As expected, Melissa arrives late to the restaurant, and her mom and the smart man beside her are already seated at their table.
“You must be Melissa!” The new boyfriend stands up and gives her a warm smile as he reaches out to shake her hand. “Violet said that you were beautiful, but I don’t think she did you justice.”
Melissa blushes at the compliment and grasps his hand in a firm shake. “You shouldn’t believe everything she tells you; she’s prone to gushing.” She throws a smile at her mother who’s looking at them both and beaming. “Good to meet you, Patrick.” Melissa reaches over the table and kisses her mother on the cheek. “Hi, Mom.” Her mother presses her to her warmly.
“I’ll let you two catch up; I just need to pop my head into the kitchen.” He smiles at them both and squeezes Melissa’s mother’s hand before he heads off towards the back of the restaurant like a man on a mission.
Melissa raises an eyebrow at her mother. “Please tell me he’s not like the guy that insisted in checking with the chef personally that there wasn’t any parsley in his food.”
Violet takes a sip of her wine, almost spurting it out at her daughter’s words. “Lord, no! He owns the place.”
Melissa’s jaw drops, and she has to make a point of picking it up from the floor. This was one of the swankiest restaurants in Portland. Ali had been more than a little jealous when she’d found out that’s where Melissa was headed for dinner. Apparently, it was nearly impossible to get a reservation. Well, that’s one mystery solved, Melissa thinks.
She nods approvingly. “At least I know you won’t go hungry for as long as you two are dating.” Melissa takes a sip of her white wine that the waiter has just poured, letting the warmth of the liquid settle her nerves that have been pretty fraught over the past few days.
“Are you alright, dear?” Violet gives her a concerned look, peering closer to her face. “You seem a little…off.”
Melissa gulps. She had no intention of going into everything that had been going on with her over the past couple of weeks. Not tonight, tonight was about her mom and her mom’s new man—that was all that was important.
“I’m fine, just a little tired I guess. I’ve been pretty busy.” Melissa shrugs helplessly. “But I’m not here to talk about me; I’m here for you to dish the dirt on the new man in your life!”
Violet gets that goofy smile on her face that Melissa has only ever seen on her own—when she’s thinking about Hawk. If there had been any doubt before, there wasn’t anymore. Her mom really liked this Patrick guy. “Oh, Melissa, he’s so great. I don’t want to jinx it, but I can honestly say that I’ve never felt like this before. But what do you think? It’s so important to me for you to like him.” The earnestness in her mother’s voice makes Melissa reach over and grab her hand in reassurance.
“Well, we’ve only exchanged about one sentence so far.” Violet blushes at Melissa’s words. “But, he definitely gets points for the suit, points for politeness, and he’s not exactly hard to look at.” Melissa gives her mother a pointed look, and Violet erupts in peals of giggles. Melissa looks at her mother in shock; she doesn’t think that she’s ever heard that sound come out of her mouth, but she likes it.
“I know, he’s kind of a catch, isn’t he?” Violet smiles, looking pleased with herself.
“You’re the catch, Mom.” Melissa looks at her seriously. “He’s lucky to be out with you tonight, just remember that.”
“She’s right you know, Violet.” Patrick appears back at the table as if from nowhere, and Melissa cringes at her own lack of tact.
“Sorry, Patrick, I didn’t mean—”
Patrick waves away her concern. “There’s no need to apologize, Melissa. You’re completely right.” He looks at Melissa’s mother, and there’s so much emotion in his eyes that Melissa feels as if she’s intruding. “I am the lucky one sitting at this table tonight; I’m lucky every day that Violet decides to spend with me.” He squeezes her hand on the table and smiles at her without any hint of insincerity. Then, he switches his attention back to Melissa. “I know you’re protective of your mother and that’s to your credit. But I hope that you’ll see how very deeply I care for her and that you don’t have to worry about her with me.”
Melissa swallows hard around the ball of emotion in her throat. She had been waiting years for someone to say those words about her mother and here they were. Melissa looks between her mother—who is smiling at Patrick as if there were no tomorrow—and the kindness in Patrick’s face, and it leaves no doubt as to the honesty behind his words.
