“I’m meeting Gabe and his gang,” I say as I put my hands in my pockets, the feeling of her sweater still on my fingers.
“Oh good, so I know at least one person,” she says with a smile, and I take in her single braid on one side. My fingers itch to touch her neck.
“Yeah, are you here with Crystal?” I ask her as I walk over to the counter and get my shoes.
“Yeah, I was, but then I looked around, and I can’t find her.” She continues looking around. “I guess she must be in the bathroom.” I follow her as she leads me to a group of about twenty people. Most I know from the clinic, but some are new faces. I look around to see if Brody is anywhere close. “I guess we are on the same team,” she says from beside me as I look up and see that there are six on our team.
“Is it just the two of us?” I ask but then turn to see Brody and Darla walk from the bar carrying a tray of beers. “Hey.” I jerk my chin up to him as I go grab the tray from Darla.
“Thank you, sugar.” She smiles at me as she walks over to Hailey. “I love your shirt,” she says as she takes in Hailey.
“Whoa.” I hear Brody next to me as he watches me watch Hailey. “You might want to simmer down there, big boy. You keep looking at her like she’s your next meal, and she is going to get creeped out.” He laughs as he puts down the tray of beer and kisses Hailey’s cheek. Why the fuck is he kissing her cheek?
“There you are.” I hear Hailey say from beside me, and I look up to see Crystal coming down from the doorway.
“Sorry, I forgot something in the car,” she says as she grabs her shoes.
Hailey laughs next to her. “That’s funny; we didn’t drive my car here.” Crystal looks like a deer in headlights. I look over at the door as Gabe walks in. His shirt buttoned all wrong and wiping his lips with his thumb.
He looks up at me as I look to see if anyone else saw, and I’m not surprised to find Hailey looking at him and then back at Crystal. She looks over at me, and her eyes go big. I shake my head, and she nods. I meet him halfway.
“You are fucking Crystal? Are you insane?”
“Hey,” he says, pointing at me, “I’m not fucking anyone.”
“Really?” I tilt my head, looking at him. “You still have lip gloss on your lips, and your shirt is not buttoned properly.”
“Fuck,” he says as he walks away to the bathroom. I head back over to the group.
“So,” I say, sitting next to Hailey. “Who is going to go first?”
I stretch my arms out on both sides. Darla jumps to her feet.
“I’ll go first,” she says as she gives Brody a kiss, and I look over to see Crystal socializing with the other nurses.
“So are we going to discuss what we just saw?” Hailey leans in to me, her shoulder fitting against me perfectly. “Did you know?”
I look over at her, seeing the sparkle in her eye. “No, did you?” I ask her quietly with a smile. She shakes her head.
“Hailey,” Brody says loudly, and she jumps away from me. “Your turn.”
She taps my legs as she gets up. “Be right back.” Going to the balls, she grabs a pink ball and looks over at the other lane. I’ve seen the guy at the clinic a couple of times. He tells her something, and she throws her head back and laughs. She watches him bowl, and then he comes over as if tell her what to do, and she does and knocks down eight pins. She squeals and then walks back over and high fives him.
“Who the fuck is that?” I ask Gabe as I point at the guy.
“Don’t fucking touch my pediatrician. He just started. He’s the best around,” Gabe says as he looks over at the rest of his staff, seeing Crystal talk to someone I’ve never seen before.
His teeth clench as I slap his back. “Relax, dude, it’s nothing.” I look up and see it’s my turn, so I walk up to Hailey and her friend. “Hey, nice to meet you, I’m Walker.”
I put my hand out as I put my other hand on Hailey’s back while the guy reaches forward. “I’m Alan. Do you work at the clinic?”
I laugh as I pull my hand back. “Nope. I own Walker Construction next door.”
“Oh,” he says, pointing, “you guys are building my house.”
“Really?” I say, not surprised. “Well, let me know if you need anything. If you’ll excuse me, it’s my turn.” I turn to Hailey. “I think Crystal was looking for you.” I point back at the seats to see Crystal is actually there.
“Well, see you later, Alan.” Hailey smiles and walks back while I grab a ball and bowl a strike. “Look at you, professional bowler and all,” she says as she drinks a glass of beer.
