“You have eight thousand tabs open,” he said, picking up his lemonade without looking up.
“You’re supposed to be working magic on my website, not scrolling through my tabs.”
Now he glanced up, lifting his gaze to hers. “They kind of go hand in hand.”
“I have a busy brain,” she said, shooting him a smile.
She liked to be busy in general. Whether she was chopping veggies, writing emails, or paying bills, Hailey needed to keep her head and hands occupied.
“If this is an indication of your brain, you might need a reboot,” he said. His tone told her he was teasing but he wasn’t entirely wrong.
It was hard not to be surprised by his wry sense of humor. “Technically, that’s what moving here was.”
She hadn’t meant to say it out loud and was relieved he didn’t respond. Maybe he hadn’t even heard her. With only an hour to go until closing, Hailey puttered while Wes did whatever the technology version of puttering was. She grabbed her clipboard and went to take inventory of what she needed to top up for the following day.
“So, a break, huh?”
“Hmm?” Wes alternated tapping on the keyboard with making notes and sketches on the paper she’d left beside him. He looked up as she set her clipboard down near her veggie bins. “Sorry, what?”
“You’re taking a break? One no-show scared you away?”
His brows rose on his forehead. He had a multitude of what she’d call “serious” expressions. “How do you know it was just one?”
“Has it been more?”
“No. But you sounded so certain.”
“If someone is going to go to the trouble of being on a dating app, scrolling through possibilities, and making arrangements, it feels like they’re somewhat invested. Did Hayden ever contact you?”
He ducked his gaze again, picked up the pen. “She said she got held up and asked if we could reschedule.”
Hailey grinned, walking over to him. “You should say yes and then I can sit somewhere close by, get a good look at her, and see if your vision is really bad or she’s my doppelg?nger.”
Wes gave a half laugh, half groan. “That sounds awful. There’s nothing wrong with my vision. It was a bad photo and just an all-around error.”
Grabbing the clipboard, she finished the quick check of veggies and put the board away. She didn’t like to overprep because she wanted only the crispest, freshest veggies.
“Why San Verde?”
She grabbed the broom, moving out from behind the counter. So he had heard her. He was a dangerous sort—the kind who listened even when he didn’t seem to.
Even at first glance, when he’d walked over to her at the bakery, she would have pegged him as uptight. Type A. He was. But he was also … more. Smart, witty, and beneath the sarcasm, maybe a little scarred, like her?
It was surprisingly nice to have him there that afternoon to chat with. Between work and work and more work, she hadn’t made any new friends.
She debated how much to say, very aware he was watching her. “When I broke up with my ex, I needed to get out of L.A. I have a cousin here. We’ve always been close. Since I’m not close to anyone else in my family, it seemed as good a place as any.”
“Was the salad shop always your plan?”
She smiled, stopped sweeping to meet his gaze. “Absolutely not. I was going to run a food truck. But Piper, my cousin, brought me to Baked and I saw this place for lease. I don’t know,” she said, looking down at her shoes, then back up at him. “I don’t really buy into fate or anything like that but suddenly I didn’t want a place on wheels. I wanted a place to call my own.” She shrugged.
“I’m not really into fate either but I do believe in following your gut. I think you’re going to do well here,” he said after a moment.
Her laugh was louder than she intended. “You don’t believe in fate but you’re a fortune-teller?”
“No. But I am an investor. My brothers and I buy and sell businesses, properties. Sometimes we go in, assess a company, find ways to maximize profits and efficiency, and decide to keep it, expand it. I know business. I’m not as much of a people person as my brothers but I’d like to think I have good judgment. Our meeting excluded.”
She set the broom against the counter, laughing as she slid onto the stool next to him. “Yeah, your judgment failed you there. Or, your eyesight. I still think you should get it checked.”
He gave her a mock frown. Pressure built in her chest, making it ache a little. “It feels good to hear you say I have a chance. I’m worried about the lack of customers and I put my money into getting started without thinking about how much marketing cost.”