Still, despite the crowd surge from the unexpected early spring, The Hatch lived up to its efficient reputation. Within minutes, we were escorted past the crowded restaurant toward the docks where The Hatch dinner cruise boat awaited.
I deliberately walked a few steps behind Val as the hostess led us to our table. I wanted a moment to appreciate the pure beauty of the woman I’d be dining with tonight without her noticing my discernible stare. At some point over the last six months, she’d transformed. She was no longer the scared woman who showed up for her first training class, wearing clothes that didn’t fit and hair that stuck out at wild angles. Now, she was dressed in tight black pants that fit her like a glove, and her breasts swelled below the neckline of her silky tank, just giving a hint of what was underneath. She was sexy as all hell, but that wasn’t what attracted me the most. Her confidence and inner strength were her most alluring qualities. She looked poised to conquer the world.
“This is really nice,” Val said after we were seated. “Have you done this before?”
“I’ve been to the main restaurant many times, but I’ve only done the cruise once, years ago. I’ve wanted to do it again but always thought it was more for couples celebrating a special occasion, like an anniversary. I thought our first official date was as good an occasion as any, so here we are.”
She smiled and cast her eyes down. It was hard to tell in the dim lighting but I thought I detected a slight blush spreading over her cheeks.
“What was the special occasion the last time?” she asked.
“I was here with Hana. She was celebrating her rebirth, so to speak.”
“Oh?” Her brows pinched together in confusion and she nervously pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. “Did you guys…um…I didn’t realize the two of you…”
She trailed off and I waited expectantly for her to continue. When she didn’t, my eyes widened as the conclusion she’d drawn suddenly dawned. I had literally just said I thought the cruise was for romantic couples, then followed up by saying I’d been on the cruise before with Hana. I shook my head.
Smooth, Derek, real smooth.
“No, no, it’s not like that. Hana and I never dated. We were only here that night because she wanted to celebrate her divorce, and I figured I’d treat her.”
“I see,” she replied slowly as if she wasn’t quite buying my explanation.
I didn’t like her blasé response.
What’s going on in that pretty little head of hers?
She looked upset, not angry, but I thought there was a twinge of jealousy hiding beneath the surface. A part of me felt a little smug about the idea of her being jealous. It meant she cared enough. But another part of me knew I should squash whatever idea she might be cooking up before it potentially ruined our night. Besides, the thought of me being romantically involved with Hana was absurd. I had never once looked at her that way.
“Don’t get lost in your head, Sparky. Hana and I go back years, and I can assure you, she is and always will be only a friend. In fact, the night we went on the cruise was awkward. We were clearly surrounded by couples while we were very much not that. I didn’t realize how romantic the setting was until after we were already on board.”
“It’s okay if you dated her.” She eyed me cautiously. “I mean, you had a life before you met me so it’s totally understandable. I’ll admit, though, I did feel a little uncomfortable for a minute there. Somehow, the thought of your ex-girlfriend training me is kind of weird,” she said, then laughed.
“I suppose it would be,” I agreed, and breathed a sigh of relief.
“How did you meet her?”
“She was a client of mine before I opened The Mill. She was the first person I gave private self-defense lessons to. Hana’s ex-husband was abusive. She’s a survivor, just like you. She attended a class I was teaching and later approached me about doing private training sessions. It’s a long story, but it really came down to a scheduling thing. She couldn’t go to the group classes without him finding out, so she scheduled her own lessons to hide what she was doing from him. During that time, I think she may have taught me more than I taught her,” I added with a laugh. “The one-on-one interaction allowed me to understand her mental struggles as much as the physical ones. She inadvertently educated me about the psychological effects abusees can experience. As a result, she made me a better trainer.”
I paused when the waitress walked up to go over the menu, grateful for the disruption. While I wanted to answer all of Val’s questions, I didn’t want to divulge too much and risk betraying Hana’s confidences. Like all survivors, it was her story to tell, not mine.
After the waitress rattled off the daily specials and we placed our orders, I looked out the open windows to see the boat had slowly exited World’s Fair Marina and was now headed into the deeper waters of Long Island Sound. Glancing back at Val, I noticed her gaze had followed mine. She was staring wistfully across the water, not seeming to focus on any one thing in particular.
“What are you thinking, Sparky?”
“I was just thinking about my mom. She always enjoyed spending time on the banks of the Ohio River. She would have loved this,” she murmured. She had a faraway look on her face before focusing her attention back on me. “Speaking of parents… I’ve meant to ask you. Neither you nor your sister ever talks about your parents. I don’t mean to pry, but the one time you did mention them, it seemed past tense.”
An ache that never quite went away momentarily amplified in my chest at the thought of my parents. Val was a keen observer. She was right to notice that Isabella and I rarely mentioned them. It wasn’t that we didn’t want to—it was just too painful.
“My mom died of a brain aneurism seven years ago. It was very sudden. We were all devastated. One day she was here, and the next, she wasn’t. Isabella took it really hard, but nobody took it quite as hard as my dad. My mother was his whole world, and he worshipped the ground she walked on. He died of a heart attack five months after Mom passed. The doctor said his weight was a big contributing factor, but my sister argued and said he died of a broken heart. He just couldn’t bear to be without Mom any longer.”
“I’m so sorry. That’s both sad and sweet.”
“I know. Losing a parent is hard, as I’m sure you know, but losing two so close together?” I paused as a thousand never spoken words passed between us, a gentle understanding that would never need to be voiced aloud. “To say it was a rough few years is putting it mildly. The only consolation was that neither one of them suffered.”
The waitress arrived with our first course, effectively putting an end to the depressing topic, placing two piping hot bowls of Manhattan clam chowder in front of us.
“This smells delicious!” Val appreciated.
“It is, trust me. The Hatch is famous for it.”
We ate the chunky tomato and clam broth in silence, neither one of us seeming to have a need to fill the space with idle chatter as we enjoyed the peaceful ambiance and gentle sway of the boat. Before long, the entrées were served. I’d ordered the miso-glazed cod with oyster mushrooms, while Val went for the jumbo lump crab cakes and sugar snap peas. Between bites, we took turns talking about various aspects of our week. She told me about her latest nightmarish customer at Camilla’s, and I filled her in on the latest trick Maisie had learned. Last night, she’d mastered rolling over.