Max nodded. “Where are you parked?”
“Just back over there,” she said, pointing to the far left corner of the lot.
“Come on, I’ll walk you over.” Together they turned and walked in that direction. “So I know I said to take your time with the DVD and all, but do you think you could maybe…call me and let me know what you think after you watch it?” he asked.
“Sure. That shouldn’t be a problem.”
“I’m not trying to rush you or anything,” he quickly added, “but I’d really like your opinion.”
Becca looked up at him and smiled. “I’m sure it’s going to be great, Max. Hailey may have a few suggestions—that’s sort of her thing—but I promise she’ll be cool about it when you talk to her.”
His expression—and his steps—faltered for a second.
She stopped and looked at him questioningly. “What? What’s wrong?”
He shook his head as if to clear it. “Nothing. It’s…never mind.”
When Max started to walk again, Becca put a hand on his arm to stop him. “No, come one. What did I say? I didn’t mean to imply that Hailey or any of us is going to find fault with the video, Max. I’m sorry if it came out that way.”
He shook his head again. “It’s not that, Becca.”
“Then what?”
With a small sigh, Max shifted his arm until Becca’s hand fell and then he took her hand in his. “I thought I was being cool about this and getting you to call me without being obvious,” he began. “And then you mentioned having Hailey call and…well…” His gaze met hers. “I’d really like to get to know you. Talk with you for more than five minutes every Friday.” He chuckled. “Not that it hasn’t been nice, but…I don’t know…I think you’re great and I’d just like the chance to spend some time with you.”
Becca felt as if time was standing still. Or maybe it was just her.
“Becca?”
Max wanted to get to know her? Really?
He nervously shifted on his feet and looked in the direction of her car. “Um…it looks like Angie and Ella are waiting by the car. We should…uh…we should probably go.” Without looking at her, he turned to walk away.
“Wait…Max?”
He turned around and took a few steps toward her.
“I…wow…I don’t know what to say. I mean…I really like talking with you and I just never thought…you know…that you might want to hang out with me other than when we’re here at the shows.”
His grin was slow and sweet. “Why wouldn’t I?”
The last thing she wanted was to remind him of how they first met but it must have shown on her face.
“I know exactly what you’re thinking,” he said. “And I hate how you’re letting that jackass have that effect on you. I look at you and I see an amazing woman. You’re sweet and funny and beautiful!” Taking a step back, Max cleared his throat. “We may not know each other very well, but I’d like to change that.”
This had to be a dream because things like this never really happened to her. Nice, good-looking guys never asked her out. At least not like this. It wasn’t that Becca didn’t date a lot—she did—but the guys she dated weren’t nearly as…together as Max was.
“I’d like that,” she said shyly.
And his grin turned into a full-blown smile. Holding out a hand to her, he clasped her hand in his and together they walked back toward Becca’s car.
“Can I take you to lunch on Sunday?” he asked before they got close enough for Angie and Ella to hear.
She didn’t trust herself to talk, so she nodded.
He stopped them just a few feet shy of the car and faced her. “Call me tomorrow and we’ll pick a place to go, okay?”
“Okay.” Becca was afraid to meet his gaze because she knew he’d be able to read her thoughts too clearly. She wanted to kiss him—but not with an audience.
Squeezing her hand, he leaned in and placed a rather chaste kiss on her cheek. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
She stood and watched him walk away before turning and meeting the knowing smirks of her best friends.
It was going to be an interesting drive home.
****
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
Hailey looked around the car and wondered why no one was talking. They had been on the road for fifteen minutes already and it wasn’t like them to not talk—especially after a show. Unable to stand it any longer, she blurted out, “I asked out Logan tonight!”
“Shut your ass!” Angie cried as she spun in her seat to face Hailey. “What did you say? What did he say? Oh my god, this is so exciting!”
Everyone started talking at once and Hailey suddenly questioned why she didn’t appreciate the silence. “Okay, okay…it’s not a big deal.”
