The Carol Wyatt Collection

by Carol Wyatt

  Hailey glanced behind her as Elle carried their empty glasses into the kitchen. This was the first time she'd seen her in jeans, and Hailey had to suppress a groan as she sauntered out of the living room.

  How did this happen? I'm only torturing myself.

  Even though she knew nothing good happened after 2:00am, curiosity got the better of her last night, and Hailey found herself Googling 'Elle Trevino.' She was a software developer, a successful one if Elle's house was anything to go by. Hailey put her phone away when the room started spinning and woke up today with a pounding headache.

  Hailey had tried to lose herself on the dance floor last night, but she ended up in the arms of a woman whose name she couldn't even remember. It was embarrassing. Hailey wasn't normally so reckless, but thankfully, she had enough sense to get in a cab and go home on her own. Kissing her was enough of a mistake and she'd snapped out of it when she realized she wasn't really kissing this woman. Her mind was elsewhere... Hailey had been thinking of Elle.

  Hailey had told the woman she was dancing with that she was going to get some air, but she never went back to her. She went home, her mind racing, wondering how she'd let this happen. She wasn't against falling for someone. Isn't that what everyone wanted? She just didn't think Elle would ever give her the time of day. Was she even gay?

  Hailey stood up and wiped her sweaty palms down the front of her jeans. Maybe she should just go. She could come up with some sort of excuse when Elle came back, but there she was, standing in the doorway with two glasses of wine in her hand, her wavy brown hair falling over one shoulder, looking incredibly sexy.

  “Why don't we sit over here?” Elle asked, crossing the room, heading for the couch instead of the piano.

  “Sure.”

  “So,” Elle said when she sat down beside Hailey. “What do you do when you're not teaching piano?”

  “Thanks,” Hailey said as she took her glass from her hand. “Well, I don't actually teach anyone else. I'm in the tourism industry by day and in the evenings, I’m writing songs. That's what I really want to do, write full-time.”

  “Is that what brought you to New York?”

  “Yes... And I needed to get out of my homophobic town.”

  “Where's that?”

  “It's a small town, about an hour outside of Cleveland... What about you? Are you from the New York?”

  Hailey brought her glass to her lips, letting the chilled white wine slide down her throat. She was mesmerized by those stunning green eyes. It was like being lost in the middle of the woods, the flakes of golden brown with mossy green, like trees in a lush forest.

  “No. I'm from Sandy Hook in New Jersey, so I grew up looking at this city from across the water. I always knew that I wanted to live here someday.”

  “And here you are...”

  “It took a while but yes... I love this place. It's more than I need, but in this city, I feel like it's a good investment. Prices are going up every year, although, I don't see myself selling this house anytime soon. The rooftop is what sold it.”

  “You have your own rooftop?” Hailey asked.

  Elle nodded. “Do you want to go up there?”

  “Sure.”

  Hailey followed her out of the living room and climbed the stairs, trying to avert her eyes from those jeans that fit her so well. What was she getting herself into?

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Is this what a midlife crisis looks like?” Elle asked Matt as two joggers passed them. “I'm meeting strangers online. I'm flirting with women more than ten years younger than me...”

  They were on their usual walk through Brooklyn Bridge Park with Manhattan's skyline across the water. Some days they ran, but today they were just going for a walk.

  “Did you meet someone else in their twenties or are you talking about Hailey?”

  “No. I meant Hailey.”

  “You're not having a midlife crisis. Signing up for a dating site is normal now and what's this about flirting with Hailey? When did that happen?”

  “The last lesson or two... I don't know. I've found myself slipping in a few compliments and...,” Elle sighed. “I don't know. It's easy to talk to her...”

  “You know what you need to do? You need to see Hailey away from your lessons. How is anything going to happen when you're sitting in front of the piano.”

  “I asked her if she wanted to see the rooftop...”

  “Elle...”

  “Nothing happened... And that was more than three weeks ago...”

  They'd had five lessons so far, and Elle knew her attraction to Hailey was increasing each time she sat down next to her, trying to concentrate while her long, slender fingers slid across the ivory keys.

  “What about the party?” Matt asked, stopping to turn and face her.

  “What about it?”

  “You could have Hailey play at it... It'd be nice to have some classy piano music in the background.”

  “Wouldn't that be weird? To ask her, I mean.”

  “No... Why would it? You think she's talented, don't you? It'd be a paid gig... It's not like you're asking her for a favor or anything,” Matt said as they started walking again.

  “Okay... I probably won't even have time to talk to her though.”

  “You've always said your team are relaxed. No one's going to expect anything from you. It's just a prelaunch party, right? A few drinks and some snacks?”

