by Callie Henry
A DATE FOR HANNAH
Love Is For Everyone #1
New York Times bestselling author KATY REGNERY writing as
CALLIE HENRY
High schooler Hannah has always been self-conscious about her weight, so when hottie swimmer Liam pays her extra attention at her sister’s wedding, she has a hard time trusting his interest. Throughout the evening, Liam’s charm wins her over until they’re falling hard for each other. But the next day, Hannah learns something that may ruin it all.
A DATE FOR HANNAH
Copyright © 2018 by Katharine Gilliam Regnery
Sale of the electronic edition of this book is wholly unauthorized. Except for use in review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part, by any means, is forbidden without written permission from the author/publisher.
Katharine Gilliam Regnery, publisher
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
Please visit my website at www.katyregnery.com
Electronic Version
First Edition: August 2018
A Date for Hannah: a YA novel / by Callie Henry – 1st ed.
ISBN: 978-1-944810-33-7
Table of Contents
A DATE FOR HANNAH
Copyright
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
Also Available from Callie Henry
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Also Available from Katy Regnery
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For Henry and Callie.
You can finally read one.
I love you both more than words can ever say.
xoxoxo
CHAPTER 1
Hannah
Hannah Giacomina didn’t like dressing up.
In fact, any event that required a dress pretty much sucked.
It didn’t matter that more and more clothing companies made dresses for bigger girls. She still felt like she was completely on display: her bigger-than-average chest strained against the neckline of her LC by Lauren Conrad junior plus-size dress, and the zipper in the back dug into her sensitive skin.
She chose to sit in the back row of chairs, scrunching down in her seat to be as inconspicuous as possible. The plastic rental chair creaked as her weight settled, and she froze for a second before relaxing. That’s just what she needed: to break a folding chair and fall flat on her fat butt.
Once she was certain the chair wasn’t going to embarrass her completely, she took a deep breath and sighed, looking at the program in her hand:
CEREMONY OF HOLY MATRIMONY
SABRINA GIACOMINA & TODD FILLMAN
Sabrina. Bree. Hannah’s older sister.
Well, half-sister, to be specific—not that it mattered a bit to Hannah.
Glancing up from the program, she saw more and more guests arriving, taking their seats closer to the action. They were all about ten years older than Hannah, closer in age to Bree and Todd.
Hannah took a deep breath, feeling young and awkward all alone in the back row, but she quickly reminded herself that today wasn’t about her: this was Bree’s special day, and her sister had outdone herself in creating a fairy tale–worthy venue for her wedding. As an employee of I Tri Merli Cellars and Vineyard, she had been allowed to book the location for free, but the decorations were all Bree.
Light violin music floated on the breeze from the front of the orchard, where a quartet played classical pieces beside an archway covered in twinkle lights and white roses. At the end of each row of seating, there were big white bows tied to aisle chairs, and ivy trailed down in elegant bunches from the center of each bow to the floor. It was really beautiful, and Hannah felt a burst of pride as she thought of Bree’s hard work to make everything perfect.
The purse on her lap buzzed, and Hannah withdrew her phone to find a text message from her mother.
MOM: Are you at the wedding? Everything okay?
Hannah rolled her eyes. It didn’t matter that she was seventeen and had driven from their home in Brookings, Oregon, to visit Bree in Santa Rosa, California, at least a dozen times. Her mother still worried whenever she made the trip.
HANNAH: I’m fine, Mom. Everything’s good. The wedding’s about to start.
MOM: I love you, honey. Have fun!
Yeah, right, thought Hannah. Have fun at a wedding where I don’t know anyone and I’m probably the fattest and definitely the youngest guest. Sure thing. Great. Awesome. Thanks a lot, Mom.
HANNAH: OK. ILY2. CU tomorrow.
“Hey, stranger!”
Hannah looked up, dropping the phone back into her purse and grinning at her sister’s best friend. “Abby!”
Bree was the head event planner at I Tri Merli Cellars and Vineyard, where Abby worked as a vintner and her husband, Scott, handled sales and marketing.
Abby’s auburn hair caught the late afternoon sunlight and seemed even brighter and redder than usual. “Give me a hug, girl!”
Hannah jumped up and threw her arms around Abby, squeezing her tight.
“Hey! Why aren’t you sitting the front?” Abby asked. “Bree saved you a seat.”
“No, thanks,” said Hannah, leaning away from her.
The seat that Bree had saved was in the family row, near Bree’s mother, Giovanna. Giovanna Giacomina, who glared at Hannah every time she laid eyes on her.
Hannah understood why. When Bree was ten years old, their father, Lorenzo, had divorced Giovanna to marry Hannah’s mother, Wendy, and Hannah was born six months later. The half-sisters had managed to form a bond with one another, but Giovanna wasn’t able to forgive Wendy and Hannah for “stealing” Lorenzo. It made things very tense when Hannah and Giovanna were together.
“How are you and your mom doing?” asked Abby, her green eyes warm and kind.
Bree and Hannah’s father had died of cancer four months ago, leaving Hannah’s mother a widow and Lorenzo’s two daughters grieving his loss.
