The Starting Line: Friends To Lovers

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The Starting Line: Friends To Lovers Page 12

by Jennifer Hartley


  “Yeah, it’s a collaborative program in Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction. It's a master's combined with a law degree. Four-year program. I do this part the first year, then combine it with a specific focus for my law degree.”

  Jude's eyebrows dart upward. “So you're pretty set on this then. Is this exactly what you want to do?”

  Hailey nods. “I'm about ninety-three percent sure. This research is useless if I can’t do anything about it,” she smiles at him as he nods in agreement.

  “Why Uganda? Couldn't you have picked somewhere safer?”

  “Through Marta and my program, I've got connections there, and a lot of work that's going on with the refugees lines up with my field of interest. Honestly, it was either Uganda or somewhere like India or the Philippines.”

  Jude frowns, neither sound too appealing to him.

  “Although I might end up going there as well in the future.”

  “Is that going to be your life then?” Jude's tone is harsh, but he doesn't care. “Traveling from place to place, righting past wrongs, demanding justice for atrocities committed?”

  Instead of reacting, Hailey shuts down. She wasn't prepared for this and doesn't know what to say that will reach Jude when he's in this state. She remains quiet for a moment, watching him, sensing that his agitation is more than just about her career choice.

  “What's really going on?”

  “Nothing. Nothing. I just... “ Jude sighs and shakes his head at her, making a sour face. And suddenly, she realizes what this is about.

  “Listen, I had a great time in London. I did. But I just want to make sure that it doesn't change things between us. We're better off -”

  “You know what, Jude? Say no more. Don't worry about it.” She holds up her hand, waving away his words. Her chest starts to squeeze uncomfortably. She doesn't want to hear this speech. It's been recycled enough between them over the years that she should get it cross-stitched on a pillow. “Hey, I've got to get to class. Get some sleep.”

  She catches a flash of regret on his face, but nothing more. “Yeah, sure. Later.”

  Hailey clicks off immediately, so angry with herself and Jude. She thought it'd be different now that they aren't dancing together every day. Now that they can actually spend time together and know that it wasn't just dancing that drew them to each other. Now that they can't blame whatever it is between them on a program or stress and hormones.

  She closes her laptop and shakes her head, whispering: “Damn it, Jude, I thought you were braver than this.”

  Marta's older brother Henrique comes to visit for two weeks at the end of November. Hailey first meets him when she's arriving home after dance one evening, frozen to the bone. Marta and Therese are sitting on the kitchen counter, watching him cook, drinking wine and singing off-key to a chanteuse with a deep voice.

  Marta beckons Hailey over, placing a wet kiss on her cheek before Hailey sits on a stool at the island, taking in the scene. “Henrique, this is Hailey, the one coming with me to Uganda!”

  “Ah, my sister roped you in as well? She's very convincing.” Henrique turns to Hailey and takes her extended hand, placing a kiss on the back in a practiced manner. “Nice to meet you.”

  Hailey grins, “You as well. Marta has been looking forward to your visit for weeks. She speaks very highly of you.”

  “Of course she does.” Henrique tosses a hand towel over his shoulder. “Who else would take her shopping or cook her dinner?”

  The two start bickering good-naturedly, allowing Hailey a chance to observe their obvious affection for one another. From what Marta has shared, Henrique is in his early thirties, married to his work at the nonprofit, and generous to a fault.

  Save for their dark brown eyes, she'd never guess they were related. His hair is dark brown and wavy, his skin is tan, and his demeanor is more serious than playful. But as their laughter rings out, Hailey sees the resemblance; It’s musical. They have matching expressions of delight, corners of their eyes crinkled and mouths poised just so.

  “Would you like to join us for dinner?” Marta asks as Henrique returns to the oven, pulling out a large dish.

  “Oh, no,” Hailey rises, not wanting to interfere. “I've got to revise my proposal for Dr. Bouchard.”

  “I heard about that,” Marta says as she twists the base of her wine glass. “Dr. Bouchard wants to take it to the annual symposium.”

