Great Big Beautiful Life(41)

His chin dips once and he slides into the booth, across from me. “So are you here tonight by coincidence or have you also met Cecil?”

I crack a smile. “Cecil invited me. And I was feeling pretty special for that, until ten seconds ago.”

“Oh, you should still feel special,” Hayden assures me. “He only invited me because he decided—based on nothing, I should add—that I’m doing a write-up on this place.”

I laugh. “No, that’s pretty much why I’m here too.”

“Maybe,” he allows, “but was he smiling when he invited you?”

“I have yet to see that man not smiling,” I say.

“And that, Scott, is where our experiences with Cecil diverge.”

I shift in my seat, suppressing a laugh. Even when I want to be cold with him, I can’t. Maybe I should just give it up. Accept that, as is typical for me, I like and even respect someone regardless of whether they like or respect me. “Then why’d you come?” I ask him.

He stares at me for a beat. “I felt bad.”

“Honestly, I doubt Cecil would have noticed if either of us didn’t show up,” I say, “especially since he doesn’t even seem to be here.”

He gives one firm shake of his head. “Not about that. About the other night.”

Oh, god. A burn begins at the tips of my ears, spreading toward my face.

At the top of the list of things I want in this moment: to pretend the kiss never happened.

My phone starts ringing on the table between us, Theo’s name flashing on-screen. Once again, the universe is coming through for me. I flash Hayden my sunniest smile. “My date.” I tip my head toward my phone and answer the call, turning sideways on the bench. “Theo?”

“Alice, hi.” Whatever he says next gets lost in the noise.

“Hold on a second,” I tell him. “I have to go outside. I can’t hear you.”

I excuse myself from Hayden with a one minute gesture and head out to the street. “You still there?”

“I’m sorry, Alice,” he says.

“Sorry?” As I say it, something sinks in my chest.

“The photo shoot ran long,” he says.

“That’s fine,” I promise him. “How far away are you?”

He sighs. “I haven’t left yet.”

“Oh.” I turn back to the window, inadvertently meeting Hayden’s eyes. The embarrassment and disappointment bubble over then in the form of stinging tears. I face the street again, urging my voice into steadiness. “So what are you thinking?”

“I just bit off more than I can chew,” he says. “It would’ve been fun to meet up, but my flight’s tomorrow night, so at this point, I feel like I should probably just chill here. The drive wouldn’t be worth it, I don’t think.”

I stop myself, right in the nick of time, from suggesting he change his flight to leave from here. Surely this has already occurred to him. He travels as much as I do. He knows how all of this works.

It’s not worth it to him. That’s the end of the conversation. And it’s not a surprise, but after the last few days of emotional highs and lows, it hits me harder than it should.

“I understand,” I tell him. “We’ll just catch up later.”

“I knew you’d get it,” he says. “You’re the best, Alice.”

I smile but can’t quite will myself to thank him for the compliment. I clear my throat. “Get home safe.”

“Enjoy the rest of your stay,” he tells me. “See you back in LA.”

“Yep!” I cheep. He says bye and clicks off. For a second I just stand there, phone still pressed to my ear, debating what to do.

I can’t face Hayden right now. It was bad enough being rejected by him, mid–make out. Now I’ve bragged about a date that isn’t happening.

But my purse is still inside, sitting at the table with him.

Get your bag, go home, and get back to work, I tell myself. It will be fine. A nice night in might be exactly what I need. I can text my friends and do some more research, or else settle in with some key lime pie and reality TV.

All that stands in my way is walking through that door and snatching my purse.

I can do it. I steel myself, drop my phone to my side, and march back in.

Hayden’s brow shoots upward at something in my expression as I approach. “Everything okay?” he asks.

“Fine,” I say, grabbing the strap of my bag. “Something just came up, so I’ve got to head out.”

“Like an emergency?”

“Sort of.” I avoid eye contact while I stuff my phone into my bag. “Enjoy your night.”

I hear him call my name at my back, but with the party in full swing, I figure I have plausible deniability there. I don’t turn around.

I just flee down the dark street.

I’ve made it two blocks toward my car when I hear him shout my name again.

Shit.

“I have to go,” I call back, not slowing my pace. It doesn’t matter. He’s too tall; he’s got the advantage. He catches up to me right as I’m turning down the narrow, empty side street where I left my car parked between two palm trees.

“What happened?” he asks. “Are you okay?”