“She has good days and bad days, but…we’re okay.”
“It’ll take time,” said Abby.
Hannah’s eyes suddenly burned, and she blinked at her sister’s friend, trying not to cry. It would ruin her makeup, and besides, it was bad enough to be sitting all alone. Sitting all alone and crying? Too pathetic for words.
“Hey, it’s Hannah!” Scott’s bright smile over Abby’s shoulder saved the day. “You look gorgeous, young one.”
Hannah shook her head like he was crazy but let him grab her for a hug just the same. She didn’t like compliments and usually didn’t accept them, but Abby’s husband had always been kind to Hannah. It was impossible not to smile back at him.
“Thanks, Scott. Looking pretty sharp yourself.”
Abby wore a Tiffany-blue, knee-length bridesmaid dress, and Scott’s tie was the same color blue with tiny white wedding dresses covering the shiny silk in a repeat pattern.
“Let me guess,” said Hannah, grinning back and forth at the young couple, “Bree had those ties made specially?”
“You know Bree,” said Abby with a soft chuckle.
Hannah did know Bree, and she loved her older sister to the moon and back. In fact, she couldn’t think of anyone else on the face of the earth for whom she would not only buy but wear a dress.
Bree had always been special.
&nb
sp; Even though their father had walked out on Bree when she was in fourth grade, her older sister had never held it against Hannah. In fact, Bree had been Hannah’s idol since…well, forever. Ten years older, completely beautiful, and always ready with a hug and smile, Bree was amazing.
So amazing.
Sometimes maybe even…too amazing.
And that was the downside to being Bree’s little sister: Bree was perfect. Perfect body, perfect hair, perfect clothes, perfect job, perfect wedding…and very soon, perfect husband.
While Hannah? Well, Hannah was no one’s idea of perfect. Baby fat had turned into teen fat and stuck around no matter how hard Hannah watched her calories or how often she visited the gym. When she and Bree stood side by side, Bree looked like a supermodel and Hannah felt like an elephant.
Depressed by the direction of her thoughts, Hannah looked around the orchard and pasted a fake smile on her face as she glanced back at Abby. “It looks really pretty here tonight—the flowers and bows and lights. Everything’s beautiful.”
“She outdid herself,” said Abby. “She’s just so awesome at everything she—”
“Hey, Abby?”
Hannah raised her gaze to the deep sound of a man’s voice, and her jaw dropped.
Standing behind Scott and Abby was the handsomest boy Hannah had ever seen. At least six three, he stood a head taller than Scott and was wearing a white dress shirt with two open buttons at his throat. As Scott and Abby parted so that he could join them, Hannah’s eyes slid to his arms. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, showcasing tan, muscular forearms dusted with a smattering of dark hair.
She stared at his arms for a second before raising her eyes to his face. Sky-blue eyes looked down at her, noticing her for the first time. His lips parted softly in surprise, and his glance flicked down to her chest before looking back up at her face. And then—for no reason at all—he smiled at her.
“Liam!” said Scott, slapping the younger man on the shoulder.
“H-Hey, Scott,” said Liam, dragging his eyes away from Hannah. “Bree asked me to come find you. They’re almost ready to get started.”
Hannah’s cheeks flushed when he returned his gaze to her. She hadn’t looked away while he’d spoken to Scott. Stop staring, Hannah. You’re being super weird.
But she couldn’t. He was too handsome—plus, he was still smiling at her.
“I’m Liam,” he said, stepping forward to offer her his hand. “And you are…?”
“This is Bree’s little sister, Hannah,” said Abby. “Hannah, Liam. Liam, Hannah. Liam’s been giving us a hand in the vineyard this summer.”
“Hi,” whispered Hannah, her eyes locking with Liam’s as she raised her hand to shake his.
His hand was like a mitt—huge, rough, and warm against hers—and though she generally considered herself a larger woman, she felt smaller than usual shaking his hand.
“Hey, Hannah,” he murmured, his eyes tracing her features. He lingered for an extra second on her lips before meeting her gaze again, and it made her heart skip a beat as he shifted his palm against hers. “Good to meet you.”
“You too,” she answered, but as awesome as it was to touch him, it also made her uncomfortably aware of her body and his body and her immediate and blatant attraction to him.
She flushed, jerking her hand away.
“Time to go,” said Abby. “See you kids later?”
Hannah’s eyes darted back to her sister’s friend. “Y-Yeah. Sure. Mm-hm. Yep.”
Grinning like maybe she was hiding a chuckle, Abby pulled Scott away, disappearing into the crush of guests finding their seats for the ceremony.
“Are you here with anyone?” Liam asked, gesturing to the seat beside her.
“No,” said Hannah, trying to compose herself. “Bree and I have the same father—um, had the same—but, um, different mothers, so I don’t really know, um, anyone here. I mean, she’s older than I am.” Her cheeks were on fire with embarrassment. “Oh, my God. I’m babbling.”