“I’m a man of many talents,” I tell her as Crystal pretends to vomit in her mouth.
“Really? So besides bowling and being a pretty cool dad, what other talents do you have?” She crosses her hands over her chest as she smiles, and I want to bury my hand in her hair and kiss that smile off her lips.
“I can cook a mean steak,” I tell her as I put my hands in my back pockets before I do something she isn’t ready for.
“Is that so?” She laughs as she has another drink of beer. “You’ll have to show me one day,” she says as Crystal shrieks and jumps up down after getting a strike. She points to Gabe and flips him the bird.
“Soft, my ass,” she says as she comes back and sits next to him. “I believe it’s your turn. Loser buys the winner lunch for a week.” She smiles as he glares at her. “Should I just give you my orders now?”
“It isn’t over till the tenth frame, doll face,” Gabe tells her.
“Ewww, did you just call me doll face?” Her face in a grimace. “I mean, it’s better than pain in my ass.” She shrugs.
“You are a pain in my ass. For once, I’d like to have a day when you don’t second-guess everything I do,” he says as he looks back to grab his ball and she yells.
“For once, I’d like to go to work with a doctor who I don’t have to second-guess. If you want, I can transfer to pediatrics. Alan likes me,” she tells him as she leans back and smiles at Alan who waves. I look at Gabe and think he’s going to throw the bowling ball at him. “Let’s see what you can do, Doctor,” Crystal says as he bowls a strike and turns around with his hands over his head.
“You two do realize that this is ten frames, and we just did only one,” Brody says as he grabs Darla to sit on his lap.
“Please. I’ve got him beat; he’s a princess,” Crystal says as she gulps down some beer.
“Princess?” Gabe says as he laughs. “You cried when I picked up a frog and showed it to you.”
Crystal slams down her hands. “That fucker was going to jump at me.” She storms up. “I want to change teams.”
We all laugh at them. “Too late,” he says as he looks at the screen. “Darla, you’re up.” Crystal glares at him as I sit down and watch. Hailey looks around, and when she sees me sitting down, she comes over.
“I don’t think those two are going to be able to work and have sex without killing each other.” Hailey crosses her legs and leans in to whisper in my ear. I turn to look at her and see the sparkle again.
“You’re beautiful when you smile.” The words slip out before I can stop them. She looks down and then up again.
“So when are you going to make me steak?” she asks as she drinks some more beer. I notice it’s her second one. Liquid courage.
“Tell you what, I’ll cook the steaks tomorrow night, but you have to come over and help me.” My hands itch to touch her as I rub my thighs.
“Hooker,” Crystal yells back, and Hailey jumps up.
The rest of the evening, we mingle and laugh. Brody ends up winning the game. Crystal beats Gabe by one point.
“The machine is broken,” he said as he looked at the score. “There has to be a glitch in the system. I had one more strike than you did.”
Crystal looks at her nails and then up again. “Yes, and then you knocked two pins down, which means you suck and I win so … I’ll text you my orders.”
The rest of the clinic pe
ople come over and discuss hitting up the bar. Crystal looks at Hailey. “You go ahead. I’m going to head home,” Hailey says as she looks around.
“Walker”—Crystal looks at me—“you going home? Can you drive her?”
“I’m not going to the bar,” Alan says with a smile.
“I got her, but thanks.” I look at him as we say bye to everyone else and walk out. I open her door for her as she giggles, and I shake my head. She is half blitzed.
I start the car, and the song “Don’t You Wanna Stay” comes on, and she buckles her seat belt. “I love this song,” she says as she sings off-key. I look out the window as I drive up to the house, the lights outside lit up. She unbuckles her seat belt. “Will you come sit with me?” she asks, and at that moment, I’m going to give her whatever she wants as long as she keeps the sparkle in her eyes.
I put the car in park, then make my way out of the car as she meets me and opens her hand. “Let’s sit by the water,” she says, and I put my hand in hers, and we walk down to the water.
We sit down in our normal spots, gazing out at the water. “Did you really mean you’re cooking for me tomorrow?” She looks over at me as she unties the braid in her hair and it now falls over her.
