With his mother, with Haley, with each and every choice he’d already made.
* * *
A check. He’d mailed her a freaking check?
Oh, and an off-the-shelf, generic, boring thank-you card. On which he’d written “For services rendered and costs accrued,” and “I appreciate the time you put into this,” followed by the scrawl of his signature. This was what her trouble had brought her?
Apparently so. Haley stared at the card and the check, frustration zipping in her blood. This was ridiculous and lame and...and...and, okay, damn smart. Gavin had outmaneuvered her maneuver, and he’d done so in such a way that she had no call to object.
Grinning in spite of her irritation, Haley folded the check in half and slipped it into the card, which she then put into her purse. She’d spent a full day distributing those damn flyers, and had then spent the next several redistributing those she’d noticed he’d taken down. All the while waiting and planning and anticipating the moment he’d seek her out.
Okay, then, that wasn’t going to happen. She’d made her move, he’d made his. Now the ball was back in her court. Any additional attempts to bring him to her likely wouldn’t work. She’d have to come up with something else. Something he couldn’t ignore...or pay her for.
A glance at the clock informed her that she didn’t have the time to figure out what that something might be. The workday was officially over, the restaurant was fully covered for the evening, and she had made plans with Suzette, whom she’d ignored for far too long.
After weeks of moping, strategizing and yes, waiting, Haley had finally decided enough was enough. No, she wasn’t giving up on Gavin, even if she should, even if her optimism wasn’t quite as strong. But she also wasn’t going to sit around and just let life happen around her. So she’d phoned Suzette and invited her over for an evening of movies, junk food and girl time.
Maybe a few laughs as well, which always proved cathartic.
Haley set her desk to rights and powered down her PC, spent a few minutes chatting with her mother in the restaurant’s kitchen and then climbed the stairs to her apartment.
He’d sent her a check. For services rendered and costs accrued.
Perhaps another woman would chalk up such a response as being a negative, proof that Gavin wanted absolutely nothing to do with her, and would then decide to stop beating her head against an immovable, solid brick wall. But Haley wasn’t another woman. And she believed very few walls, whether formed from brick or not, were truly immovable.
Yes, she had expected Gavin to track her down out of irritation, annoyance. That was the predictable response, the stance that almost any other person would’ve taken. Since Gavin hadn’t fallen into the predictable, and had, in fact, surprised her by his choice, she couldn’t view his response as a negative. Instead, she felt oddly proud of him.
Other than her brothers, she’d never before met a man with the ability to accurately size her up, deduce her motivation and her end goal, and then conceive of a solution that was, at once, perfectly acceptable and seemingly final. Because, yes, most women would stop here.
Amusement bubbled inside and Haley laughed. No, this turn of events was not a negative in any way, shape or form. If anything, it refueled her hope.
Over the next several hours, her regained positivity didn’t falter. Suzette arrived and, with plates filled with junk food, they piled on the love seat. By mutual agreement, they started their movie night with a tearjerker of a drama, deciding to get their tears out of the way first.
During their second movie, a romantic comedy neither had seen before, Suzette began to fidget. She went to the kitchenette for more junk food, went to the bathroom twice, and when she stood to go search the fridge for something to drink—even though she still had a mostly full bottle of water—Haley paused the movie.
“I’m not really enjoying this, and I haven’t seen you in forever.” Not since the weirder-than-weird date night, which Haley hadn’t yet broached with Suzette. Now, she figured, would be a good time. “Let’s chat instead.”
Relief filtered into Suzette’s expression. “You’re right, this movie is lame. So,” she said, clapping her hands together, “tell me about your mystery man.”
“Actually, I was sort of hoping we could talk about Matt.”
“Matt?” Suzette’s gaze shimmied to the side of Haley’s. “Why on earth would we talk about Matt when you have a new guy in your life?”
Haley started to relate her suspicions, but had second thoughts. She knew her friend well, and she thought she’d have to lead Suzette into this conversation with a little subtlety. Or better yet—if she could pull it off—some subtle trickery.
“Well, see, this is sort of embarrassing,” Haley said slowly, working out what she wanted to say as she spoke. “But you were right, Suzette. Matt is nice and cute and smart and, from everything I saw, seems as if he could be the perfect guy for a woman like me.”
“Really? I hadn’t realized—” Suzette said, jerking her body to face Haley. “You think he’s the perfect guy for you? After one solitary date, and not even a full date, just dinner?”
“I know, right? This is nuts, but that date was...well, unlike any other I’ve had. Ever.”
Blinking, Suzette absorbed that information. “I... So you like Matt. Okay. You like Matt.... Wow,” she said in a faint, faraway voice. “That is what you’re saying, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Suzette. I absolutely like Matt.” Not a lie. Haley liked Matt just fine. She just didn’t like like Matt. “But...I don’t know if he likes me. Or if he’s even thought about me since our date. Have you seen him recently? Has he mentioned me or asked about me?”
