"That's cool. I like those things too. You'll have to show me some of your books sometime. I could let you borrow some too, if you wanted."
"Really? That would be awesome. I'd take good care of them, I promise."
"Absolutely. Books should be shared and enjoyed," I enthused, excited about this common interest. Turning the corner, we came upon the food vendors. "Ah, here we are! What would you like to try? I'm thinking a hot dog and a giant pretzel!"
"Oh, sure, same. I've never had any of this," Jude stated sheepishly.
"Well, have no fear. I will be your guide today, and we shall try it all! Come on, I'll need your hands," I laughed.
We scampered around the vendors, getting a little of everything, and made our way to a table. We deposited our food items as we took it all in. We had BBQ chicken, hot dogs, pretzels, nachos, and some pepper jack breaded cheese cubes. It all looked delicious, and I didn't know which I wanted to dig into first.
"What do you want to try?" I offered as I saw him eyeing it all. He looked as excited as a kid on Christmas morning, and my heart solidified in my decision to be a person he could count on. Having someone who needed me was a push I needed. I didn't want to let him down, and to do that, I couldn't let myself down either.
Jude tentatively picked up a hot dog, cautiously watching me to make sure it was okay. Nodding in encouragement, I picked up some of the nachos, making a big show of it as I took a bite. Thankfully, it had the desired effect, and Jude eagerly bit into his food. We were making our way through our smorgasbord, talking about what we liked best when I heard my name.
"Loren?"
Looking up, I spotted Imogen. When she realized it was me, she walked over with a slight smile on her face. Curious, I looked around to see if she was with the sexy mountain neanderthal or the seduction in a suit brother of hers. I spotted her brother, Atticus, a few booths down paying as he talked with the beefcake, Sax.
Looking back to Imogen, I waited to see what she would do once she realized I wasn't alone. Her steps faltered halfway when she spotted my companion but continued toward us. Jude was oblivious to the looks passing between us as he continued to eat pretzels and cheese cubes.
"Hey, how are you?" I vaguely asked.
It was always tricky running into clients outside of New Horizons. I'd always defer to them, and since she'd called out to me, I took that as her consent to greet her. Now, I'd see how much she would reveal about our connection.
"I'm okay. Attie had some business to do, and I wanted to grab some new sheet music. We missed lunch, so we decided to grab something here. Attie won't admit it, but he's a sucker for a good Chicago Dog, but it's not really in his brand," she chuckled, rolling her eyes.
"Well, he's not wrong there. The hot dogs here are the best in the city," I affirmed as I took a bite, mustard coating my lips as I did. Crossing my eyes with exuberance, for some reason, I felt the need to be the comic relief with these two. Grateful for their laughs, I fixed my face back to normal, preparing to make another comment when I was faced with the alluring gaze of Atticus.
"Oh, hello, Mr. Masters," I stuttered, grabbing a napkin quickly to wipe off the mustard. Jude laughed at me, making me happy he felt comfortable poking fun at me in front of others, but simultaneously shot daggers with my eyes for it. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect as Jude only laughed harder, Imogen joining in.
"Mrs. Carter," the stiff man nodded.
"Um, would you like to join us?" I cringed. Why did I ask that? My polite social niceties were always getting me in trouble.
"Well, we—"
"That'd be great!" chirped Imogen as she shyly sat next to Jude, cutting off her brother. He narrowed his eyes at her, but allowed her to sit down.
Atticus eyed the picnic table, probably assessing its cleanliness. I'd been so busy observing Atticus that I forgot about the other one. The bench dipped a little as sexy Sax clambered down next to me, not even hesitant to join. Turning to look at the man, he took up the rest of the bench, his frame touching mine.
His heat seeped into my body, and I felt every movement he made as he shifted himself and his food. Slyly, he winked at me when he caught me gawking at him. Atticus finally sat down on the other side of me while I'd been observing Sax, effectively making me the middle in a hot guy sandwich.
Imogen and Jude were both shyly looking at their food, only taking small bites. It was the most awkward table in the history of awkward tables. Clearing my throat, I decided to be the grown-up and try to salvage Jude's and my lunch.
"Imogen, this is Jude. Jude, this is Imogen, Sax, and, uh, Atticus."
"Hello," Jude returned, doing a little wave, warming my heart. Everyone returned his greeting before another awkward silence descended.
"So, what's your favorite? This is Jude's first time, and we had to try all of these things first," I gestured to our spread.
"Oh, have you tried…" Imogen started, turning to Jude to share her favorites. They delved further into a conversation from there, effectively tuning the adults out as they began to talk about bands and shows they had in common. It was endearing seeing two kids who I knew struggled with their peers find a connection in one another.
Quietly, I ate some food, as I watched the two teens and soon became lost in my thoughts. Sax's leg brushed up against mine, halting my hand to my mouth. Heat began to lick up my leg, and I swallowed to try to dispel it. Carefully, I placed the chip I was holding in my mouth, my focus entirely on his leg.
"So, Mrs. Carter, how do you know Jude?" Atticus questioned, pulling my focus to him.
"Oh, um, we're out of the office. You can call me Loren. And, well, we're just connected," I stammered. I didn't know what Jude wanted to say about our relationship, and since we hadn't had time yet to discuss it, I just left it open. Fucking hell, I was acting like a nervous schoolgirl around these two men.