“I never joke about steak,” I tell her as she smiles and then looks forward.
“I had a lot of fun tonight,” she says. She turns around and faces my side, crossing her legs as her bent knees rest on top of mine. “Like a lot, a lot of fun,” she says, tucking her hair behind her ears.
“Did you? What was it that made it so much fun?” I put my hand on her knee as I ask her the question.
“Just being out there with other people and not feeling sad.” She gets up and spins. “Do you have your phone with you?” She looks down as I hand her my phone and she plays a song I don’t recognize. She holds the phone in one hand while she holds out her other hand. “Will you dance with me?”
I grab her hand as I get up. Wrapping an arm around her waist, I hold her hand with the phone with the other while she puts one hand on my shoulder. We move in a circle on the sand as the lyrics play. “Are you going to kiss me or not?” As my gaze snaps up and I look in her eyes, they sparkle even in the dark.
“How drunk are you right now?” I ask her as she stops dancing.
“Drunk enough to ask you”—she looks down and then up again—“and sober enough to hope you kiss me.” My hands drop from her, and I move her hair away from her face as the wind blows.
My hands cup her face as her smile never wavers, the song blaring from my phone that now lays in the sand. “All night I had to hide my hands from grabbing you, they itched to touch you.” I bring her face closer to mine.
“So”—she licks her lips—“are you gonna kiss me or not?” She laughs, and my lips crash into hers.
Chapter Eighteen
Hailey
I’m free, or at least I feel free. Sitting on the cold sand, I feel my head turning a bit. My heart is fluttering, my hands are clammy, and I have a smile on my face that seems to be permanent. This whole night was so different. Sitting without a care in the world. Being embraced by people and not judged or looked at differently. It was everything.
But then I looked into Jensen’s light brown eyes, and I got lost. Lost in him, lost in the feel of him, lost in myself. Every time he touched me, my body would tingle. I would feel his touch long after his hand was gone.
I sat in the car with him, so close, and knew I didn’t want the night to end. Knew that, if I let him go, I would regret it. Now, I’m standing here on the beach that let me become whole again, on the beach that didn’t give me answers but let me make peace. On the beach that made me want to wake up the next day. Asking him to kiss me, I looked into his eyes for the answers for anything. His hands push my hair back while it blows in the soft wind as I smile at him.
“How drunk are you right now?” He asks me the question, and I stop moving, thinking of how I want to answer.
“Drunk enough to ask you,” I answer him honestly as I look down at our bodies pushed together and then up again, “and sober enough to hope you kiss me.” His hands drop from my waist as my heart beats louder than the music playing on his phone.
His warm hands come up to cup my face as my heart beat continues faster and faster, and my stomach fills with little butterflies. But one thing never goes away, and it’s the smile on my face. “All night …” He starts talking, and his thumbs gently move over my face. “I had to hide my hands from grabbing you because they itched to touch you.” He brings my face closer to his, so close I can feel his breath on me and goose bumps cover my body. Not because I’m cold, but because I’m that much closer to him. The anticipation of his lips on mine has me licking my lips.
“So,” I ask him as the song plays, “are you gonna kiss me or not?” A nervous laugh escapes me, but it dies as soon as his lips touch mine. My hands go to his waist, pulling him closer. He tilts his head to the side, and I sigh when he slides his tongue into my mouth, and I revel in him. The taste of him and beer. His hands slide from my cheeks to my hair, and he grabs it in his fist. My hands go to his face, my fingers rubbing through the scruff of his face, bringing his face closer to me. My body wakes up as I press myself into him. Our mouths never leave each other as our hands roam. Mine go from his face to his hair and his go from my hair to my back and then down to my waist. As he breaks the kiss with a small peck, he looks at me. My hands go back down to his face, and my fingers trace his lips, my fingers tingling.
“Are you okay?” he asks as his eyes search mine, and his hands rub up my back to my hair. “Um …” he says as he looks down at my lips. I lean in and kiss him this time. I’m the one placing my lips on his, showing him I’m okay. That I’m more than okay. The only sound around us is the crashing of the waves and now a ringing cell phone. I pull back and look down at our feet to see that Gabe is calling.
