Page 31 of Eye of the Hurricane (Weathering Doves Harbor #2)

Ares

I run my hands down the sides of my shirt making sure there isn’t a single wrinkle or ripple in the fabric. I adjust the collar of my button-up and make sure it’s sitting perfectly. I do one last check to ensure it’s tucked in correctly.

I see Katherine and who I assume to be her parents and brother on the opposite end of the parking lot of Driftwood.

Driftwood is a high-end restaurant in Charleston, only about a half hour from Doves Harbor. It sits on the Charleston Harbor, overlooking the water. You can see the boats and occasionally dolphins from the seating near windows.

I make the decision not to approach her until they’re walking in because she doesn’t look like she can take on anything else at the moment.

Katherine is strong and stoic most of the time. Which is why it’s so jarring to see her looking so unsettled. This is different than the fleeting nervousness she shows when I kiss her. This is something far harder to watch.

When they walk toward the door her eyes scan the parking lot, I’m assuming to try and find me. When they do, I can see her shoulders visibly drop in relief. She lets herself fall slightly behind the group and I take it as my opportunity to catch up with her.

She flashes me a nervous smile. I don’t show her any nervousness though. Because if she’s this worried, I’ll be the strong one tonight. It’s the least I can do for her.

I don’t make a big show of being here. I purposefully wait for that until I can do it in front of her mom. Not for me, but for Katherine. Once we’re in the lobby and waiting to be seated, I play into the whole thing.

“Katherine, baby, you look gorgeous,” I gush, pulling her hand to my mouth and placing a kiss on her knuckles.

“You look great yourself. I’m glad you could make it,” she says, blush spreading across her cheeks. She turns her attention to her mother. “This is Ares, my boyfriend.” I like the way that phrase sounds coming through her accent too much.

“Ares, this is my mom, Beverly. My dad, Daniel. And my brother, Noah,” she continues.

I reach out, shaking each of their hands.

The cold and almost clinical look on her mom’s face is unsettling.

Her father looks like some kind of government official.

Her brother looks to be relatively normal, though.

The waitress brings us back to our table.

I wonder on the walk there if her mother thinks it should be a man serving us instead.

Or if her hatred for women with careers is reserved for Katherine.

I also consider that she may see it’s fitting for a woman to be paid to serve others. The thought makes my stomach turn.

“So… Ares, is it?” her mom asks.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Tell us about yourself. Where are you from? Who are your parents?” she asks. The way she asks makes me feel like she expects my parents to be some household name. I shift slightly in my seat before speaking.

“I’ve lived here in Doves Harbor my whole life, born and raised. My mother is Allison Dawkins and my father is Ken Dawkins—Kenneth.”

“What I mean to ask is, what do they do for a living?” she asks. Normally this isn’t an uncomfortable question at all. My parents are well off. However, I get the feeling that won’t cut it with her.

“My father is a lawyer and my mother is an interior designer,” I tell her. She scoffs and I swear I can feel my blood pressure rise.

“A lawyer is great. I see it’s become common around here for women to have careers,” she remarks. It’s a shot at both my mother and Katherine. I catch her stiffen out of the corner of my eye.

“She had a passion, my father loved her enough to let her chase it,” I tell her.

“Would it not be a greater act of love to allow her to enjoy her home and raise her children?” Her nose is turned up at me.

I tell myself a hundred times in my head that nothing I say will change her mind and not to engage.

It’s impossible though when I can see Katherine’s confidence falling from her by the moment.

“I think the greatest act of love is to let someone be all that they are and love them in entirety. I don’t think you put someone you love in a cage.” She doesn’t entertain the idea with a response. She hums an annoyed sound low in her throat.

“What do you do for a living?” Her dad chimes in to ask.

“What’s with the third degree? Why don’t we just enjoy dinner?” Katherine snaps. Her leg is bouncing a mile a minute and she’s shifting in her seat every few minutes.

“It’s okay, baby. They just want to get to know me,” I say flashing a megawatt smile.

“I’m finishing up my senior year of college currently. I’m a fine arts student. My focus is on painting and photography?—”

Her mom cuts in before I get a chance to finish. “Isn’t that more of a hobby?”

“For some, sure. Selling my art is how I make most of my money. Although I’m a bit limited in that until I graduate in the spring.

I’ll apply to institutes and I’ll sell some of my art myself,” I tell her.

