“You sit and watch her date other men? Is that some kind of fetish thing?”
“Gross.” Haleigh blew a lock of hair from her face, but it fell back flat across her eyes and cheek. “It’s not like that. We’re just helping each other.”
She really needed to shut up. In her wine-fogged haze, Haleigh didn’t seem to notice how every word she said made Mr. Perfect’s face darken more and more. There was no good way out of this.
“Look.” Ian took a breath, and for the first time in his life, he wished one of the meddling busybodies from the bar would step in to help diffuse the situation. “I swear this isn’t a sexual or twisted deal. We’re not trying to pull one over on you.”
“But you’ve still watched her go through three dates tonight?”
There was no sense in lying. Not at this point. Ian nodded.
“I see.” The fury on his face didn’t reveal exactly what he’d thought, but it wasn’t good. “So, what happens next? Do you rate me like the others to decide whether or not it went well?”
“Pretty much,” she said cheerfully.
His jaw ticked. “Well, okay. Maybe you won’t mind if I give a little rating of my own.”
“Don’t.” Ian leaned Haleigh’s elbows on the table so he could step away without her tumbling over. Lowering his voice, he leaned forward. “Don’t be a dick. You’re not seeing her at her best.”
“You think?”
Ian’s eye twitched, but he fought the urge to hit the guy. He wasn’t that stupid.
“She’s a great woman. She’s smart and sweet. Maybe a little nerdy and awkward.” He shrugged. “She just can’t hold her liquor. And she doesn’t have the best filter when she’s nervous.”
“Sounds like you have her all figured out.” Mr. Perfect unfolded his arms and reached for his wallet. “Maybe she should be your problem.”
“She’s not a problem.” Ian said it a little louder than he’d intended, but a quick check showed Haleigh hadn’t caught it. “But maybe it would be better if you left.”
“Oh, I’m on it.” He tossed a few bills on the table and stood. At his full height, he towered over them. What was the guy? Six eight? Six nine? Two seventy-five? Sidney hadn’t been kidding. The guy was a linebacker. He moved to leave but froze. “You’re right. She seems nice enough. But who wants to be a babysitter?”
Thoughts of self-preservation flew out of his head. Ian took a step forward, but a groan over his shoulder gave pause. Turning to check on Haleigh, Ian barely spared Mr. Perfect another glance as he stalked out of the bar.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t feel good.”
He didn’t doubt it. Guilt settled in his stomach, and he wrapped an arm around her back again. “Want me to take you home?”
“Please?”
Catching Ford’s eyes, Ian let him know they’d be leaving. After he took care of Haleigh, he’d stop back and settle his tab. They knew he was good for it. With a little instruction and a lot of patience, Ian helped Haleigh to her feet. She slid an arm around his shoulder, and as discreetly as possible, they walked out the door.
Halfway to his car, Haleigh’s back tensed. “Wait. Where’d Nick go?”
“He left.”
“Without saying good-bye.” She huffed. “Rude.”
“I guess Mr. Mary Poppins didn’t turn out to be great after all?”
“Mary Poppins?”
“Practically perfect in every way.”
“Funny.” Her fingers traced loopy designs in the short hairs on the back of his neck. The light, playful caress twisted his stomach. Now was not the time for that. Especially not when she seemed completely oblivious to the tension and need she was conjuring in him. “You’re a funny guy. But you already know that, with your short little quips.”
“You might be the only drunk person I’ve ever heard use a word like quips. Must be a teacher thing.”
“There’s no such thing as teacher things.” She let out a heavy sigh. “I blew that. Didn’t I?”
How could he answer that truthfully without making her feel even more like crap when she woke up sober, and hungover, in the morning?
“It’ll be okay.” Even though the night hadn’t gone as planned, and even though she’d be embarrassed when she remembered it, she would be okay. He’d make sure of it.
