Wild Girls Rule

by Rosalie Lario

  He stopped in front of the building’s intercom, about to press it when a man exited the front door. Hurrying to grab it before it closed, he slipped inside and climbed the stairs two at a time. Nervous anticipation made his chest tight and his mouth dry.

  It was very possible she might not forgive him. Might not be willing to take him back.

  Hell, he’d never even admitted they had a relationship. He’d been a total shit to her, and now he deserved every last thing he got.

  Still, he hoped against hope she would understand. Give him another chance.

  Swallowing hard, Andrew steeled his nerves and knocked on Hailey’s door.

  He was met with initial silence. What if she isn’t here?

  When he knocked again, Lily’s voice called out. “Hold your horses. I’m coming.”

  A moment later, the door lock clicked and Lily opened it with a visible groan. “What are you doing here, ass-wipe?”

  Andrew winced. Lily’s greeting didn’t bode well for him, did it?

  “Where is she? I need to talk to her.”

  Lily placed a hand on her jean-clad hip. “Why the hell would I tell you? So you could hurt her some more?”

  Shit.

  “I messed up, and I know it—”

  “Big time,” she interjected and then started to slam the door shut.

  He placed a hand on the door before it could close all the way. “I need to see her. To explain.”

  She sighed and shook her head. “Why? You’ll only end up hurting her again. She deserves more than you can give her.”

  “She does deserve more,” he admitted.

  Lily crossed her arms. “You are the classic example of a man who’s afraid to commit. Hell, you never even admitted you two had a relationsh—”

  “I love her.”

  Lily stopped in mid-sentence, her eyes widening at his statement.

  “I love her, and I was stupid to deny it. I know I was wrong, and I’ll make up for that. If she'll let me.”

  She stared at him for a long moment. Reading his body language. Considering his words. “You have a lot to make up for.”

  He momentarily closed his eyes. “I know.”

  Nodding slowly, she said, “She’s at work.”

  Dejected, he stared at her. All this, and she wasn’t even here?

  “Gio’s Coffee Shop,” she said, motioning toward the stairs. “It’s three blocks south.”

  Yes!

  Grinning like an idiot, he snatched her into his arms and placed a quick kiss to the top of her head. He pulled back to catch a glimpse of the surprise on her face before he turned and ran for the stairs.

  “You’d better be ready to grovel,” she called after him.

  She was right.

  He hit the street and ran south. When he spotted a florist’s shop, he took that as a sign from above and detoured inside.

  In all the years Andrew had dated, he’d never once bought flowers for a woman. Oh, he’d paid for plenty of them, but an assistant had always picked them out, with instructions to get the most expensive roses money could buy.

  Not this time.

  This time he picked the flowers out himself, one by one. And not a single rose, because that wasn’t Hailey. Instead, he got sunflowers, calla lilies and a variety of wildflowers. Bright and unique…just like her.

  Then, heart in his throat, he continued on the path toward the coffee shop.

  He’d crossed the street and just spotted the sign for Gio’s when a familiar bark stopped him in his tracks. Tearing his gaze from the sign, he saw a dog trotting toward him. A man led it on a leash, and it had what he’d swear was a freaking mile-wide smile on its face.

  “Loki!” An invisible weight lifted at the sight of the pet he thought he’d never see again. The thought that he’d given his dog away, that Loki was with another family, or maybe even worse, had kept him up on more than one night throughout these past few weeks. Regret, pure and bitter, had burned through him. Now, seeing Loki again…he blinked hard to dispel the sudden pressure building behind his eyelids.

  It was only then that the presence of the guy registered. A man walking the dog he’d given back to Hailey right outside her new place of employment was too random to be coincidental. Which meant…

  Andrew shot his gaze to the man, and for one heart-stopping moment he feared it was too late. That she’d already moved on.

  No…

  But then those hazel eyes registered. The recognizable shape of the jaw and face. Though he hadn’t seen Hailey’s older brother in close to two decades, his features were similar enough to hers that there was no denying their relationship.