“Fuck,” he says as he bends down and picks up the phone. “This better be you dying,” he says. I move into him and he wraps one hand around my waist. “Yeah, yeah,” I hear him say. “I’m on my way,” he says as he hangs up the phone, placing it in his back pocket. “Gabe’s car got vandalized.” I look at him in shock. “I have to go get him,” he says. I nod my head, and we turn to walk toward his car, his hand grabbing mine. I stand by the front door as I look at him, and he looks at me. His hand leaves mine so he can touch my face. “So tomorrow?” he asks as he smiles, and I lean in to kiss him.
“Tomorrow.” I kiss him, my lips on his as I breathe out a contented sigh. “Be careful,” I tell him as he gets in his truck and rolls the window down. “Get inside, Hailey,” he says. I watch him pull around until his red lights are in the distance. I walk back inside, locking the door but keeping the outside lights on for Crystal. I walk to the living room and turn on a dim light for her in there also. When I fall into my bed, my hands still smell of Jensen as I trace my tingling lips. I turn to look outside and replay the kiss over and over again as I drift off.
When my eyes open the next day, I’m still wearing a smile. Getting up and heading out to make coffee, I stop when I see Crystal walking in. “Did you leave to go out for doughnuts or is this your walk of shame?” I ask her as I walk to the machine and start the coffee.
“I don’t want to discuss it,” she says as she plops down at the table and places her head on it. “I’m going to sleep till Monday.”
I take down two coffee cups, then fill them and carry them to the table. I sit with my feet up on the chair and tie my hair on the top of my head. “I kissed Jensen last night,” I tell her as I hide the smile with the coffee cup, but you can’t hide the emotions from my eyes. Crystal raises her head from the table.
“With tongue?” I nod my head like a badass. “HUSSY,” she yells, and she slaps the table. “And how was it?”
I try to think of how to describe how I felt when he kissed me, what I felt after, what it all meant, and the only thing that I could come up with was, “Perfect.” I
say, smiling, “Absolutely perfect.”
“I thought he was going to knock the shit out of Alan and bowl with his head. Every single time.” She laughs as she takes a sip of coffee. “It was quite funny. Gabe and I had a side bet going.”
“You and Gabe have a lot going,” I counter and see her eyes get glossy. “I know you’re a big girl, but I just want you to be careful. I mean, he’s your boss.”
“Technically, his father is my boss, but it was a one-time thing,” she points out, but I glare at her. “Okay, fine, it was more than a one-time thing, but it’s done.” She puts her hands up. “No blood, no foul, or whatever the country folks say.”
“I think it’s no harm, no foul, country or not,” I say as I sit up. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.” I look at her.
“Hailey, it’s fine.” She looks down and then up. “I promise I’m okay.” She gets up, grabs her cup of coffee, and walks up the stairs. My phone starts ringing from somewhere in the house. I run to my room to where I think the ringing is coming from and then it stops.
“Fuck,” I say as I toss the covers up and down, looking under the pillow and finally finding it there. I see I have a missed call from an unknown caller. I’m about to put the phone down when I see I have an email alert from a J. Walker. I slide my finger across the M logo and open it up.
Hey, I guess I’m really out of the loop because I forgot to get your number, and I don’t even know if you check your emails on the weekend.
Here is my number.
I don’t bother reading the rest of it. Instead, I click the number and press call.
He answers on the first ring. “Hello.” The sound of his voice makes me smile, and the butterflies start in my stomach.
“Jensen,” I say, “it’s Hailey.”
He laughs. “Look outside,” he says as I walk to the back door and see him standing by the beach with Flounder next to him.
“I’ll be right out.” I look down at my charcoal sleep pants tight around the ankles with the string tied at the waist and a white t-shirt. I grab the long knit black sweater to wrap around me and slide into my Uggs. I walk down, putting my hand in front of my eyes to block the sun as Flounder comes to me and nudges my leg. I pet his head and look up and Jensen is there. “Morning.” I smile at him. He’s wearing his work gear. “Have you been out here long?”
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