  Hailey glances at Marta and shrugs, refusing to get her hopes up. “Well, she's not taking it anywhere if I don't get the edits done. She said something about meeting with a Dr. Hackney. Do you know who that is?”

  Marta and Henrique share a pointed look then to her, nodding. “Yes, she is a powerhouse. She's a foreigner with a lot of money and a lot of humanitarian interests. She invests in non-profits and makes things happen.”

  “How do you know so much about her?”

  Henrique replies this time with an enigmatic grin. “It's a long story. Let me just say that if she's interested in something you're developing, you should be honored. She... she's very selective though. Doesn't suffer fools well.”

  “Noted.” Hailey is uncertain what to do with this knowledge, but tucks it away for if and when meeting Dr. Hackney becomes a reality.

  “We have plenty of food, if you change your mind,” Henrique offers as Hailey gathers her belongings.

  “Thanks,” Hailey replies before returning to her room to analyze business models for small enterprises and then delve into the horrific history of the Lord's Resistance Army.

  Before falling to sleep, she texts Jude to let him know she found his t-shirt when she was doing her laundry. He tells her to add it to her collection.

  She neglects to tell him she's sleeping in it.

  Some rule somewhere states that the best way to get over someone is to date someone new. It is exactly what has worked for Jude in the past and is certainly his plan now.

  Jude starts volunteering to take the runs to the hospital whenever his calls coincide with the medics, hoping to have an excuse to see Dr. Mitchell. After the third inquiry after her, one of the nurses takes pity on him and reveals Dr. Mitchell's preferred work schedule. He starts dropping off cups of coffee at her workstation in the residents' workroom, drawing dorky stick figures or writing stupid knock-knock jokes on the side of the cup.

  By week two, it wears her down, and she seeks him out in the medic workroom.

  “What's the deal with the coffee?” Her hair is typically tied back due to work, but today she's in jeans and a blouse, hair down in soft waves. He freezes for a moment before responding.

  “Don't you want coffee?”

  “No, I like coffee,” she glances as the two medics behind Jude who have stopped reviewing an ECG and are looking at her. “I just don't understand why you keep delivering it.”

  Jude rises from his chair and walks toward her. “I thought that would be obvious.”

  She cracks a small smile, “I thought the point of getting coffee was that you'd be sharing it with me.”

  “Yeah well, I figured I'd cause you to form addiction and then make it to where you'd become dependent on my supply.”

  “Good strategy.”

  “I thought so,” he's returning her smile, both staring at each other. A cough from behind Jude makes him aware of their audience. He forges ahead. “You know, I hear that breakfast goes great with coffee. Especially after you work the night shift.”

  She rolls her eyes, but her smile remains. “That's funny because I'm more of a kegs and eggs kind of girl after a night shift.”

  “Well, if you're asking...”

  “I wasn't. Just stating a fact. “ She turns and places her hand on the door handle. “Have a good night, gentlemen.”

  Jude spots a mischievous look on her face before the door shuts behind her.

  “Oh, snap, son!” Jude turns to see both the medics laughing their asses off. “You don't actually think you're going to get anywhere, do you? She's an ice quee
n.”

  Jude leans against the counter, running his hand through his hair. “How so?”

  “She's been here for over a year. Never gave anyone time of day. I got two words for you: look elsewhere.”

  “Yeah yeah,” Jude frowns as he walks out to the ambulance, preparing the stretcher before he reloads it. Glancing up at the back door of the ambulance, he spots a note stuck on the window.

  It lists a nearby diner and a time, signed JJ.

  Jude grins the entire night until breakfast the following morning. And the morning after that. And the morning after that.

  But one morning after a horrific night at work, he skips breakfast and heads straight home from the fire station. Instead of texting Cynthia an apology for missing their non-date date, he snaps into autopilot and texts his best friend.

  When Hailey receives a text from Jude, it's almost two weeks after they talked. She doesn't spend too much time analyzing why they haven't talked. She doesn't want to because she'd have to face some harsh realities that are more than she can handle at the moment. So she pushes it aside and hopes it doesn't mean they've splintered beyond repair.

  Are you busy?