  Looking into that strange yet familiar face, the years melted away. Suddenly he was that fifteen year old kid again, not a care in the world beyond fishing, hanging with his friends, and daydreaming about girls.

  “Holy shit,” he breathed, hardly able to believe the sight before him. “Evan Thompson.”

  Close enough to hear him now, Evan gave him a little grin. “You remembered.”

  Long-forgotten memories blasted through Andrew. Of fun and lightheartedness and affection for his best friend. There was so much he’d suppressed over the years, and seeing Evan brought it all back in one overwhelming rush of emotion.

  He returned Evan’s grin. “How could I forget?”

  Evan came to a stop in front of him and Andrew held out his hand. But rather than grasp it, Evan cocked his fist and aimed it at Andrew’s face. It flew forward, catching him right in the jaw.

  He went down hard, landing right on his ass. The bouquet of flowers plopped to the ground right beside him. It took him a dazed moment to figure out how he’d gotten from standing to sitting.

  Loki whimpered and licked his palm, then sat down and rested his head on Andrew’s leg.

  Andrew rubbed his sore jaw and stared accusingly at Evan. “You punched me.”

  “You deserved it,” Evan shot back.

  Andrew eyed his former best friend warily. “I take it Hailey told you about us?”

  “Not until I forced it out of her.” Evan’s jaw tightened. “I noticed something was wrong when I spoke with her last week, but she wouldn’t talk, so I flew out here. When I found out she’d quit working for you to get a job as a barista, I cajoled the truth out of her.”

  The scathing look in Evan’s eyes made it quite clear the impression he’d been left with.

  “I know,” Andrew said. “I fucked up. And I’m really sorry about that.”

  For one long moment Evan’s mouth remained set, and Andrew feared he was going to punch him again. But then, with a sigh, Evan held out his hand.

  After debating for a moment, Andrew took it. Evan helped him to his feet. He snatched up the bouquet, which had luckily received minimal damage.

  “Yeah, you did mess up,” Evan said.

  Popping his aching jaw, Andrew leaned against the narrow windowsill of the storefront right beside him. Loki gave a soft bark and rose to place his paws on Andrew’s leg. Taking the hint, Andrew bent forward to scratch him. “When did you get here?”

  Evan rested his back against the window. “Five days ago. I’ve been trying to convince her to go back home with me, but she refuses.”

  Thank god for that. What if she’d agreed to go? Andrew couldn’t even imagine what he would’ve done then.

  Flown out to Florida, that’s what.

  A moment of silence passed between them before Evan spoke again. “Why did you have to mess with my little sister? Out of all the women in this city, why her?”

  “I don’t know,” Andrew replied honestly. “She’s special. She…she’s Hailey.”

  Evan’s gaze searched him, his eyes taking on a glimmer of understanding.

  “You’ve fallen for her.”

  Words didn’t seem to be necessary, so Andrew simply nodded.

  Snorting, Evan shook his head. “Then you really did mess up. It’ll be a miracle if she forgives you. I sure as hell wouldn’t.”


  Evan’s words echoed through Andrew’s brain, turning his stomach. Evan was right. He’d been a total dick to Hailey. He didn’t deserve her forgiveness. His only excuse was that he’d been an idiot, and he now saw the error of his ways.

  Please god, let that be enough.

  “How’d you wind up with Loki?” he asked Evan.

  “She’s been keeping him hidden in her apartment. I snuck him out for a walk, and decided to stop by the coffee shop for a visit.”

  As if he understood they were talking about him, Loki barked and sat, panting loudly.

  “I missed you, big guy,” Andrew whispered to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Evan watching him appraisingly.

  “Why’d you do it, Andrew?”

  Andrew’s gut clenched. “I told you, I couldn’t help falling for her. She was so beautiful, so amazing.”

  “No.” Evan shook his head. “Not that. Why’d you break her heart?”

