Chapter 52

Hal

Hal led Jesse down to the street level of the building and then out through the doors. He breathed in the cool, crisp air of the city and looked down at the beautiful woman at his side. He couldn’t have been happier to be out with her, and he had a good idea of where exactly he wanted to start.

“Why don’t you let me get us some breakfast?” Hal suggested, looking down at Jesse beside him.

She seemed reluctant, but Hal was determined to have his way this time around.

“Come on,” Hal urged her. “I’m starving, and I imagine you could do with a good meal, too.”

Jesse hesitated for another moment, and Hal waited patiently to hear her decision.

“Okay,” Jesse finally conceded, and Hal smiled broadly. “But nowhere extremely fancy or expensive.”

“Deal,” Hal nodded in affirmation. “I know a nice little café not far from here. Come on, it’s this way.”

Hal led Jesse down the sidewalk to the small place. It was definitely smaller and cheaper than he would have selected for her, but it would have to do.

“Any particular reason you never let me treat you the way I want to?” Hal asked her, looking down and raising an eyebrow.

Jesse shrugged and her face lit up with that gentle blush that Hal couldn’t help enjoying.

“I don’t know.” She sighed and shrugged. “I just don’t want you to think I’m ever just using you for perks or for money.”

Hal’s heart softened, and he leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head.

“Don’t worry,” Hal said softly, turning to take a look at the people milling around them on the city street. He could see that people were already shooting glances their way. Moreover, he could tell that Jesse was beginning to notice as well.

“Shouldn’t you have security out with you?” Jesse asked, and Hal could tell that she was nervous, as her eyes kept darting out to take in their surroundings.

“I do,” Hal said simply. “Look around, I can see three of my security detail as we speak.”

Hal watched with a smirk as Jesse looked at the sea of people around them, obviously seeking out men in black suits with headsets.

“You won’t be able to find them,” Hal explained. “They are dressed like anyone else on the street. You wouldn’t be able to tell unless you knew them personally.”

“Oh,” Jesse said, blinking. “Is Adam with them?”

“No,” Hal sighed. “It’s Adam’s day off.”

“He takes days off?” Jesse asked, her voice curious.

“Well, he wouldn’t if it was up to him,” Hal said. “But fortunately, it’s up to me. And I think he has more of an edge when he’s had his rest and personal time.”

“I’m sure,” Jesse agreed.

“Plus,” Hal went on, “he turns into a bit of a parental figure when he hangs around for too long. And I’m a big boy—I can take care of myself.”

Jesse laughed, and Hal smiled. He glanced down at Jesse to see that she was lingering close to him and that she was immensely tense. Again, he looked around and surmised that it was due to the people that were beginning to recognize him and were pulling out their phones to take pictures.

“Relax,” he nudged her gently. “They’re definitely more scared of us than we are of them.”

Hal set out to prove his point and waved at a passerby who was taking a picture of him. The man was simply shocked and only responded with a dropped jaw. Another group of teenage girls saw the occurrence and began to giggle and titter amongst themselves but made no move toward him.

“See?” Hal turned back to Jesse and gave her a smirk. “I’m not worried about any of these guys. If the paparazzi get here—that’s when we might have a problem.”

Jesse did not seem to relax much, and Hal frowned a little.

“Don’t worry,” he said more gently, “we’ll be inside soon.”

Hal walked a little faster, keeping Jesse close to his side, wrapping an arm around her waist. He felt her relax a little in his hold, and he smiled knowing that she felt safer when he held her.

As he had promised, they soon arrived at the café, and Hal ushered Jesse inside. He strode toward the back of the restaurant and pulled out the seat at a small table in the corner for Jesse. She took her seat, and Hal helped her to push the seat back in.

He took a chair across from her and frowned as he took in her state of being. She looked tense and worried, her eyes darting around the small restaurant.

“Hey, guys,” a waiter came up to their table, addressing them casually. “What can I get for you both to drink?”

“Coffee for me, black,” Hal ordered with a smile. The man nodded and jotted the order down before looking over at Jesse.

“Black coffee, please,” Jesse ordered and smiled up at the man.

“You got it,” the man said and turned to get their drinks.

As the waiter left, Hal once again looked at Jesse. She seemed to finally be relaxing, and in turn Hal relaxed as well. He watched as she perused the menu, and he glanced at his as well. Mostly, though, his attention was on Jesse, taking in each of her subtle movements.

The waiter returned with their drinks and took each of their food orders. Hal had raised his eyebrow at Jesse’s simple order of hash browns, but she had merely shrugged and taken a sip of her coffee. Hal couldn’t stay irritated for long, though.

There was something about her simplicity that attracted him to her, and he couldn’t bring himself to be aggravated with her for very long at all.