“Thank you.” Melissa’s voice is quiet. “It’s nice to know that someone else thinks she’s as special as I do.”
Violet’s free hand clasps over Melissa’s and the three of them sit there, quietly, taking in the moment. Melissa feels tears prick at the back of her eyes, seeing her mother this happy wasn’t something that she had prepared for, and without even searching in her miniscule bag, she knows that she is all out of Kleenex.
“I’m just going to run to the Ladies. I’ll be right back.” A waiter whips her chair away from the table before she’s had time to do it herself and virtually escorts her to the restroom. She looks in the mirror and dabs at her eyes to stop her mascara from running. Go Mama Potter, she thinks and smiles.
When she makes her way back to the table, she stops a few feet away, frozen to the spot as she takes in the person who’s now occupying her seat.
“Melissa, why didn’t you tell us that your new beau was joining us?” Violet gives her daughter a mock-admonishing look, as Hawk swivels around in his chair and takes in Melissa.
Melissa mouth works, but no words come out. Hawk smiles and winks at her, taking in the fitted little black dress and skyscraper heels that she’d decided were probably the only suitable things she had in her wardrobe for a restaurant this swanky. It’s clear from the look in his eyes that he likes what he sees. He stands up, vacating her chair and gesturing for her to take it.
“That’s my fault, Mrs. Potter. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to make it, and Melissa didn’t want to say anything just in case.” Hawk swoops in to save the day when it becomes clear that Melissa has lost the ability to form coherent sentences or even any words at all. “I hope it isn’t any trouble.”
Patrick waves away Hawk’s concern. “Nonsense, the more the merrier. We’ll just get you another seat.” Before the words are out of his mouth, a bevy of waiters swoop in and rearrange the table, creating another place setting for Hawk and holding out the chair for him. It looks like there were more than just a few perks of owning the place.
“’Mel.” Hawk’s voice is low in his throat, as he looks at her, sounding husky in a way that makes all her nerve endings tingle.
She takes in his nod to the formality of the place—he’s left his leather jacket at the door. Other than that, he’s in black jeans and a black t-shirt along with black biker boots. But somehow he manages not to look out of place at all. In fact, to Melissa, he looks absolutely perfect.
Melissa doesn’t trust her voice to say anything, so instead she shakes herself out of her stupor and goes to her seat. She’s aware of Hawk shaking his head at one of the servers as he tries to pull out her chair. Hawk does it for her, and she’s left speechless yet again as he pushes the chair towards the table, acting the perfect gentleman before taking his own seat and smiling easily at Violet and Patrick. He looks for all the world as if he eats in places like this all the time.
“So, Hawk, tell me about yourself. My daughter has been pretty tight-lipped about you. I was almost starting to wonder if you really existed.” Melissa’s mother leans forward eagerly, settling in for Hawk’s life story.
“Violet, at least give the guy a drink before you start grilling him!” Patrick laughs good-naturedly. “What can we get you, Hawk? Wine?”
“A beer would be great, actually.” Hawk smiles his thanks at Patrick and, as if by magic a frosty glass appears at Hawk’s elbow. “And, I don’t mind the grilling, Mrs. Potter. Ask me whatever you like.” Hawk holds open his arms as if to show that he has nothing to hide.
“Please, call me Violet. Mrs Potter makes me feel like an old woman.” Her mother smiles easily, taking another sip of her wine and openly admiring the man that Melissa has brought home.
“Great, Violet.” Hawk nods, smiling easily at the older woman.
Melissa still hasn’t said anything, and it’s only at this moment that her mother seems to have noticed her silence. “Mel, are you alright? I don’t think I’ve ever known you to be so quiet.”
Melissa shakes herself slightly, as she realizes that everyone is staring at her. “Yes, I’m fine. Sorry, I guess I was just…surprised to see you here.” She looks at Hawk with her eyebrow lifted, her question implied.
“Good surprised or bad surprised?” Hawk’s voice is low, his tone playful. However, his eyes are serious, and Melissa knows that this is more than just a flirtatious question.
Melissa doesn’t even have to think about her response; she’d known the minute her brain had processed the fact that he was here, meeting her mother because he knew how important it was for her. “Good surprised.” She reaches out and wraps her hand around his on top of the table, and she watches as his shoulders relax a touch.