“Let me think.” Suzette closed her eyes, gave her head the tiniest of shakes. “Um. Not really. Not that I’m remembering, anyway. But, you know, I could ask him about you. I... Wait a minute. When you said that he could be the perfect guy—” Opening her eyes, Suzette stared at Haley. “You’re messing with me. This is one of your mind games, isn’t it?”
“I don’t play mind games. Now, sometimes, I’ll use creative measures to help my friends.” Haley donned an innocent smile. “Is that what you think I’m doing, Suze?”
A few seconds passed while Suzette appraised her. Then, flopping against the back of the love seat, she said, “You’re a snot, for making me believe you like Matt. And I think you’re far too smart for your―my―own good.”
“I don’t know about smart, just curious. Why would you set Matt up with me if you’re interested in him?” Haley asked. “Because it seems rather clear that you are interested.”
Suzette let out a breath. “Even if I managed to explain, I doubt you’ll understand.”
“Try me.”
“Matt is sweet and funny and romantic,” she said, flicking imaginary lint from her shorts. “And he’s different from other guys. He’s... I can see myself being with him for a long, long while. As in marriage and kids and the whole shebang. I can picture an entire life with him.”
“I guess I don’t understand, then. Because that sounds fairly wonderful to me.”
“In some ways, sure. It’s just...” She trailed off, returned to flicking at her shorts.
“Well, explain the other ways. What’s the problem?”
“I just... I’m afraid,” Suzette said. “This is new. I’ve never had to worry about a man crushing me.” Looking up, she shrugged. “With how I feel for Matt, he could crush me, and that’s frightening. So, I told him that it would be better for us to remain friends.”
Aha. “And how did he take that?”
“Not very well. That’s why I set you two up. So he’d believe me and stop pursuing me. And, as dumb as this is,” Suzette said, “I really thought I wanted you two to click. Because then, the choice would be out of my hands. And maybe I’d be able to get over him.”<
br />
Haley’s mind whirled with Suzette’s explanation. It was a foolish reason to make such a ridiculous decision. Shoving someone out of your life for no cause other than fear they’d someday hurt you did not compute. In any way. Why give up what was already good for the possibility of something bad? No, she didn’t understand that mentality.
But... Oh. Was it possible that Gavin’s equally ridiculous decision—and from her perspective, without understanding the whys, it was ridiculous—had evolved from the same type of mind-set? Maybe. Maybe not. But the idea stunned her, resonated with her and made her want to revisit every moment she’d spent with him, review every word spoken and every action taken.
“Don’t live that way,” she said to Suzette, her tone bordering on intense. “All that will accomplish is strangling the positive in favor of the negative. And leave you with regrets.”
“What do you suggest I do, then?” she said with a small, strangled laugh. “Run over to his house and jump him?”
“You could do that,” Haley said, smiling, “but you might want to start with an apology and an explanation. Tell him how you feel, why you backed off. And see how he responds.”
“That would be difficult, but...maybe not entirely impossible.” Suzette squeezed Haley’s arm. “Thank you. For listening and for the advice.”
“You’re welcome. I hope this works out for you.” Somehow, Haley believed it would. “Just don’t ever set me up again. With anybody. Ever. For any reason.”
“Deal. And I’m sorry about that...but hey, I still owe you a favor.”
Bam. Just like that, another idea popped into Haley’s brain. And this one...well, this was a good one. No way would Gavin see this coming...and yep, he’d be irritated. The possibilities, though, were too good to pass up. Because, assuming she managed to pull this off, she’d have an entire two days to spend with Gavin. Two full days. Alone.
“That’s right! And I know exactly what I want that favor to be,” Haley said. “First, though, I’ll tell you about my...mystery man and why this favor is so important.”
Forty-five minutes later, Suzette had all of the necessary information and had already sent her carefully worded query to Gavin’s business email address. Once he replied, the rest of the details—the when and where—would be finalized.
And while Haley was excited about the possibilities, about the opportunity to understand, she also knew if this plan went south—which it very well could—she’d have no choice left but to admit defeat. Tenacity had seen her through a lot over the years, but stubbornness could only get you so far. If this failed, if this didn’t give her the answers she needed and Gavin still refused to bend, then she’d stop. Any other step would have to come from him.
Which really meant there wouldn’t be another step.
Chapter Ten
Squinting his eyes against the glare of the midmorning sun, Gavin leaned against his truck and waited for Suzette Solomon to arrive. There were several Routt National Forest campgrounds within easy driving distance from Steamboat Springs, this particular location being Gavin’s first thought when he’d received the email from Suzette.
Admittedly, her request had jarred him some. She’d stated that she didn’t have much experience in the great outdoors, but her boyfriend was a camping enthusiast. Since she preferred not to appear clueless to said boyfriend when they went camping together, she was looking for someone to teach her the basics. Her email had specifically mentioned fishing, raising a tent and building a campfire. And she wanted to hire Gavin for an entire weekend.
While he didn’t know why she hadn’t simply told her boyfriend the truth and have him teach her the basics, Gavin figured her money was as good as anyone else’s. Swapping shifts with a couple of folks at the hardware store hadn’t proved problematic, and once he’d confirmed the dates with Suzette, she’d agreed and mailed him a check with his full fee.
