Izzy and I are taking over the estate."
She studied him intently.
Cliff felt her gaze on him while he kept his eyes on the road. "What?"
"I don't know if I should say this."
"Say it."
She took a moment to compose herself. He wondered why she was acting so nervous. "Cliff, I stopped seeing you because of your mother."
"I know that. I hope you know my mother has no hold on me—"
"—Shut up and let me finish before I lose my nerve."
There she was, the feisty Hannah he had come to admire. "Got it, I'm shutting up."
"I understand now how your mother's opinion of me doesn't matter to you, but she is your mother. She's always going to be a part of your life. I would never want to get in the way of that but only if she doesn't get in the way of our lives."
Cliff wanted to assure her she wouldn't, but he'd been told to keep his mouth shut.
"I hope you don't think I'm out of line. I'm just engaging in harmless speculation. I don't want to scare you. I'm just expressing some thoughts."
Cliff couldn't be more intrigued over what she was about to tell him.
She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "If things between us become real. If, in time, we decide to take things to a higher level. If we have kids."
She looked at him as if gauging his reaction. Cliff was amused at her discomfort, but he said nothing.
"If we ever have kids," she went on to say. "I don't ever want to leave them with your mother for any reason. Your parents can visit, but I always want one of us there to supervise."
Cliff grinned. "You have a deal. Does that mean we can start right now trying to make kids? We have an entire afternoon and we'll be cooped up inside once the rain starts."
She rolled her eyes. "Nice try, Romeo. You're hoping for a home run when you haven't even made it to first base. We haven't even kissed yet."
They were home. Cliff pulled into his driveway and parked. He shut off the motor and shifted in his seat to face her. "I'm painfully aware of the circumstances that have blocked me. I intend to remedy that situation." He placed a hand on the side of her face and pulled her close.
"Right now, as a matter of fact."
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