“We’d love to do that,” Noah said.
The bastard picked up his drink, stood, and told Hailey to lead the way. Wes tried to get his attention but Noah ignored him.
Then they were standing next to a table with three people laughing. The beautiful redhead had enough features in common with Hailey to identify as part of her family. A dark-haired man in a suit much like the ones Wes favored had his arm around the woman. Piper and Nick. Across from them was one empty seat and a blond guy who looked like a surfer dressed for Wall Street.
“Oh. Hailey. Honey, you aren’t supposed to leave your date and just pick up two new ones. Though, nice job, if I may say so,” Piper said.
Nick arched his brows, pulling Piper closer. “You may not,” he said with an easy laugh.
The other guy, the blond who had to be Hailey’s date, looked at her questioningly.
“Ha ha, Pipes. Funny woman you married, Nick,” Hailey said, turning to the side.
“You introduced me to her,” Nick said.
“I ran into friends. Nick, Piper, this is Wesley and his brother Noah. Seth, Wes and Noah.”
There were handshakes all around. Wes felt like the back of his shirt was damp with sweat. Why did he suggest a drink tonight?
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Wes. Hailey’s told us lots about you,” Piper said.
“Same,” Wes said, his throat suddenly scratchy.
“You two are investors, right?” Nick asked.
Wes did not want to talk business.
“We do a number of things,” he said, cutting Noah off with a look. Noah was always happy to make new connections. Now wasn’t the time. Wes wanted to leave. Needed to. He didn’t want to see the way Hailey’s date was looking at her, the way he leaned in when she sat down and asked if everything was all right. The way his hand hovered close to her arm. Her bare arm because the pretty dress she wore was short sleeved.
“Wes?” Noah looked at him.
“Hmm? What?”
“Nick was just saying he’d love to sit down sometime and go over our investments with us.”
Wes nodded. “We should leave them to their dinner.”
He looked at Hailey, saw she was watching him carefully. She mouthed “you okay?” He nodded. Tried to smile but he probably looked like he’d come from the dentist—he wasn’t even sure his lips moved.
“Nice to meet you,” Seth said almost dismissively.
When they left, Noah didn’t say a word until they were in his SUV driving away.
“Dude. Why didn’t you say you were into her?”
Wes felt like his head spun all the way around. He stared at Noah’s profile. “What? I’m not.”
Noah chuckled. “Oh. Okay. That’s your story? Got it. Let me know when you stop lying to yourself.”
Wes didn’t know what to say. He had absolutely no idea what his story was. Hailey was supposed to be just his friend. Until recently, that’s all she’d been. A friend who’d been hurt horribly but somehow still believed in love. Someone who made him laugh and think and look forward to things. Would she fall for this guy and get all of the things she deserved and dreamed about? The thought made his stomach feel like he’d chowed down on concrete.
He wasn’t into her. She was Hailey. Just his Hailey. Shit. His friend Hailey. That’s all. Yeah. That was his story.
26
Sometimes, a person worked their ass off, put in the blood, sweat, and tears, and slowly reaped the rewards. Other times, a fun and flirty quiz maker with thousands of followers on Twitter and Instagram mentioned a certain local business and the world went freaking crazy for salad.
FionaHale
@flirtyfunwriter
If you have not tried the salads from @BytheCup your life is not complete. Once you’ve corrected this, @ me with your favorite. #gonow #notyourusualsalad #santasaladismyfavorite
Hailey was lying on her bed in her apartment, feeling like she’d run a marathon after climbing a mountain. She stared up at her phone not sure what was harder to believe—that Fiona’s tweet had given her a record-breaking day or that she was this damn tired from making salads. She’d had to call in Bryce and Leo. There was a line out the door. She’d stayed open an hour past closing.
Dropping her phone, she stared up at her popcorn ceiling and summoned the energy to bicycle kick her legs while simultaneously air punching and let out some of the giddy, overwhelmed laughter she’d been holding back.
Then she lay flat, closed her eyes, and focused on breathing. Record. Breaking. Day. She’d done more in sales today than she had the whole month so far. Her phone rang. Moving as little of her body as possible, she pressed accept.