  “Yeah...”

  “Think about it at least,” Matt said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “You know you want to.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Hailey sunk into the cushions beside Lauren, waiting for her to finish flicking through Netflix and finally choose the movie they were going to watch.

  “Hey, are you free Saturday night?” Hailey asked, grabbing some popcorn from the bowl she'd put into between them.

  “Yeah... I think so. Why?”

  “You know that woman I'm giving piano lessons to? Elle?”

  “Yeah.”

  “She's having a party at her house. It's a work thing. Anyway, she wants to know if I'd play at it, just for two hours. I was wondering if you'd join me.”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah. We've been talking about playing some gigs together. This is the perfect warm up and it's pretty good pay for just two hours of work, playing in her living room. Plus, you never know who might be there.”

  “Okay. She only lives a few streets over, right?” Lauren asked, settling on a romantic comedy.

  “Yeah.”

  “Hailey... Are you into her?”

  Hailey put a handful of popcorn in her mouth, so she could have a second to figure out if she wanted to say it out loud.

  “You are,” Lauren guessed. “Wow... I was kind of wondering what you were doing giving lessons. Don't get me wrong. I know you're capable. It's just not your thing.”

  “It's not even like that. Her friend suggested that she get lessons and he asked me if I would do it. I was minding my own business at my Wednesday night gig but that's what I'm talking about. You never know who you're going to meet.”

  “Okay, okay. You don't have to convince me. I'm in.”

  “Great,” Hailey said with a smile, reaching for more popcorn.

  “We just need to practice.”

  “And we need to come up with a set list.”

  “Shhh,” Lauren said. “Later. The movie's starting...”

  Hailey hoped it wasn't that obvious to anyone else that she was interested in Elle.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Hailey put away Lauren's guitar case, hiding it in one of the closets in the hallway and sat down at the piano, waiting for Lauren to make sure her guitar was in tune. They'd sound checked so they were ready to go when she was.

  Hailey turned to face out into the living room, her eyes scanning the people that were milling in and out of the living room. Her eyes caught Elle's for just a second as she was passing by the doorway, probably on her way to answer the doorbe
ll. She looked stunning in a simple black dress, her hair more styled than usual, in loose waves that cascaded down her back.

  Lauren gave Hailey a nod, signalling that she was ready to go. Hailey swung her legs around and scooted the bench a little closer to the piano. She wasn't nervous. This was the kind of gig she loved, like her Wednesday nights at the bar. They weren't the center of attention. People would be coming and going, pausing to listen to them or talking among themselves. It was all very relaxed and that translated into their music.

  They started with a song that they'd been playing together for years to ease them into the night. Hailey knew they had chemistry and she wanted tonight to go well. She could see Lauren and herself performing together in the future, not just working on songs in their apartment. She always thought they complimented each other. Lauren's voice was silky smooth with a hint of soul and Hailey loved playing for her.

  After the first few songs, the night flew by. Hailey was lost in the music, forgetting about Elle and the crowd of people that were flowing into her home. It was just her and Lauren, like they were in their own living room, feeding off each other's energy.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Elle took another drink, letting the whiskey burn her throat. She hadn't had much to drink at the start of the night, knowing she was in charge of everything running smoothly, but now that the party was almost over, she'd made herself a whiskey on the rocks and came up to the rooftop to get some air.

  She always felt confident in her offices, working with clients and holding meetings, but hosting a party was a different thing and one she didn't really enjoy. She loved everyone on her team. She was the one who hired them, but she was an introvert, and even at her own party, she needed a few minutes to recharge where it was quiet.

  She was surprised to hear footsteps behind her and when she turned around, her eyes met Hailey's.

  “Hey,” Hailey said with a smile. “I thought I'd find you up here. Don't worry... Nothing's wrong. No one's looking for you.”

  “I just needed to get some air.”

  Hailey nodded.

  “I'm glad you're still here... I saw Lauren leave.”

  “She did,” Hailey said, bringing her bottle of beer to her lips.

  “She seems nice... How long have you two been together?”

  Hailey's eyes grew wide and she nearly choked on her drink. “We're not.”

  “Oh... Sorry for assuming.”

  “It's okay,” Hailey said with a smile. “It actually happens a lot and we do live together... So, where's Matt? I didn't see him tonight.”

  “He had something else on tonight, a dinner or something... And this is my work thing, so he probably wouldn't have come anyway.”

  “It's good that you're both so independent.”

  Elle's eyebrow arched. “Wait... You think we're together?”

  “Yeah...”