“Well, that’s a relief.” Hawk jokes, but Violet’s mother with her maternal radar seems to see that something had just gone on that she didn’t quite understand.
“So how did the two of you meet?” Violet looks between them expectantly.
Melissa weighs up whether to lie about Hawk’s involvement in a biker gang with the knowledge that it’s too important for him to keep quiet about, but her mother will no doubt worry. But Hawk steps in before she has time to reach a decision.
“Well, I guess it’s not the best story.” Hawk looks a little sheepish. “But we met in a bar. Melissa walked in, and it was pretty hard to look anywhere else.”
Violet lets out a contented sigh, as if she’d just heard the most romantic thing ever.
Patrick leans over towards Hawk, conspiratorially. “Hey, tone it down. You’re making me look bad.”
It lightens the mood and gives Melissa time to get her brain jumpstarted again. She feels like her heart had all but stopped at Hawk’s words. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe him; it was more that she wasn’t used to seeing this romantic side of him, the side that actually talks about how he feels.
“And then what happened?” Violet looks at Melissa this time for an answer, probing her with her all-knowing motherly eyes.
“Mom, tonight was supposed to be about me getting to know Patrick better, not you giving us the third degree.” She smiles at her mother, trying to communicate with her eyes for her to back off a touch.
“There’s time for both.” Violet doesn’t even pause, her gaze shifting between Melissa and Hawk, like she’s trying to figure out what it is that she’s missing.
“How about we order, and then we get to interrogate each other?” Melissa keeps her tone light, slipping her hand out of Hawk’s and concentrating on the menu.
“Sounds like a plan to me; I’m starved.” Patrick seems to sense the tension between the two women and dives straight into his menu despite the fact that he probably already has it memorized.
“Me too. It’s been a long day at work.” Hawk takes his cue from Patrick and looks at the menu, not even wincing once at the eye-watering prices.
“What sort of work are you in, Hawk?” Violet jumps on the opening, and Melissa rolls her eyes at her mother’s inability to let anything go.
“I work in a body shop.” He doesn’t elaborate, and Melissa feels compelled to.
“Actually he works in the body shop. The place is known worldwide. If you’re into cars or bikes, then you’ve heard of it.” Melissa doesn’t try to hide the pride in her voice, and she sees Hawk’s surprise out of the corner of her eye. What, he didn’t think that she was impressed by what he did?
“We do alright.” Hawk shrugs, coming across as endearing and modest at the same time.
“He’s fixing up Dolly. She’ll be good as new in a couple of weeks.” Melissa frowns at Hawk, wondering why he’s holding back so much. She knows how proud he is of The Shop.
“Dolly?” Patrick looks blankly at them.
“It’s the name the guys have christened the car that Mrs. P…I mean, Violet, gave to Melissa…because she needs a little dolling up.” Melissa’s mother smiles at the explanation. “A ’75 Mustang…she really is a thing of beauty.”
“I loved that car.” Violet’s voice gets a faraway quality. “It was the one good thing that came from my ex-husband, apart from my beautiful daughter.” Violet squeezes Melissa’s hand to signal that she hadn’t forgotten about her. Her eyes get all misty, but she recovers well. “Now, let’s eat before I start embarrassing Melissa more than I already have.”
Melissa looks at her mother gratefully, and they all set about choosing appetizers and entrees. Melissa looks around the table and feels a sensation that she has never experienced before. There’s something special about having two of the people that she cares most about together, in the same room. But it’s not just that, they’re getting along like a house on fire. Violet seems charmed by Hawk, and Hawk and Patrick have no problem finding common areas of interest. All in all, the night couldn’t be called anything but a great success. Melissa is almost disappointed when the check is called, and it’s time to leave.
“So, you ride?” Patrick and Hawk lead the way towards the parking lot.
Melissa stifles a laugh. She’s probably had a little too much to drink, but she’d worry about that in the morning. “Hawk learned to ride a bike before he could walk.”
“You’re into bikes?” Hawk gives Patrick a surprised look, ignoring Melissa’s interruption.