  She looks at her watch and figures how much time she has before dinner with some friends. That might be cutting it close, but it’s worth it.

  Once Jude's face pops up on her computer screen, she immediately forgets about everything else. His face is pale, his eyes are bloodshot, and his hair is askew. Something is terribly wrong.

  “Jude?” her voice is tentative, like she's talking to a scared child. “What's up?”

  “Hey,” he's not actually looking at the screen, more like focusing on the corner, chewing on a straw. When his eyes finally meet hers, she grows even more concerned at the crushed expression.

  “Is something wrong with your family? Is everyone okay?” She tries to keep her voice even, but he must pick up on her alarm because he focuses on her quickly.

  “No. No, they're good. Everyone's great.”

  Hailey nods, watching as his eyes float around. His behavior is making her skin crawl. “Then what's going on?”

  He shrugs, scrubbing his hands over his face and glances up at her. Finally, he starts talking. “There was a uh… uh fire in an apartment complex. Started at two in the morning. Prelim reports say it was electrical, but I was…”

  Hailey feels her heart speed up as he talks, his tone foreboding. She leans forward and watches as words elude him, clearing his voice as he shuffles in his chair.

  “I was clearing a floor, it was more smoke and water damage than anything else, really. And, we got in this one apartment, and I stepped on toys the second I got in there. And I knew, I just…”

  His voice gets tight and scratchy. “They were asleep in a fort they made in the living room. Two kids and their mom. “

  “Jude -” She covers her mouth, completely aghast.

  “The dad showed up while we were loading them into the Medical Examiner's van…” Jude's voice cracks, and he inhales then exhales slowly, swallowing hard. Hailey has never hated the distance between them more than this moment.

  “He works the night shift at the supermarket,” Jude sets down the straw and looks straight at her. “I have never... I've never heard that kind of gut-wrenching sound come out of anyone before. He's a big guy, but I swear, he shrunk a foot in the span of a few minutes. It was awful.”

  He and Hailey sit in silence for a bit. She's never witnessed something like that before, and between the two of them, Jude is definitely the more sensitive, more prone to emotional displays. It doesn't take away from her ability to empathize, though.

  “How is the rest of your crew?” She keeps her voice gentle and soothing.

  Jude shrugs. “Everyone reacted differently. Some of them just carried on, others broke down. I found one of the guys sitting in his car crying. We don't get this kind of things here very often.”

  “Was Carl with you?”

  “Yeah. Carlo offered to have me come over for dinner tonight, but... I don’t know. I'm not really sure if I can handle people right now.”

  Hailey nods, watching as Jude clears his throat, swiping at his eyes quickly. She remains quiet for a couple more minutes, listening as Jude talks. Most of what he says doesn't make sense, and she thinks that maybe he's a little shell-shocked at the moment. After a break, she leans forward slightly, her gaze fixed on him.

  “I wish I was there right now, but I'm not the one you need in order to get past this.” He glances up at her as she continues. “I think you should go over to Carl's for a little bit. He's been doing this for a long time, just like I know you want to do. He can help you figure out how to get through this.”

  “I know,” he whispers, utterly spent. “It's just hard.”

  “I can't even imagine,” Hailey replies. “But it's like you always say: Nothing worth doing is ever easy.”

  “Don't throw quotes in my face,” he scrubs his hands against his cheek, exhaling. “I don't know if I'm cut out for this.”

  “Slow down, Jude. Take a couple of days. Talk to Carl, take a step back. You're not in the right frame of mind for any big decisions.”

  “I know, I know. I'll think about it.”

  “Good,” Hailey offers a weak smile. “I know this is rough, but think about everything you love about your work and the people you work with. Don't let this one event diminish that. Use it to make you better at what you do.”

  Jude lets out a huff. “You sound like Ellen.”

  “We didn't spend that long with her without having some of her crazy ideas rub off on us, Jude.”

  He nods, knowing she's right. Jude still feels awful, but less so. “I'm going to go take a shower and see if I'm up for dinner later.”

  “Sounds like a good idea. Call me at any time if you need me.”

