“Did you sleep here?”
“Yes.”
“Then you had a sleepover and didn’t invite me. I invited you to my birthday party, but you didn’t invite me to your sleepover. That’s not very nice, Beau.”
He bit the inside of his lip. It would be terrible if he laughed right now. She was so sincere. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” What else could he say? He wasn’t a fool. The best defense was always to agree with a woman.
That seemed to mollify her. She uncrossed her arms and crawled onto the bed to sit next to him. He thanked the good Lord he’d slipped his boxer briefs on before he and Hailey fell asleep. Even so, they felt woefully inadequate at the moment. He moved over to give her plenty of room to sit, but she lay down on her side with her head toward his feet and her fuzzy slippers at his hip. She rested her head on the hand of her crooked arm. “I think ice cream would make me feel better.”
He busted out laughing.
The mischief in her eyes and her smile looked so much like Hailey that his heart did a double two-step. “Good try, kid.”
She flopped onto her back and cracked up. Her happy giggles filled the room, and he was pretty sure he could live off that sound for a good long time.
He relaxed and stuck another pillow behind his head. “You were a superstar last night, gal. You know that, right?”
Rosy marks bloom over her cheeks. She returned to her side and rested her head in her hand again. “Thank you.”
“But I want you to know that you never have to sing like that again if you don’t want to. Or you can.” He grabbed the toe of her slipper and jiggled her foot back and forth. “Either way, I think you’re pretty awesome.”
She shrugged one shoulder like it was no big deal, but the pink in her cheeks had gone a darker shade of red. She also couldn’t hide her smile. “I had fun. Did you see all those autographs I signed? I signed almost as many as you.”
He scratched his chest. “I know. If I didn’t like you so much, I might be jealous.”
She laughed again. “You’re silly, Beau.”
“I am.” He didn’t hear the shower anymore. Where was Hailey? He could use a save right about now. He loved Lottie, but he’d rather be clothed.
“Are you going to be my dad now?”
He whipped his head toward her so fast that his brain rattled in his skull. “What?”
“Are you going to be my dad?”
Tread lightly, Callen.
“Darlin’, you already have a dad, but I’ll be your friend.” He squeezed her slipper-clad foot again. “We are friends, right?”
Her pretty blue eyes wouldn’t meet his. “Yeah, but he’s not a very good dad.” The whispered confession seemed to be the stopper on a bottle pent up with a long list of grievances. “He never takes me to get ice cream, or to the movies, or the park. He yells at me if I ask too many questions.” She sat up and crisscrossed her legs. “And he and Ariel are always talking about something called paternity. I don’t know what it means, but when I hear them talking about it, it makes my stomach hurt.”
All he wanted to do was bundle her into his arms and never let her go. That jackass Derek didn’t deserve this child with the beautiful heart. “Have you told your mom?”
She trained her gaze on her lap and picked at the purple polish on her short nails. “No. I don’t want her to know he doesn’t like me.”
Well, shit. Screw it. He grabbed her by the arms and pulled her to his side. “Lottie, I’m so sorry. I’m not going to try to tell you that your dad does like you, cause your feelings are real to you and grown-ups can be messed up. Half the time, we don’t know what we’re feeling, so how can we expect a kid to understand?” He kissed the top of her head and saw a tear drop onto her leg. “Look at me, Lil’ Bit.”
Her teary gaze turned up to his.
“I think you are the best person I’ve met in a long time. You’re fun and smart and a pretty good con artist.”
Her watery laugh lifted the weight on his chest.
“But I’m sorry your dad isn’t…more. I know that hurts. But if you need to talk to anyone about it, you can always talk to me. That way, you don’t have to keep it bottled up. Okay?”
A quick nod that made her curls bounce. “Okay.”
“I still think you should talk to your mom about this, too, but I’m here until you’re ready to do that.”
She crawled up on her knees and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Beau.”
He patted her back. “No problem, Lil’ Bit.”
A kiss on the cheek, then she scrambled off the bed. When she got to the door, she turned back to him, and the old Lottie was back. “You know what would make me feel better?”
“What?”
“Ice cream.”
He threw the pillow toward the door. “Get out of here.”
She squealed and ran down the hall. The sound of her laughter wrapped around his heart and refused to let go.
Hailey went through the mail at the bar without thinking about it. Her mind was still back in her bedroom, both because of what she and Beau had done, and because of the conversation she’d overheard between Beau and Lottie. She still wasn’t breathing regularly even two hours after hearing her daughter’s brokenhearted confession.