  “He's my best friend... Although you're not the first one to think that we were a couple. I suppose he is a good catch, but he's gay... And so am I.”

  Hailey's lips curved into a smile and Elle felt like she'd said too much. Why would Hailey care if she was gay? She really didn't need to mention it.

  “I thought my gaydar was better than that,” Hailey said with a soft laugh.

  “With Matt or me?”

  “Both.”

  “Ah...”

  “Yeah...”

  Elle challenged herself to hold Hailey's gaze. She could see herself taking a step forward, closing the space between them, and resting a hand on her hip, or maybe reaching up to caress her cheek, but she didn't move. It was so much easier to day dream than it was to take that risk and make the first move.

  Chapter Twenty

  Hailey stood frozen, her eyes locked onto Elle's as she processed what she'd just said. Elle was actually gay, and Hailey had somehow missed it. Well, she had thought about the possibility, but she also thought she was being blinded by her almost instant attraction to Elle. She'd also made the mistake of assuming Matt and Elle were together.

  Hailey should've trusted her gut, but what Elle just said didn't really change anything. Elle was still living in a different world: this house, her company, the software that they were creating. Hailey stood on the roof of a bus for a living. She couldn't see Elle being interested in her, but the way Elle was looking at her right now did make her wonder.

  Elle's expression was neutral, but her eyes... Those stunning green eyes that Hailey had gotten so used to seeing light up when Elle mastered a new song were now darker than she'd ever seen them and only one word came to Hailey's mind: desire.

  Hailey debated making a move, not trusting whatever words she might've come up with in that moment, but just as her eyes flickered down to Elle's lips, she broke the silence.

  “I better get back to playing hostess,” Elle said with a weak smile. “Although things should be winding down soon.”

  “Sure,” Hailey said, swallowing the lump in her throat. She could've made complete fool of herself. “I'll say 'Goodbye' now, just in case I don't see you again...”

  “You don't have to go. Make yourself at home, get another drink... You were amazing by the way... Both of you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You clearly have chemistry... I guess that's why I thought you were together... And, well... You talk about her a lot too.”

  Hailey nodded. “She's my best friend and roommate and we definitely have a musical connection... But that's it... Anyway, I'll follow you down.”

  Hailey let Elle head downstairs ahead of her. Her heart was still pounding in her chest and she felt a nauseous. As much as she wanted to be, she wasn't any happier now that she knew Elle was gay. It was almost the opposite. Her stomach was in knots. There was no way that Elle would really be interested in her.

  She should probably stop giving Elle lessons. She was only torturing herself. She looked forward to Friday evening all week, but the hour always flew by, and she'd let so many opportunities to say something slip by. She'd definitely read too much into their conversations and Elle's body language. She was just being friendly.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Hailey paid for her first iced coffee of the year and took a seat by the window, looking out at the crowded sidewalk and busy street, yellow cabs making up most of the traffic. Summer had been reluctant to show up, but they were finally starting to get some warmer weather and Hailey took advantage, picking up her favorite iced coffee at Starbucks.

  The only thing that was bringing down her mood was that fact that Elle had sent her a text this morning saying that she'd have to cancel their lessons. Not just tonight... All of their lessons. She’d said that she was really busy right now with work and that she couldn't commit to them right now. Hailey text her back saying that it was okay and to let her know if she wanted to start them again.

  Hailey tried not to let it bother her, but it was impossible not to. She'd gotten so used to seeing Elle every Friday, even though it's only been for a few weeks. Now, she had no reason to see Elle again... Ever.

  Not only was that depressing, Hailey couldn't keep her mind from wandering and asking all these 'What if?' questions. What if she'd said something? What if she'd asked her out? But Hailey dismissed those thoughts. She knew why she never said anything. She was trying to be professional and she didn't know until last weekend that Elle was even gay.

  Her phone rang, and Hailey debated answering. It was a number she didn't recognize, but she was always telling Lauren to be on the lookout, that they never knew where their break was going to come from, so she answered the call.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Hailey. It's Matt. Elle's friend. We met a few weeks ago.”

  “Oh hi Matt.”

  “You're probably wondering why I'm calling you... I wanted to take some photos of you. That's what I do. Well, mostly fashion, but some portraits too.”

  Hailey wasn't following him. “Why?”

  “Why? Because I'm glad that I asked you if y
ou'd give Elle piano lessons. She's playing almost every day now and she loves it. But it's not just that. You should be ready for any opportunity that might come your way...”

  “Okay...”

  “Elle said that you wanted to be a song writer. You'll need some professional photos and probably a website too, but you could start with social media...”