  Jude cracks a fleeting smile, nodding. “Thank you, Hailey. I don't know what I'd do without you.”

  She watches as the screen goes black. She remains in her seat for a few more minutes, hurting for her friend.

  After a couple of days, Jude starts to come around. He took Hailey's advice and went to Carl's for dinner where his wife and two little kids completely uplifted Jude's spirits. Carl took his time with Jude, listened to his concerns, and told Jude to take a couple of days off and get his head straight.

  Eric calls the following morning, asking if Jude wants to come to take a look at another house. They just finished their second flip before Jude left, and both are feeling pretty good about having it as a side business. Eric is business savvy, Jude has construction contacts, and Eric's girlfriend Camille is a real estate agent with a keen eye for design.

  When Jude arrives at the property, he can tell it'll take quite a bit of work and grows concerned about how much can be done in the winter months. Eric rolls up in his truck and joins Jude on the drive, giving him details and pointing out potential problems. After a look around and a meeting with their contractor, they come to an agreement to put an offer on the house.

  Over dinner, Eric and Jude catch up over the last couple of weeks.

  “So you had a good time with Hailey then? She didn't drag you to Harrods and make you watch her try on shoes or anything?”

  “Ha, no. No, we had a great time. Perry and I kept her busy though, but it was good seeing her out there in her element.”

  Eric, of the potent homebrew and questionable douche-bag friends, is a long-time friend of both Jude and Hailey. He's followed their career, but more importantly, shared many experiences with the two over the years. Occasionally, he considers telling Jude to man up and lay it all out there for Hailey. But something tells him that's happened in the past and it didn't quite work out.

  “I've got some news,” Eric glances at Jude, a full-blown smile creeping onto his face. “I'm going to ask Camille to marry me.”

  Jude's eyebrows shoot up, mouth slack with shock, then he smiles brightly at Eric. “What? When?”

  “We're going to the lake hou
se between Christmas and New Year’s. I'm going to do it then.”

  “That's great!” Jude beams. “That's awesome. Really. She's a great girl, brings out the best in you, buddy.”

  “Thanks, man.” Eric fist bumps Jude, smiling. “I'm pretty excited.”

  Jude leans back in his seat and watches as his friend lays out how he wants to propose. But as he moves his hands around and grows more animated, Jude's focus starts to fade. All he can hear is Hailey's soft laughter and the sound of her breathing when she laid curled next to him in her bed.

  At the appropriate moment, Jude responds. “Sounds like a great plan. I'm really happy for you.”

  Hailey arrives exactly thirteen minutes early to dinner with the illustrious Dr. Jo Hackney. Though she looks ten years younger, she's in her mid-fifties, with short blonde hair colored in just the right way to hide any gray, elegant with a pair of shrewd brown eyes that will let someone know what's being said is absolutely stupid without having to utter a word. Hailey imagines her to be the love child of Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada and Clare Wickham from House of Cards.

  Steeling herself, Hailey approaches Dr. Hackney. The woman is perusing a file but senses Hailey's presence, holding up a hand to indicate she's aware and to hold for a moment. When she shuts her file, she removes her glasses and scrutinizes Hailey in a disconcerting way that is reminiscent of Ellen.

  “Do you like meat?”

  Hailey's eyebrows shoot upwards; she’s thrown by the question in place of a greeting. “Yes.”

  Dr. Hackney flashes a smile that indicates she's passed some test. “Excellent. I don't trust vegetarians. Come, there's a restaurant at the top of the hotel that serves fantastic filet mignon.”

  They walk toward the elevators, selecting one at the end that has special access to the restaurant. Hailey takes in her appearance, noting the exceptional qualities. Everything screams affluence, and Hailey isn't quite sure how to reconcile that with the human rights advocate she created in her mind.

  They are seated quickly at a window, a breathtaking view of the city briefly distracting Hailey from the circus going on in her belly. When she pulls her focus away from the view, she finds Dr. Hackney watching her. It's a mental catalog she's building, taking in what draws Hailey’s eyes and what keeps her attention. This is a test.

 

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