“I love them, but I don’t get a chance to get out as much as I’d like.” Patrick shrugs as if to say ‘But that’s life’ and the two men lapse into talk about motorcycle makes and limited editions that just sounds like Greek to Melissa.
“So what’s going on?” Violet hooks her arm through Melissa’s, forcing her to hang back from the men a touch so that they can have some privacy.
“With what?” Melissa frowns at her mother, her alcohol fuzzed brain taking her a few extra moments to catch up.
“With you two. I may be your mother, but I’m not stupid.” Violet takes hold of Melissa’s shoulders, making her focus. “He seems like a great guy, and he clearly cares about you. So, what’s got you all bent out of shape?”
“It’s…it’s complicated, Mom.” Melissa shakes off her mother’s concern.
“It’s a relationship, of course it’s complicated, Melissa!” Violet looks up at the sky for strength. “Nothing about being with another person is simple. That’s just how this works. But if you care about him as much as he clearly cares about you, then it doesn’t matter how complicated it is. You decide that you’re going to be with each other in spite of all the reasons your little brain is telling you not to.”
“How do you know what my brain is telling me?” Melissa gives her mother a sarcastic look.
“Because I too was twenty-two once.” Violet gives her daughter a withering look. “So, how serious are you two?”
Melissa rolls her eyes at her mother. “Well, I think we’re a little way off from picking out china—if that’s what you mean. What about you and Patrick?”
“I really like him!” Violet gives off the megawatt smile that’s been a permanent fixture on her face since the start of dinner.
Melissa laughs at how much like a teenager her mother sounds. “He seems really nice.”
“So, does that mean that you approve?” Violet bites her lip in an expression that Melissa recognizes as something she must have inherited.
Melissa blinks at her mother. “Are you asking me what I think you’re asking me?”
It’s Violet’s turn to roll her eyes this time. “Well, we haven’t been seeing each other for very long, so I don’t want to jump the gun, but…he’s dropped a few hints.”
Melissa opens her mouth in shock, not for the first time that night. “Mom, it’s only been a couple of months, isn’t it a little, I don’t know, soon to be talking about churches and white dresses?”
Violet gives her daughter an indulgent look, one that Melissa would probably have found frustrating under other circumstances. “It could be a couple of years, a couple of months, or a couple of hours. It doesn’t matter, Mel. When you know that you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you just know.” Her mother gives her a wink, and Melissa can’t help but laugh. They embrace warmly as they hit the cold air outside. “Ah, boys with their toys.” Violet looks over Melissa’s shoulder, as her daughter twists around to see what she’s talking about.
Patrick is crouched next to Hawk’s motorbike, making appreciative noises. Melissa overhears something about ‘horsepower’ and ‘polished chrome’ before she fades out of the conversation.
“I think it’s time we left these two bright young things to the rest of their evening, don’t you?” Violet places her hand on Patrick’s shoulder, and he looks up at her with so much love in his eyes that you’d have to be blind not to see it.
“I guess so.” He takes her hand and reaches the other out towards Hawk to shake. “Pleasure to meet you, Hawk.”
Hawk smiles back, returning the shake. “Same to you, Patrick. And if you want some company on a ride one of these days, let me know.” Patrick nods in agreement.
Hawk reaches his hand out to shake Violet’s hand, but she looks down at it, frowning. Melissa watches as Hawk’s shoulders tense up, as if he’s expecting her to embarrass him. Always expecting the worst, Melissa thinks. It’s probably a pretty tough habit to break. But instead of taking his hand, Violet reaches up to plant her hands on his shoulders and gives him a kiss on each cheek. Hawk stands stock still, as if he weren’t at all expecting what had just happened. Violet leans in and says something quietly in his ear, and Hawk looks at her seriously and nods once, emphatically.
“We hope to see much of you, Hawk.” Violet gives Hawk a serious look and then does the same to Melissa.
Before she moves off with Patrick towards the car, Violet turns around and looks at Melissa, smiling cheekily. “So…do you know, Mel?” She doesn’t wait for a reply before she gets into Patrick’s car. Melissa watches them as they buckle up and drive off. Then, it’s just her and Hawk left alone in the lot.