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...
Hannah's chirping alarm woke her. Rolling over, she shut off the offending noise. Being sleep deprived from working late on so many consecutive nights, she decided to close her eyes for just a couple minutes more.
"Hannah? Wake up, Hannah banana." Her mother was shaking her shoulder.
She opened her eyes and yawned, checked the time and, "Oh crap!" She sprung from bed nearly knocking over her mom. "Sorry, I overslept and need to get dressed fast."
Her mom stepped out of the way. "What's the rush, dearie?"
Hannah bent over a dresser drawer pulling out clothes. "I have a breakfast date and am going to be late." She settled on a pair of cutoff jeans and a white polo shirt. She liked white tops since they made her suntan pop.
While Hannah pulled on her shorts, Mom asked, "A friend? Anyone I know?"
Rooting around on the floor of her closet, she found the sandals she was looking for and slid her feet into them. "Nope, nobody you know."
Since she always showered at night to get the bar stink out of her hair, Hannah figured she was good to go, except her long hair was a rat's nest. Even with her head wrapped in a towel while she slept, it needed brushing in the mornings. Handing her mother the brush, she dashed into the bathroom. "Can you brush my hair while I put on some makeup?"
While she stood in front of the bathroom mirror glossing her lips, Hannah's mom started brushing and met her gaze in the mirror. "Makeup in the morning? I'm not as smart as you are, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out your breakfast date is with a man."
Hannah didn't want to talk about it and ignored her mom's comment. She started second guessing herself about agreeing to meet Cliff. What had she been thinking? Of all the guys who hit on her, why had she let that particular guy smooth talk her into a date? Two days earlier at the car dealership, he had been a condescending jerk. He should be the last man in the world she'd want to get to know better.
Finished with her lips, Hannah grabbed her eyeliner. "Don't tug my hair so hard, Mom, so I don't mess up."
Mom placed a hand on each of her shoulders and winked at her in the mirror. "I'm done, baby girl. Your hair is fine." She left the bathroom.
Why was she going through such a bother looking nice for him? It's not like anything would come of it. This date would be a one off, something she decided to do to convince herself she wasn't yet ready to put herself out there. James's breakup with her had only been three months ago. She was still in the rebound zone.
Finishing up, she checked herself in the mirror. Three months did seem like a long time. Long enough so she wouldn't do anything stupid like jump in the sack with some random guy just to make herself feel better. Even if he was really good-looking. Would she?
The fact she was even asking herself that question scared her. Maybe she should stay home. They hadn't exchanged numbers, so she wouldn't be able to call it off by texting him. She also knew she wouldn't be able to ghost him. A determined man like Cliff would show up at her work to find out what happened.
She had committed, so for better or worse she needed to see it through.
Was it his determination that convinced her to accept his offer for breakfast? Cliff had pushed all her right buttons with his apology and sincerity, telling her how much she fascinated him and telling her how he found her passion to be an attractive quality. He had come across as sweet, not lewd like the dickheads who usually made a play for her.
But sociopaths also came across as charming, so she needed to be aware of any signs he might be sketchy. She doubted his intentions were bad. She had observed how he treated his sister, generous, sharing his wings with her without complaining. Would a sociopath do that?
Hannah supposed what finally made her give in was the fact he was good-looking and took care of himself. Those biceps! He admitted how he wasn't a body builder, so she would make it a point to find out how he kept in shape. He was obviously wealthy, or he wouldn't have offered to pay to repair her car, but she had no idea what he did for a living.
She checked the time. They agreed to meet at nine and it was already two minutes past. Grabbing her clutch from atop her dresser, she dashed out the door yelling goodbye to her mom as she did so.
Cliff had asked her to take a leap of faith. Hannah hoped her leap wouldn't end up landing her in an abyss.
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Hannah still seems to have doubts. Cliff had better be at his best!
