Hailey checked the list of must-do items she’d created. Top of the list were getting her website updated, business cards, and looking into preorder options for customers.
Having the producer of a local radio station as a return customer was huge. She’d felt like a total rookie when she didn’t even have a card to offer, especially after Wes was so kind as to point it out. Positive. You’re focusing on the positive. Her skin heated remembering the intensity of his gaze.
“What would Taylor say?” Hailey asked, leaving her list on the end of the counter where she’d been sitting on one of the stools. She’d left her phone by the sink and picked it up now, pressing play. “Shake It Off” came through the Bluetooth speaker and she threw her energy into chopping, dicing, and prepping for what she hoped would be a busy day.
The three brothers were a sight to behold. Everly’s boyfriend was a dark-haired cutie and the other one, Noah, was straight-up adorable. Wes? Definitely good-looking no matter how immune she wanted to be to him in a suit. She really couldn’t imagine someone standing him—or his brothers—up on a date. Wondering what apps he was using, she wondered if she should put herself out there again but quickly dismissed the idea.
She didn’t want to be distracted right now. She wasn’t bitter about love, no matter how poorly it had turned out the last time around, but she and her store came first.
“Hey, Siri,” she called, going with her gut.
“What can I help you with?”
“Text Piper.”
“Would you like me to text Piper?”
“Yes.”
“What would you like to say to Piper?”
“We need a girls’ night. I’m thinking rom-com, wine, and pretzel sticks. What time do the kids go to bed?”
“Your message to Piper says, ‘We need a girls’ night. I’m thinking rom-com, wine, and pencil dicks. What time do the kids go to bed?’”
The knife sliced the edge of her thumb, distracting her from anything else. “Shit.” She grabbed a napkin.
“Would you like to send this message to Piper?”
“Yes.” She groaned the word. She hated blood.
“Your message is sent.”
“Thanks,” she said, grabbing a bandage from the first aid box by the sink. “Now can you stop blood?”
“Here are some articles I found on the internet on how to stop blood.”
A low, irritated growl left her throat. Okay, Siri. Thanks for nothing. The cut was tinier than an eyelash. She was such a wimp. After she wrapped it, she cleaned the prep area, mad at herself but letting Taylor Swift’s brand of calm work its magic.
When her phone rang, she was still cleaning so she swiped accept, moved down the counter.
“Hey. You okay?” Piper’s voice came through the Bluetooth speaker loudly.
The bell over the door jingled. Hailey locked eyes with Wes.
“Hailey,” Piper called.
“I’m fine. I have to call you back.”
“Okay. But I don’t know where to buy pencil dicks. So, you get those and I’ll get the wine.”
Like she’d fallen into a vat of quicksand mixed with honey, everything slowed. Piper’s laughter sounded like it was coming from a tunnel far, far away. Wes’s brows nearly disappeared into the hair that fell over his forehead. A snort of laughter broke through her humiliation. What the hell was wrong with her cousin? She raced to the phone, picked it up, fumbled it, turned off the speaker at the same time she put the phone to her ear and turned her back on Wes.
“Are you day drinking?” she whispered into the phone.
“I’m not the one sending dirty texts,” Piper said, still laughing.
Hailey pulled her phone away from her ear, looked at the text to see what the hell was so dirty about pretzel sticks. Holy shit. She put the phone back to her ear. “I have to go.”
“Okay. See you later.”
She hung up, gave herself the time to take a few deep, cleansing breaths. When she turned around, shoving her phone in her back pocket, Wes was watching her carefully.
Her heart was beating in her ears. The only other sound she heard was her own attempt to swallow the dryness in her throat.
“What…” she started, and the word disappeared. Hailey cleared her throat, grabbed her water bottle, took a long drink, very aware of Wes’s gaze. She set it down and tried again. “What can I get for you?”
His smile was so slight that it could have been a twitch. It was his eyes though that said everything for him. They were blue the color of the California ocean. The deep blue sort that pulled you in and made you want to swim a little deeper. Until a wave comes up out of nowhere and drowns you.