“Are you going to dinner tomorrow night?” Ella asked anxiously. “Someplace romantic?”
“Wait…when did this happen?” Angie asked. “After the show?”
Hailey shook her head. “No, it was before the show. I tried to tell you guys, but you and Ella were getting your hair done. I told Becca and…”
“And you didn’t say anything?” Angie cried as she spun and looked at Becca. “And while we’re at it, what’s with Max kissing you and then you not saying anything? What is going on all of a sudden?” Her voice got louder and louder as she spoke.
“Max kissed you?” Hailey asked excitedly.
“Oh, yeah! Becca and the sexy photographer! That’s awesome!” Ella chimed in.
“Weren’t we talking about Hailey and Logan,” Becca said, keeping her eyes on the road.
Immediately, everyone’s attention went back to Hailey. “So…um…yeah. We’re having lunch tomorrow.”
“But lunch is our thing,” Ella reminded her.
“I know but…he had to work so…”
“On a Saturday?” Angie asked. “What kind of office is open on a Saturday?”
“Thank you!” Hailey cried and then slouched down in the back seat.
“What? What did I say?”
“I automatically assumed Logan worked in an office. He’s always so put together and well-dressed that it never occurred to me that he did anything else.”
“And he doesn’t?” Ella asked.
With a loud sigh, Hailey ran a hand over her face. “He works at Starbucks.”
There was a collective groan in the car.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” she quickly amended. “I just…well…I was surprised.”
“Does he manage the Starbucks?” Angie asked.
Hailey shook her head. “He works there. Part-time.”
More groans.
“Did he mention if he was living in his parents’ basement?” Angie asked and then laughed. “Because that would just be the icing on that train wreck of a cake.”
“We didn’t get into it but I have a feeling I’ll find out tomorrow.” She sighed again. “Am I really such a snob?”
“What are you talking about?” Ella asked.
Hailey told them about her conversation with her mother. “I mean…it shouldn’t matter if Logan works at a Starbucks or is the CEO of some company. He’s still the same person.”
“Who smells of coffee,” Angie mumbled.
“Ugh…this is bad, isn’t it?” Hailey asked nervously.
“No,” Becca replied. “Like you said, it shouldn’t matter what he does for a living. Not everyone is working their dream job. None of us are. Maybe he’s looking for something bigger and better and needed to work there to pay the bills. You have to applaud his work ethic then, right?”
“I guess,” Hailey sighed. “But what if…”
“…he’s working there because he doesn’t want to have another job?” Angie finished for her. “Yeah, that would bother me. I think it’s great he’s working and has a job but at his age, he should be training for a managerial position or looking to buy a damn franchise.”
“He mentioned how he would hate to
work in an office. That’s a bad sign, isn’t it?” she asked, her voice verging on hysteria.
“Okay, deep breaths,” Ella said softly, putting her hand on Hailey’s. “You’re getting upset over nothing. You need to go and have lunch with him tomorrow and get to know him. I know it’s going to be hard for you, but you have to go in with an open mind and put your expectations aside. Don’t judge.”
“I know you’re right,” Hailey said, “but how do I do that?”
“I don’t think it’s possible,” Angie said matter-of-factly. “You can go in there tomorrow and paste a smile on your face but you know the entire time you’re going to be silently waiting for him to say something to confirm all of your worst fears.”
“Angie!” Becca cried. “For crying out loud! When did you get so damn cynical?”
“Seriously? Are we just meeting?”
“No…it’s okay,” Hailey said, “she’s right. That’s exactly how I’m going to be. No matter how much I think I can go in there with an open mind, I probably won’t. I’m going to be asking him questions to try to prove me wrong while knowing I’m going to be disappointed.”