“It’s not his fault, you know. I told you I wasn’t cute when I got sloppy. And I got sloppy. No one wants to deal with a sloppy mess.”
“You’re not a mess.”
“But I’m sloppy.”
“Well . . . yeah. But we’ve all been there. It happens.”
Stopping at his car, he changed his hold to unlock the door. The movement brought them face-to-face. Her free hand gripped onto his shirt. Chin upturned, her gray eyes met his. Even with the blur of wine masking them, they still managed to pull him in.
At that moment, he wasn’t sure what was harder to believe. That Mr. Perfect had turned out to be stuffy. Or that he was finding it more and more difficult not to lean forward and kiss the shiny tip of her freckled nose. That definitely didn’t fall on the list of things he should do tonight. She’d had too much to drink, and, well, there were other reasons.
“Hey, Ian.”
It came out so slurred, he couldn’t help but grin. “Yeah?”
“Can I ask you something without it getting weird or being too much like we’re gossiping at the high school?”
“Go for it.”
“Your co-worker . . .”
“Taylor?”
“That’s the one.” Again, she tried to push that stray lock of hair out of her face without luck. “Do you like her?”
“You mean as more than a friend?” Wow, she was right. This did sound like they were back in high school. “Nope. I’m too smart to fall for her.”
“What does that even mean?”
“She has a reputation.” When her eyes, widened he chuckled. “I’m not saying she should wear a scarlet letter on her shirts or anything, but she’s a heartbreaker.”
“And you’re not interested in heartbreakers?”
“Definitely not.” The answer seemed to appease her. Once more, something inside tugged at him. Urging him to lower his mouth a few more inches to brush his lips against hers. Just to see what it was like. More, the way she was staring up at him, he wondered if she felt it too. But wondering wasn’t enough. Not when she trusted him to take care of her. He pulled up his shoulders and loosened his hold. “It’s after midnight. We should get you home.”
“I’m not Cinderella. I won’t turn into a pumpkin.”
“Cinderella didn’t turn into a pumpkin.”
She frowned up at him. “Who said she did?”
“No one.” They’d probably had enough Disney references for one night in any case. He wrapped his arm a little bit tighter around her waist. “I’ve got you.”
“You said that already. But it’s still nice to hear.”
It was nice to say, too. The idea struck him, shook him. After years of focusing on only himself and his career, it was nice to have another person’s interest at heart too. He wondered what that meant. What he should do about it.
For now, he needed to make good on his promise and get her home.
Chapter Twelve
This was not going to be Haleigh’s week.
She’d spent way too much of the previous morning in bed. It was what she deserved after knowingly exceeding her limit, and she’d paid the price.
It was almost noon before she realized her phone was missing. It had taken another five minutes to remember her car was sitting in the Amarillo Sour parking lot a few miles away.
She’d torn her house apart with the help of Rudy, but she hadn’t found anything besides a missing earring. Without a landline, she couldn’t call the cell to hear it ring. And without a phone, she couldn’t order a Lyft. She couldn’t call anyone. It wouldn’t have mattered if she’d had a landline. All her friends’ numbers were in her cell.
> It was a lesson, she supposed, in not being almost completely dependent on her cell phone. And to revert to her two-drink limit.
Out of options, and unwilling to confess her sins by sending SOS messages to Nina or Dexter over Facebook, she’d improvised. Downing a couple of glasses of water and an ibuprofen, she threw on her sweats and went for a run. She’d recorded her worst time in years and been afraid she might puke mid-stride, but she’d made it to Amarillo Sour.
She was still stretching when Ford had arrived to do inventory before opening. From the phone behind the bar, he’d tried calling her phone, but it had apparently died overnight and went straight to voicemail. Forever proving he was the world’s best bar owner, he’d gotten down on his hands and knees alongside her to search under the stools and tables.
They’d come up empty-handed, but he’d promised to let her know if it turned up.