Somehow Katherine finds a way to bounce her leg even faster.

I slip a hand over her knee, steadying her leg. She melts into the touch.

“Will you be able to provide for our daughter with that as your source of income? What if she doesn’t want to work, will you be able to allow her to stay home with your children?” I wonder if she doesn’t know Katherine at all or if she just doesn’t care about what she wants.

“I’m confident whatever Katherine wants to do, we’ll make work,” I assure her. Because the answer is yes, I could make enough for her to stay at home. But the reality is that she’s not my real girlfriend and even if she were, she would never give up her career.

“Very well, then.” Katherine reaches for my hand that’s sitting on her knee and interlocks our fingers. It’s under the table, no one can see. This isn’t for them, this is for her. I rub small circles on her hand with my thumb and she looks more at ease.

“You should spend the night at the house tonight and just head to the wedding with us tomorrow,” Katherine says. Her mother’s eyes look like they might bug out of her head.

“Katherine, surely you’re not suggesting you two spend the night together before you’ve got a ring on your finger.”

“No,” she rushes out, clearing her throat. “Of course not. I would blow an air mattress up for him in the office,” she assures her.

“I suppose that would be fine.”

Her family is such a stark difference from mine. When I was sixteen my mom bought me condoms. She’s not allowed to cuddle out of wedlock. When I decided art was the path I wanted, my mom was my biggest cheerleader. Her mother is the loudest voice telling her that her dream is out of reach.

“If you want me there I’ll be there,” I assure her. She squeezes my hand tighter.

Once our food is brought out to us talking is minimized. There is small talk here and there but for the most part, everyone just enjoys their meals. Once we’re done eating we don’t linger too long.

“I have to run home to grab my clothes before I come to your house,” I announce, breaking off from the group in the parking lot.

We’re all lounging around the living room watching a movie now.

Katherine is next to me but due to her parents’ presence, we’re leaving room for Jesus.

There is a tenseness to her that I’m not used to seeing.

She’s usually so confident in her plan and path that things seem to roll off of her with ease. Her parents seem to break that.

“We should all head to bed, long day tomorrow,” her mom announces as soon as the credits begin to roll. I expect someone to go against her, say they aren’t ready for bed or that they’re too old for a bedtime. They don’t though, she says jump and everyone already knows how high somehow.

Everyone heads to their respective rooms and closes their doors. I lie down on the air mattress. The vinyl of the mattress crinkles at every movement I make.

I try to turn my brain off to fall asleep. Which is never really an issue for me. I’m not easily stressed out. Seeing Kat so uncomfortable has me uneasy though. That’s not the way I like to see her.

So I lie there with my eyes open, staring at the ceiling and thinking of a certain blonde for hours. Until my phone vibrates next to me.

Katherine

Are you awake?

Ares

Yeah, I’m awake. Are you okay?

Katherine

I don’t know.

The three dots appear and disappear a dozen times before she finally sends a second message.

Katherine

I don’t know if this is allowed but I miss you.

Ares

They’re your rules, Kat. You can do whatever you want.

Ares

For what it’s worth though, I miss you too.

Katherine

Will you come to my room?

Ares

Are you trying to sneak around with me, Kitty Kat? (;

Katherine

If I was having a better day I’d yell at you for that. They sleep like the dead, they won’t know.

I shut the office door behind me, trying not to make a single sound. I tip-toe across the living room and to her bedroom door. I open and shut it as quietly as possible.

I turn to face the bed and there’s Kat, laying there in a yellow and orange nightgown. It’s pushed up far enough on one side that I can see the lace detail on her panties. I snap my eyes away and back to her face.

“Will you lay with me?” she asks. I pull back her comforter and get in next to her. She doesn’t waste a second, she curls right up to my side and lays her head on my chest.

When every muscle in her body relaxes I think she might be about to fall asleep. But then I hear a muffled cry with a shake of her.

“Come here,” I say, pulling her closer to me, wrapping my arms around her.

“I’ve been so happy here, my friends, my career, you… just everything. I hate that it takes less than twelve hours of them be ing here to change that,” she cries. Her words are quiet in an attempt not to be heard.

“Don’t let her take it from you. She can’t take your friends from you, she can’t take you from your career, and she certainly can’t take me from you,” I assure her.

“You don’t know that.”