“Nah. It’s fine.” He lowered himself to the seat beside her in the otherwise empty row and shifted his body toward her. “Actually…I’ve already heard all about you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…I have worked here all summer. I know you’re Bree’s half-sister and you’re from Oregon.” He glanced around. “I think you’re the youngest guest here too.”
He was right on all counts, but it was sort of disconcerting to have her private information handed to her. “Umm…stalker much?”
He grinned at her. “Touché.”
“Anything you don’t know?”
“Hmmm.” His eyes scanned her face as he bit his lower lip. “I didn’t know how pretty you were.”
She chuckled in surprise, unaccustomed to flattery. Boys didn’t flirt with the size-sixteen girl. They chose the fours and sixes for flirting and asked Hannah if they could borrow her science notes after class.
“Yeah, right.”
“You think I’m kidding?” he asked. “Bree’s totally hot, and I can totally see the resemblance between you two.”
Like Hannah, Bree had their father’s brown hair and brown eyes, but that was where the similarities ended. Bree was beautiful, petite, and graceful, while Hannah…well, wasn’t.
She scoffed at him, looking away and sort of wishing he’d stop talking. “I think you might need glasses.”
“And I think you might need a mirror.”
Her lips parted in surprise and she blinked at him. “Seriously, how do you know so much about me?”
He shrugged. “My dad lives nearby. Like I said, I have a summer job here, and last week I heard Bree and Abby talking about Bree’s younger sister who was coming down for the wedding. Between you and me? I was sorta glad there was going to be someone else here under thirty.”
“Truth.” She laughed, raising one eyebrow. “So you’re not a stalker.”
“Not yet,” he said.
It was that yet—that beautiful, simple, one-syllable word—that made Hannah’s smile wider and brighter.
Boys didn’t like Hannah. Maybe they thought she was a nice person, but they didn’t pay her any special attention. Not like this. Not like flirting and smiling and making her feel warm all over.
Was he for real? And was it terrible that she wanted him to be for real? That, for once, she wanted to be the girl with whom a cute boy chose to flirt?
Yeah, but you’re not that girl, Hannah-Hannah-Fat-as-Santa.
That familiar, mocking voice whispered in her head, making all of her stupid hopes vanish.
Hannah shifted away from Liam, determined not to make a fool of herself.
***
Liam
Seventeen-year-old Liam Callahan stretched out his long legs beside Hannah, trying to look cool, but inside, his heart was pounding.
He’d compared her to Bree, and yes, Bree was really pretty, but honestly, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen eyes as deep and dark as Hannah’s. Her face was almost perfectly heart shaped, and she wore glossy stuff on her lips that kept drawing his gaze. He desperately tried not to let his eyes drop to her chest, which swelled against the neckline of her cocktail dress, but the effort was causing him to sweat.
Bree hadn’t mentioned how pretty her sister was. Liam would have prepared himself better if he’d known.
He thought back to the conversation he’d had with Bree a few days ago after she’d caught him eavesdropping.
“Hear anything interesting while I was talking to Abby about my sister?” Bree had asked, raising her eyebrows.
Embarrassed, Liam had shrugged. “Sorry.”
“Actually…” She’d tilted her head to the side and scrunched up her nose, like an idea was forming. “As long as you know about Hannah, you could do me a big favor.”
“How?” he’d asked. “What?”
“I’m willing to pay for your time,” said Bree, “if you’d be a…well, a date, actually, for my little sister.”
>
Hannah had agreed to come to the wedding, but Bree was concerned that there wouldn’t be anyone there that she’d know. It was important to Bree that her sister felt comfortable, and she was hoping that Liam would stick close to her, chat with her, ask her to dance, and make her feel included.
“What do you think?” she’d asked, and Liam could hear the hope in her voice.
He had grimaced. He wanted to help Bree, he really did. But being a blind date to someone’s little sister? Someone he’d never met before? It was pretty awkward.
“Yeah…I don’t know.”
“I’ll pay you double whatever Abby pays you!” she’d added.
Hmm. Well, that had made everything more interesting. Abby paid him ten dollars an hour to do chores around the vineyard. At twenty dollars an hour, he’d make a lot just for putting on a dress shirt and hanging out with someone’s sister at a wedding.
“What time do I need to be there?”
Abby beamed at him. “Saturday. Four o’clock. Reception should be over by nine.”
Five hours at twenty bucks an hour? There was no way he could say no. Whoever this little sister was, he’d suck it up and hang out with her. The money was worth it.
Bree had clapped her hands and hugged him, then gave him a few more details about Hannah. She was a junior in high school, lived in southern Oregon, and was interested in theater, movies, and music.
Immediately, Liam realized that they had one important thing in common: Liam’s mom lived in Medford, Oregon, where Liam lived during the school year and attended high school. But that was also where their commonality ended. Sure, he enjoyed going to the movies now and then and listened to whatever was on the radio when he was driving somewhere, but drama and music weren’t his interests. No matter. For a hundred bucks, he’d read up on current movies and prepare himself to be the best date ever.
“So,” he said, turning to Hannah as the last of the guests found their seats, “I’m actually from Oregon too.”
“Seriously?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Medford. I spend the school year with my mom and summers down here with my dad.”