Beyond mortified, she hadn’t been able to muster the courage to find out if she’d done anything she should be ashamed of while under the influence. She could remember most of the evening, but the details were hazy.
Her last clear memory before passing out in Ian’s car was how patient and kind he’d been. That didn’t mean anything, though. He was always patient and kind.
Out of all the stupid things she might have done, that was what concerned her most—that she might have done something to upset him. His opinion mattered.
Once she’d driven home, Haleigh considered emailing him. Then she’d remembered she didn’t have his address, and she didn’t want to send a “thanks for helping me when I was trashed” message to his work account. So, she’d buried herself in preparations for Career Day. She’d fortuitously kept all the details stored on her computer rather than her phone.
That’s where her luck had ended. Without her phone, she’d had to trust her internal clock to wake up in time for work. She had, but just barely. Only a few minutes behind her usual schedule, she arrived at work. Juggling binders and an armload of supplies for the day, she fumbled her way into the classroom and came face-to-face with a welcoming committee.
Not even bothering to disguise their grins, Nina and Dexter each threw handfuls of confetti in her face, shouting “SURPRISE” in unison. Behind them, in wall-sized letters, they’d written, “Welcome, Ms. Wino.”
Oh no.
Dropping the materials on the first available desk, she gaped at the sign, numbly accepting a donut from Dexter.
“What’s this?”
“Didn’t you get our texts?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I lost my phone.”
“That would explain the radio silence.” Nina handed her a cup of coffee. “We decided to throw you a little party.”
“We figured we should celebrate your newfound wild side.”
She hated to ask. “My wild side?”
“In all the years we’ve been friends, I’ve never known you to drink enough wine to get drunk. But that’s what your texts said.” Nina pulled up the messages on your phone. “‘Wine is the best.’ ‘I can’t wait for you to meet my reunion date.’ ‘Greg is going to—”
“Oh no.” Haleigh groaned and sank into her chair at the front of the room. It was coming back to her. While Nick had taken a brief trip to the restroom, she’d shared her enthusiasm in a group text to her colleagues. “Please tell me I didn’t include anyone else on the thread.”
“Just us,” Dexter said.
That was something, at least.
“Unless you had another thread going with other people,” Nina added.
Haleigh didn’t remember starting another thread. Then again, until two minutes earlier, she’d forgotten about sending any messages. Unfortunately, she didn’t have time to investigate. Career Day was scheduled to begin in half an hour, and she needed to make sure her guest speakers were ready and that the breakout sessions were in order.
She could dive deeper into the depths of her humiliation another time. Right after she contacted her mobile carrier to find out how quickly she could replace her phone.
Washing a bite of donut down with a swig of coffee, she set the rest of it down and stood. “Thank you both for the party, but I need to get to the auditorium.”
“I’ll go with you.” Nina sprang to her feet, too. “Dexter?”
“I have freshmen first block, which means I sadly won’t be learning more about career opportunities, but you two have fun.” He grabbed the box of donuts and handed them to Haleigh. “In case you want to give them with the speakers.”
She took back every nasty thought she’d had about him after the whole Patrick debacle. The guy was a saint.
Even Nina was growing on her. She carried the binders, leaving Haleigh with just the donuts and signs. Walking side by side through the halls, the other woman kept casting her curious looks. She tried to ignore it—one issue at a time—but when they passed the front office, she couldn’t wait any longer.
“Was there something else?”
“Not exactly, it’s just . . .” Nina’s eyes narrowed, like she was trying to see Haleigh’s face more clearly. “You seem different.”
“Hungover?” Was it possible she was still carrying the last bits of too much wine with her two days later? Doubtful, but then again, she was in her late twenties now. The last time she’d been that tipsy, her driver’s license had been freshly cut.
“That’s not it. You seem . . . more confident. Happier.” She smirked. “It must be the new man. You’re practically glowing.”
What was more laughable: that Nina claimed she was glowing on what hadn’t been a banner couple of days or that it was because of some imaginary new man?