“Well I’m disappointed in you,” Ella said sadly. “You are being a snob. Logan’s a perfectly nice guy and you’re judging him for all the wrong reasons. So he isn’t working in an office. So what? It doesn’t make him a bad guy! Dylan works in construction. He does manual labor. Every day he comes home and he’s dirty and smelly and sweaty. He’s never going to wear a suit to work but he’s the greatest guy I know! Do you think Dylan’s a slacker because he wears jeans to work?”
Hailey’s eyes went wide. “What? No!” Then she growled with frustration. “It’s not the same thing, Ella.”
“Yes it is,” Ella replied defiantly. “You’re sitting here blatantly putting Logan down—and judging him—because he doesn’t have the kind of job you think he should. Well, neither does Dylan.” She crossed her arms across her chest and turned to look out the window.
“Okay, I think everyone needs to calm down,” Becca said soothingly. “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. We all know and love Dylan and have for years. He’s one of the most hard-working guys I’ve ever met and personally, I think it’s cool that he’s in construction. Plus, he can fix anything and everything. You are very lucky, El, because he’s the kind of man who will be able to do everything you need on your house and cars.”
“Plus he looks damn fine in a pair of jeans,” Angie teased.
“Oh, shut up!” Ella said right before she broke out in a fit of giggles. “But he totally does!”
They all laughed for a minute and then the car grew silent again. Hailey sat and watched the scenery go by. She was beyond ashamed of her behavior, her words and her attitude. It wasn’t Logan’s job that had first attracted her to him. It was his smile and his kindness. He had a great sense of humor and he was just beyond good-looking.
So maybe he didn’t have a great job. So what? After fawning over him for so long, didn’t she owe it to herself to stop being superficial and genuinely get to know him? That’s not to say she could change who she was and how she thought in the next twelve hours, but she could certainly try. Logan deserved that much.
“So what happened with Max?” she said to break the long silence.
Becca told them about her conversation with Max. “Honestly, I was speechless. I had no idea he was even remotely interested in me. I’m usually just a step above a bumbling idiot when I’m around him. Danny really did a number on my self-esteem.”
“Max seems like a great guy,” Hailey said. “I think it’s great you’re going to go out with him.”
“He gave the DVD for us to look at. I knew you weren’t going to be coming to lunch tomorrow but maybe afterwards you can meet up with us and we’ll all watch it together.”
“I have to admit, I’m really excited to see what he created,” Hailey said. “It was something I always wanted to do for Mom but I’m not creative that way. And you just know she’s going to love it.”
“I think so too,” Becca replied. “He asked me to call him after we watch it and then we can talk about where we want to go for lunch on Sunday.”
“Ooh…nice,” Angie said. “Dinner as a first date could be intimidating. I think it’s very cool how he made it a lunch date first. He’s very considerate.”
Becca blushed. “I’m not sure I’m ready for this.”
“What? Going out with a nice guy?” Angie asked.
“No…just going out with any guy. It’s only been a couple of weeks since the whole Danny disaster and it just feels weird.”
“Well it shouldn’t,” Ella said. “Max is nothing like Danny and you need to start believing in yourself. The fact that he seemed just as nervous as you are tells me that Max is a good guy. Go and have lunch with him and get to know him. Tell him you need to take things slow if it makes you feel better but don’t cut yourself off from the possibility of a great relationship because some jerk made you doubt yourself!”
“I agree,” Angie said. “He seems like a nice guy and if Mrs. J hired him, it’s sort of like getting a seal of approval.”
Hailey leaned forward and popped her head toward the front seat. “Agreed.”
“So just to be clear,” Becca said, “Hailey, you’re going to lunch with Logan tomorrow, right?”
“Right.”
“Well…since we’re obviously going to be getting home late tonight, I know that I, personally, am going to sleep in,” Becca said. “Why don’t we skip lunch and maybe you can all come to my place for dinner? We’ll get some Chinese takeout and watch the DVD and just relax. What do you think?”
“Perfect!”
“Count me in!”
“I’ll bring the wine!”
With a chuckle, Becca shook her head. “I love how we are all on the same page.”
