Happily Enemy After (Hawthorne Brothers 2)

Is this it? Is this the end?

I linger in the bathroom because I’m afraid to find out, but I can’t stay in here forever. Finally, I draw a deep breath and step out. I see Asher already in his robe and my heart sinks.

I guess it really is over.

“Water?” He offers me a bottle.

I pick my panties off the floor. “I think I’ll get dressed first.”

“Okay.”

I gather the rest of my clothes and head back to the bathroom.

“But before you do…”

I stop in my tracks.

“Have you been around Chicago since you came here? What have you seen?”

I look over my shoulder. “Not much. Why?”

He gives me a charming, boyish grin. “Would you like to go to the Navy Pier with me tonight?”Chapter FifteenAsher

The Navy Pier—my favorite place in all of Chicago.

I can still remember the first time I came here. That was at night, too. My mother had just been buried and I was grieving. I don’t know why. I didn’t even get to know her that well or spend much time with her. But I was lonely. One of the maids took pity on me and whisked me out of the house without my father knowing. She brought me here, thinking it would cheer me up. It did.

And it still makes me smile.

Maybe it’s simply because of the bright, colorful lights that are reflected on the water and illuminate the sky. They remind me of the Northern Lights I saw in Finland once. Maybe it’s because of the music, the sounds, the bustle—they’re all proof that life goes on. Maybe it’s because of the majestic view of the city. Or the serenity of the lake, undisturbed by all that’s going on. Or maybe it’s the happy faces of families and couples. At any rate, whenever I’m here, I seem to forget whatever it is I’m missing—a mother, a higher purpose, friends, love. It’s my happy place.

I think Violet likes it, too. She seems to be taking in all the sights with the wide eyes of a child in awe. And she’s smiling, which brings a glow to her cheeks and coats her eyes with a gleam so that she looks stunning even in a simple cream-colored cardigan over a pink turtleneck and light denim pants.

I should have known she’d look good in anything. After all, she looks good even in nothing.

The image of Violet’s flushed, naked body on top of my bed revisits my mind. I banish it. For now, I want to soak in every second of my time with a clothed Violet.

“Do you like the place?” I ask her just to be sure.

She nods. “Yeah. From here, Chicago looks a bit like Zurich.”

Does it? Now that I think about it, I realize she’s right. They’re both on a lake, after all.

“So I guess your record stays perfect,” Violet says.

“Record?”

She looks at me. “Isn’t that why you brought me here? Because all the girls you brought here before liked it here?”

So she still thinks I’m a man-whore? Ouch.

Actually, I’ve never been here with a woman, apart from that maid. I usually bring my dates to hotel bars or restaurants. That way, I can bring them straight up to a room afterwards. Or halfway through.

I guess I have been a man-whore.

Still, Violet is the only woman I’ve brought out here to the Navy Pier. But I don’t tell her that.

“You think I brought you here to impress you?” I shake my head. “Sorry, but I don’t do that.”

She grins.

“I brought you here because you’re going to buy me dinner,” I tell her.

Her eyes grow wide. “What? Why would I do that?”

“There’s a game here called the Atomic Rush. You go around the maze touching the lights in the color you’ve chosen. The more you touch, the more points you score. If you somehow get a higher score than me, I’ll treat you to dinner. Whatever you want. If my score is higher than yours, you buy me dinner.”

“I see.” Violet touches her chin. “So this is a challenge, is it?”

“Consider the gauntlet thrown.”

She pauses to decide whether or not she should accept it. I know she wants to. She loves challenges. She’s just hesitating because she’s not sure she can beat me. And it’s not because she doesn’t have enough money to treat me to dinner. It’s a matter of pride. I’ve never met a woman who hates losing as much as me.

“Don’t worry,” I tell her. “We’ll do a practice round so you can get the hang of it first. Then we’ll have three rounds and tally the scores. How about that?”

She looks at me. “That sounds fair.”

I thought that would do the trick.

I give her a grin. “So, are you ready to buy me dinner?”

She gives me a grin of her own. “Oh, I’m ready to kick your ass.”