So, yup, a done deal. And other than his concern over making small talk, it was also a good deal. Odd, how he could easily share his knowledge about skiing, white-water rafting, hiking or in this case, camping, but had such difficulty with engaging in normal conversation.
Especially with strangers.
He just hoped this Suzette wasn’t a squeamish, jumpy, socialite of a female who would scream at the sight of wildlife, freak out over a speck of dirt on her hands, retch when he taught her how to bait a hook or, for that matter, when she had to actually touch a fish.
Checking his watch, he frowned and searched the area again for the make, color and model of car she’d told him to keep watch for. Nope. No sign of her yet.
More to give himself something to pass the time than out of any real necessity, he hopped into the back of his truck and went through his equipment and supplies. He’d done the same earlier, knew without a doubt that everything was there, but another look wouldn’t hurt anything. Besides which, he was antsy. Ready to get started.
He heard a vehicle pull into the parking spot next to him, glanced up, prepared to wave and greet the woman who’d hired him and...every damn thing stopped. Even, it seemed, the beat of his heart. Instead of the red Jeep Cherokee that supposedly belonged to Suzette Solomon, he saw a pale blue compact car with one Haley Foster behind the wheel.
Without question, he’d been had.
She exited the car with her trademark—read: glorious—smile in place and walked over to stand behind his truck. His heart started beating again, albeit in a faster, more jittery rhythm, and he couldn’t quite decide if he wanted to hug her, kiss her or yell at her.
Maybe all three. And he didn’t particularly care which order he did them in.
“Suzette Solomon, I take it?” he asked. “Because I assume this isn’t a coincidence.”
“Nope, this is most definitely not a coincidence.” Haley flipped her long hair over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes in defiance. “I knew if I tried to hire you myself, you’d find a reason to say no. Suzette is a friend, so she hired you for me.”
“Rather creative of you,” he said evenly. “Especially with the whopper of a tale Suzette used to pull this off. But this isn’t happening. You should get back in your car and drive home.”
He stared at her, she stared at him, and again he was faced with a host of contradictory emotions. Keeping a woman at arm’s length shouldn’t pose so many difficulties. Course, he reminded himself, he wasn’t dealing with the typical female. This was Haley.
A woman who defied every rule of logic he’d ever learned.
“Sorry,” she said after a moment’s pause. “I have zero plans of driving home.”
“Well, then,” he said, going for nonchalance. “Enjoy yourself. I won’t be staying.”
She huffed. “The only thing that’s changed here is my presence, rather than Suzette’s. Your job remains the same. Teach me how to fish, build a campfire and raise a tent. And, more to the point, you’ve already been paid. In full, I might add.”
“Right,” he said, latching onto the first argument that hit him, “because you didn’t grow up with three older brothers who would’ve taught you all there is to know about camping by the time you were five. You could probably teach me a few things.”
“Oh, they did. But I want you to teach me.” She batted her eyelashes, widened her smile. “And I’m sure there are many, many things that you and I could teach each other.”
Desperation crawled through his gut. No way, no how, would he survive an entire weekend with Haley. “You used my business in order to trick me, to get your way,” he said as calmly as he could manage. “That right there isn’t ethical.”
“You’ve been paid,” she repeated. “This is business.”
“I’ll refund your money.”
“I won’t accept another check, won’t cash it, either.” She stuck her nose up in the air. “Unless... I was thinking you need
more of an online presence, some brochures and a few other odds and ends. I’ll work on those, you’ll pay me...and I’ll just hire you again, using another friend as my cover. We can keep exchanging the same funds, for as long you like. Eventually, I’ll have my weekend, Gavin. Now or later.”
“You are not going to coerce me into this, Haley.” Jumping off the truck, he planted himself directly in front of her. Immediately, he realized his error. He couldn’t be this close to her without his brain cells malfunctioning, so he retreated a few inches. “There isn’t one thing you can say that will get me to agree.”
“You’re wrong there.” She crossed her arms in front of her. Still defiant. “I’m absolutely certain there is one thing I can say that will change your mind.”
“Uh-huh,” he said, mimicking her motion and crossing his arms over his chest, enjoying this—the moment and the woman—far more than he should. “If that’s true, then why haven’t you tossed this miracle statement my way?”
“Because I’d hoped you wouldn’t put up such a fuss.” A brief second passed where a shot of sadness, defeat, whispered into her features. He almost caved then, almost gave up the fight. Almost. But then, she pushed her fingers through her hair, straightened her shoulders, and resoluteness crept back into her voice. “I’d hoped you’d be happy to see me, in some form or fashion, and that we could have a pleasant weekend together.”
“You tricked me,” he repeated. “Hard to be happy to see someone when they pulled the wool over your eyes.” He cursed himself, silently and instantly, for these words. Wool or no, seeing Haley did make him happy. Well...that and a slew of other emotions. Naming any of them seemed about as doable as breathing underwater. Sticking with his guns, he said, “I understand you put a lot of thought into this, but this weekend is not happening.”
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