“But you have to promise not to watch it without us,” Hailey said. “I want it to be a surprise for all of us.”
“Deal. Trust me, my plan is to sleep late, do laundry, and wait for one of you to bring me Chinese food.”
“You’ll have to eat something before then,” Ella said.
“Fine. I’ll have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” Becca sighed dramatically. “But other than that, I’ll wait to binge on dumplings.”
“Someone is bringing dessert too, I hope,” Angie said. “I’m bringing the wine.” She turned in her seat. “Hailey, you pick up the food—you’re closest to the takeout place—and Ella, why don’t you bring your famous brownies?”
“It’s going to be like a food orgy,” Becca sighed. “I’m not sure I should do that the night before a date.”
There was a collective groan of frustration in the car at her statement.
“Okay, okay…forget I said anything!” Becca huffed. “Sheesh.”
After that they all quieted down and began to unwind. Thirty minutes later they were back at Enchanted Bridal where they had met that afternoon. Becca pulled into the parking lot and parked next to Angie’s car. “I am going to crash hard in my bed.”
Everyone began to climb out. Dylan was parked two spots over and in no time he was beside them sweeping Ella up in his arms and kissing her.
“I really want to be annoyed by their constant PDAs,” Angie murmured, “but they’re too damn cute.”
“I know,” Becca sighed. “Too bad it’s not like that for everyone.”
“I have a feeling you and Max are going to be like that.”
I wish. She had to bite her tongue to keep from saying it out loud. “We’ll see,” she said instead. “Be careful driving home and I’ll see you tomorrow. Did we decide on a time?”
“How about six?” Hailey suggested.
“Works for me,” Angie and Becca agreed. They called out the time to Ella who gave them a thumbs up as she climbed into Dylan’s car.
“Okay, girls,” Hailey said as she straightened and pulled her keys out of her purse. “Wish me luck tomorrow!”
&nbs
p; “It’s going to be good,” Becca said. “You’re going to have a great time and finally get to know Logan.”
“Open mind,” Angie said. “Just remember to go in with an open mind. Pretend you’re just meeting him on a blind date or something.”
“Ooh…good idea!” Becca smiled. “Do that!”
Hailey rolled her eyes. “I’d like to see how easily either of you could do that. It sounds good in theory, but the reality is…”
“Stop!” Angie cried as she slammed the car door shut. “Just stop! Either you’re going to try or you’re not. End of story! You’ve been panting after this guy for a year and you’re going to let something stupid like his job change all that? He works in a coffee house, Hails, he’s not a serial killer. Just relax and…you know…not be you for a little while.”
They stood on opposite sides of the car staring at each other for a long minute before Becca spoke up. “I think we’re all a little tired and cranky and it’s time to call it a night.” She looked at Hailey. “Have fun tomorrow and I can’t wait to hear all about your lunch.” Then she turned to Angie. “Be careful driving home and maybe bring an extra bottle—or two—of wine. If we have to, everyone can crash by me tomorrow night.”
They had a group hug—minus Ella—and each got in their cars and headed for home. Becca couldn’t wait to crawl into bed. She had a feeling she was going to need to rest up for their get-together tomorrow night.
Four
With no plans for lunch, Angie took advantage of the time at home to do all of the chores and cleaning she had been procrastinating over—laundry, dusting and vacuuming. The only real perk she was finding was that she could stay in her yoga pants for the majority of the day.
Sometimes it was the little victories.
With her second load of clothes in the wash and the floors cleaned, she decided it would be a good time to stop and make something light for lunch. She chuckled when she looked at the clock and saw it was the normal time she and the girls would be ordering theirs.
“I think I’m in a rut,” she said as she walked into the kitchen. Trampus was sitting by the back door staring at her. “Yeah, I know…but I was busy.” Opening the back door, she stared down as the cat gave her a quick glance over his shoulder before walking out. “Now lunch,” she murmured as she closed the door.
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