  “Oh.”

  There were so many reasons he could give. His mother’s illness. His father’s coldness. The fact that they were his sorry example of a relationship. But in the end it all boiled down to one thing…

  “I was stupid. Too dumb to recognize what I had.”

  Evan muttered under his breath something that sounded suspiciously like, “Love is for chumps.”

  A few months ago Andrew would have said the same thing. But he’d changed. Hailey had changed him.

  “Do you think I have any chance in hell?” he asked softly.

  “Damned if I know,” Evan replied. “If there’s one thing I’ve realized, it’s that I know absolutely nothing about love.”

  “Right.” Breathing in deep, Andrew steeled himself for what he was about to face. He pushed off the wall and started toward the coffee shop, but got no more than two feet away when Loki barked and tore after him. The leash wrenched out of Evan’s hand and the dog practically leapt onto him.

  Catching hold of Loki’s leash, he glanced at Evan, who shrugged.

  “Take him with you, then. You could use all the help you can get.”

  Evan was right.

  “Come on, Loki,” he murmured, guiding the dog to his side. “Maybe you can be my good luck charm.”

  ***

  “What’s the hold up?” Hailey’s manager yelled. “I need those tall skinny lattes. Now.”

  Rolling her eyes, Hailey said, “They’re coming.”

  “Well, hurry it up. This isn’t a science lab, it’s a coffee shop.”

  She had no idea what that meant, but it was one of his favorite sayings, along with “It’s not rocket science, a chimp could do it,” and “What are we, brain surgeons?” Something gave her the feeling he didn’t have much respect for women. Or maybe people in general.

  Though Larry was technically her boss, he was all of twenty-two years old with Coke bottle glasses and a face full of acne. She was pretty sure he was one of those kids who’d never been given the time of day in high school and now took his revenge by being as big a jerk as he could to those he had power over.

  It’s just temporary. Just temporary.

  That was the mantra she’d repeated ever since she started this job. Much as it might blow, it was paying her bills right now. Not only that, but the hours were flexible, which had given her the ability to renew her hunt for a more permanent job. She was just going to have to suck it up until she found something better.

  Or you could always go home with Evan.

  He’d been trying to talk her into that ever since he’d shown up on her doorstep, only to have her fall into his arms sobbing.

  This break up had really affected her.

  Oh, she’d had her heart broken once or twice before, but never like this. Andrew had touched her in some indescribable way. Maybe it was because they’d known each other as children, or because he’d represented her adolescent fantasies…or maybe just because it was him.

  Either way, it hurt.

  You’ll get over it. As the saying went, time heals all wounds.

  I hate that saying.

  Maybe time did heal all wounds, but that didn’t mean you felt them any less in the interim.

  “Hailey…” Larry called.

  “Hold your horses, I’m coming!”

  She picked up the Styrofoam cups and turned to set them onto the counter beside Larry. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a man setting up the tiny stage nestled into one corner of the store. “Is it open mic night again?”

  “You know it’s every Thursday,” he snapped.

  “Great…” she said with fake enthusiasm. Like any coffee shop worth its salt, Gio’s hosted a weekly open mic night where lay folk who fashioned themselves stars could show off their talent, whether it be poetry, comedy or singing. With rare exception, they were mostly terrible. Yet occasionally, quite entertaining.

  At least it would make the hours until closing go by a bit quicker. While this job wasn’t exactly torture, it certainly wasn’t the fulfillment of any sort of dream.

  Oh hell, why not be honest? It was the first thing she could find after Andrew had abandoned both her and Loki, and she’d realized she would be unable to face him again. The thought of seeing him every day at work and knowing they’d seen each other naked, that he’d meant something to her, it was too heartbreaking to fathom. And then once she’d wondered whether he’d go back to looking at her with that same cold expression as when they first reconnected…she just hadn’t been able to do it.

  You’re okay. You’re tough. This is just one moment in time.