New man. If Nina only knew. With not even two weeks to go until the reunion, her new man hadn’t been chosen yet. She’d been close, too. Which reminded her, when she finally had a phone, she’d have to message Nick. While the end of their date was hazy, she remembered how annoyed he’d been. She couldn’t blame him, but she could at least apologize.
“Ms. Parde. Ms. Parde!” They paused at the entrance to the gymnasium. Jacob ran to catch up with them. “Ms. Shirley from the office wanted me to tell you your friend is here.”
“My friend?”
“Yeah. He’s with the other speakers.”
Before she could ask what that meant, Jacob left them to find his friends in the bleachers. She stared blankly after him, more confused than ever. Gentleman friend? Then she turned to the makeshift platform in the middle of the room and froze. Ian was there. Not just at the school but standing on the risers with the three guest speakers she’d invited.
She wasn’t sure if her jaw dropped, but when someone nudged him and he turned to meet her gaze, her pulse most definitely quickened.
Nina’s followed her gaze, and her eyes widened. “That’s your guy?”
“Well . . .” Oh, dear. How was she going to explain who he was? There wasn’t time for specifics. Not with the program set to begin in a few minutes. Besides, Haleigh had really hoped to avoid ever filling in Nina on this particular detail.
Nodding in silent greeting, Ian dug into his pocket and held up something. She squinted and let out a gasp.
“He has your phone?” Nina gaped at her then. “What is Ian Henning doing with your phone?”
“I must have left it in his car.” She started to move again until the question fully registered. “Wait. How do you know who he is?”
Nina rolled her eyes. “I follow current events.”
“Current events? But—”
“He’s Link Digital’s top product development guy. My hubby’s company works for one of their investors. He fills me in. Plus, there was that feature on him in the paper a couple months ago. He was listed as one of the top thirty local movers and shakers to follow—”
“In their thirties.” Haleigh had seen the list. She hadn’t read it closely, just to note that the school district’s new human resources director had made the list. Everyone else had been a blur.
Apparently, he’d
been part of the blur.
“Where’d you meet him?”
“At the bar. That night Dexter set me up.”
“You met Ian Henning at a bar on the night of a failed blind date.” Nina shook her head. “That’s like something out of a movie. What are the odds? Do you know how lucky you are?”
Ignoring the question, Haleigh quickened her pace. She’d like to be reunited with her phone and catch a moment to speak with Ian privately before the assembly began.
Not to be deterred, Nina increased her stride as well. “You got him to agree to speak here today? Do you know how hard I tried to get someone from LD to come speak last year? And the year before?” She let out a huff. “I’d ask who you had to sleep with to make that happen, but I guess I already know the answer.”
Haleigh’s cheeks flushed bright red. As if Nina’s comment wasn’t bad enough, she’d said it within earshot of Ian. And the secretary who’d escorted him to the room.
Wishing the floor would open up and swallow her whole, Haleigh did her best to pretend she hadn’t heard it. “Ian.”
“Hey, you.” Accepting her offered hand, he slipped her the phone like they were covertly exchanging money. It was a nice effort, but not good enough to escape their audience’s notice.
“Thanks, I—”
“I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner about speaking today.” He turned to the other women. “We’ve been busy getting ready for a new product launch, it’s been all hands on deck. Then I realized I had a couple of open hours on today of all days . . . Anyway, I’d be glad to talk with the kids if you have room for an extra speaker.”
The man really was a problem solver. He’d made up a whole story on the spot and lied with such sincerity she’d almost believed him.
“If you’re sure, we can probably make some time. I—”
Unable to wait any longer, Nina introduced herself, gushing about how much she and her husband loved the fantasy football app he’d developed a couple years earlier. How she couldn’t wait to see what he came up with next. And on she went. Normally, the rudeness would bother Haleigh. At the present, it gave her a moment to gather her wits.
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