She took a deep breath, let it out. “Tilly said dinner is ready.” She turned on her heel and walked in. Wes waited until the others had gone inside, giving himself an extra minute.
She said she wasn’t in this alone, but in no way did she mean she’d lean on him. Why the hell did that bother him so much?
20
No one seemed to mind that she chose a walk on the beach after dinner rather than the football game. It was lovely to have a big group of people who were comfortable with each other. A family of their own choosing for some of them. She was worried about how much she enjoyed being part of it.
Hailey had craved finding her own place so badly that relationship after relationship ended with her feeling more lost. With Dorian, he’d let her into a world that fascinated her, let her believe he felt all of the things she did, that they were building a future together, and then he snatched it away. Told her it meant nothing.
Not to her. It meant a hell of a lot to her, and even though she could feel the difference between Dorian and these people, her heart was still hesitant. And healing.
When she returned to the house, most of the group was eating pie by the firepit in the yard. Wes was on the porch chatting with Morty, who was telling a tall tale of the Thanksgiving he’d caught his own turkey.
Wes’s smile settled some of the unrest inside of her, sending her thoughts in a different direction. She was definitely attached on that front. If they hadn’t agreed to friendship, she’d be worried about her heart. Without the boundaries, he was a man she could fall far and fast for. It was equal parts irritating and sweet that he wanted to fix things for her. The others, too, were ready to rally and come to her defense. She’d learned the hard way, more than once, that standing on her own was essential. So was falling on her own. She wanted to be her own landing.
“The bastard nips me right here,” Morty said, spreading his index and middle fingers apart to show a rough patch of skin. It definitely looked like a scar but whether or not it was really from a turkey, she couldn’t say.
She sat on the couch with Wes but left a bit of space between them. Every now and again, she’d sit too close or inhale too deeply. Something would shift inside of her. Like she’d moved from perfectly fine to longing without warning. It was disturbing because most of the time, she didn’t look at him like that.
Wes glanced at her, clearly biting back a smile or laughter or both. “I don’t know if I could eat a turkey, or any animal, I had to catch.”
Morty stood up, shook his head. “That’s because kids these days are too soft.” He looked at Hailey. “Not you, darlin’. You could probably wrangle a turkey with one hand and a smile.”
She wasn’t sure if that was a compliment. “I can honestly say I’ve never tried.”
When he walked past them, going into the house, both Wes and Hailey laughed.
“You okay? How was your walk?”
The ocean air wafted around them with a hint of the fire. It smelled like happiness and warmth.
“It was good. I can’t believe you guys played football after that meal.”
“It’s more fun that way,” Wes said, his smile morphing into a more serious expression. “I’m sorry about earlier.”
“I know. Me too. I shouldn’t be so defensive.”
“I shouldn’t be so pushy.” He looked like he wanted to say more.
“No, you shouldn’t,” she said, keeping her lips flat.
Wes laughed, knowing she was joking.
“I didn’t think you’d forgive me so easily. I had a whole thing planned,” Wes said.
“Oh yeah? Maybe I’m still mad.” She grinned at him.
His laugh was sort of like the breeze and the warmth. It cocooned her, made her grateful for one more thing.
“We can do it in the car.”
“Excuse me?”
He laughed. “Keep it clean, Sharp. You’ll see.”
They said their goodbyes with hugs and promises of seeing each other soon. Grace and Everly were coming into the shop next week after some shopping. They’d invited her along on a shopping trip but Hailey needed to check her calendar. Her catering events plus the increase of traffic at the store and training her two employees—that’s right, she had two staff members—were time-consuming.
In the truck, she did her best to wait him out. She leaned her head against the seat, all breezy and nonchalant. He adjusted the stereo, checked all his mirrors, double-checked the heat settings before finally backing out of the drive. Once they were on their way, he chatted about the traffic, the meal, and the games.