  At least she’d been able to hang on to Loki. So far. She didn’t know how much longer that could continue, though. The landlord was starting to get suspicious. Loki was a good dog, but he’d occasionally bark at someone in the hallway, and it wasn’t like she could muzzle him or anything. And then there were the required walks. Dogs would be dogs.

  With any luck, her ingenious idea to have Evan take him when he left for Florida would work.

  Hailey suppressed a pang at the thought of Loki no longer being in her day-to-day life. It sucked. The little guy had really grown on her. But if she could survive Andrew’s abandonment, she could deal with losing Loki. Even if the thought of it made her want to roll up into a ball and cry.

  She’d wanted to do that a lot lately anyway, but she refused to succumb to the desire.

  “I need one medium cappuccino, heavy on the whipped cream,” Larry ordered, breaking her out of her thoughts.

  She prepared the drink, then set it on the counter and turned back to the coffee machines.

  A soft voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

  “Hailey.”

  Her heart leapt to her throat, her entire body vibrating at the familiar tenor of that voice.

  Oh my god. Andrew.

  What was he doing here? It couldn’t be coincidental. Other than the times he’d come to see her, she was pretty sure he’d never set foot in Brooklyn.

  Oh hell, please. Don’t break my heart again.

  No. She wouldn’t let him this time. She’d taken her heart back, battered and bruised as it was. No matter what the reason for him being here, she couldn’t let him hurt her again.

  Swallowing hard, she steeled her spine and turned to face him.

  Despite her resolve, her chest gave a pang at the sight of him. He looked as gorgeous as usual, of course, with a dark gray suit that accentuated the blue in his eyes. But there were also deep, dark shadows beneath them. He looked tired, and more than just physically.

  Soul weary.

  “What are you doing here, Andrew?” Thank god her voice sounded even, without an ounce of the shock she felt at his presence.

  “I…” Words seemed to desert him. He held up the bouquet of flowers in his hand. Wild and beautiful, mismatched flowers that she would have been delighted to see once upon a time. When she made no move to grab them, he cleared his throat and set them onto the counter. “I came to apologize.”

  She held back a wince. That w
as all? “Don’t trouble yourself. It’s over and done with.”

  “I need a tall triple soy latte,” Larry called.

  “Coming.” She swung back toward the coffee machines.

  “Wait.”

  The plastic wrapping around the bouquet rustled, and she turned to see Andrew leaning halfway across the counter, as if he’d been prepared to leap it in order to stop her from leaving. The tortured look on his face caused her stomach to wrench.

  Her first instinct was to comfort him, to tell him everything would be okay. She had to force herself not to. Because where had he been when she’d needed the comforting?

  She lifted a brow and he looked around, his lips twisting. “Can I talk to you privately? Just for one moment? Please.”

  When she opened her mouth to say “No,” the word caught on her lips. She glanced at Larry, who was busy taking orders, then at Maria, the second barista on staff. Although they were pretty busy, the two of them could do without her for a few minutes.

  “You’ll be quick?”

  There was no mistaking the relief in his eyes. “Promise.”

  She didn’t owe him anything, but she would give him that much.

  Taking off her apron, she called out, “I’m taking five. Be right back!”

  “What?” Larry yelled.

  He started to say something else, but she tuned it out as she stalked past the low, swinging counter door and headed toward the front. Andrew’s eyes bored into her back, making her think of how very unsexy she looked right now. She wore the coffee shop’s uniform of an ugly Gio’s T-shirt and khakis, and her hair was up in a messy topknot.

  Her hands ached to reach up and adjust her hair, but screw him. She shouldn’t care what he thought about her right now.

  She reached the door just as the first patron stepped up to the mic. The heavyset man strummed his guitar and started to sing a horrendous version of an old Elvis Presley song.

  Oh god.

  When she stepped outside the door, it was to the unexpected shock of Loki’s bark. His leash was tied around a fire hydrant, and he sat there staring at her with a grin on his face. She looked around for Evan.