She knew what it felt like not believing your dad liked you. The only difference between her and Lottie was that she knew her dad didn’t like her. He’d made that abundantly clear ten years ago. His cutting words would always be lodged in her heart. They’d been there so long that they’d become part of her DNA.
The last thing she wanted was for Lottie to feel the same way. She had an overwhelming desire to hold her girl and protect her from the world. That was why she’d almost said no when Charlie and Hank had called to see if they could take Lottie to Austin for the day. But if she was going with Beau this weekend to the awards show, then she needed to try and get ahead on her work.
An envelope with “Time Sensitive Material” stamped on it in red jumped out at her. She slid the letter open along the seam and withdrew the pink notice. A cold dread skated down her spine. Her insurance premium was past due. Shit. She’d meant to call them last week but forgot.
She grabbed the phone and called Sandra Caplan at Southwest Insurance. “Sandra, it’s Hailey Odom.”
“Oh, hello, Hailey.” Under the best of circumstances, Sandra wasn’t effervescent, but since Hailey owed her money, she was downright sour.
“Hey, I meant to call you last week, but forgot. I…um…I don’t have the money right this minute to pay the premium, but I can pay it next week.” She hoped like hell she wasn’t lying. Things were so much better at the bar, but with the walk-in cooler’s compressor going out two weeks ago, cash had been tight.
“That’s fine.”
Relief flooded her bloodstream. “Oh, thanks for the extension.”
“I’m not giving you an extension. Your policy will expire Friday, but we’ll let you renew if you pay next week.”
“But that means I could be without insurance for four or five days. Can I give you a postdated check?”
“No.”
Just like that? “Is there anything else I can do, Sandra? I can’t be without insurance.”
“Pay your bill by Friday. I have to go, Hailey. Goodbye.”
“But…” The line was dead. She dropped her phone and cradled her head in her hands.
Think, Hailey.
There had to be a solution. She could borrow the money from her dad, but she wouldn’t. Not if her life depended on it. She’d figure something out. Beau would loan her the money—he’d made the offer more than once—but she wouldn’t do that either. This was her problem, and she’d fix it by herself.
Her only solution was to use the cash she’d set aside for the foundation she was going to set up in her mom’s name. It was her money, just sitting in a savings account until she got around to creating the nonprofit, but she hated to do it. It was a slippery slope to borrow out of that account,
but she didn’t have a choice. She had to have insurance.
The sense of failure that had her by the throat only eased when she remembered how practical her mother had been. And the practical thing to do was pay the insurance out of that fund. After all, her mother had made her promise to keep Boon’s open, not start a charity in her name.
Her phone rang, and she grabbed it without looking at the screen. “Hailey Odom.”
“Hailey, it’s Derek.”
Shit. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with him so soon after last night. “Yes.”
“I’m not… What I mean is that I’m not going to be able to take Lottie for Thanksgiving.”
The relief that she wouldn’t have to subject their daughter to anyone in that house was so profound that she couldn’t speak.
“It’s just that Piper is upset with Lottie and, well, it would be awkward.”
Still, she said nothing. What was there to say?
“Hailey, you still there?”
“Yes. That’s fine.” She wondered if it was too late to take Beau up on his offer of them all going away together.
“Piper said Lottie was bragging about singing at the dance last night and it’s really hurt her feelings. You might want to talk to Lottie about that.”
“Lottie hasn’t spoken to Piper since before she got on stage, so it’s fairly clear that Piper is lying, so you and Ariel might want to talk to her about that. I have to go. Bye.”
“Hailey—”
She disconnected and immediately called Beau.
“Hey, beautiful. What’s up?”
Just the sound of his voice lit a match on the powder keg that seemed to be living in her gut since she met him. “Lottie’s plans to be with Derek on Thanksgiving just changed. Any chance we can all still go to Nashville?”
“Hell, yeah.” The smile in his voice warmed every part of her. “Let me make some phone calls.”
“Okay, I’ll need to make some too. And, Beau, thanks.”
“Anytime, sweet cheeks.”
She disconnected and immediately called Newt. “Hey, it’s Hailey.”
“Hello, Boss Lady,” the man said around a mouthful of something.
“Is there any chance you could cover for me Thursday through Sunday? Beau’s invited Lottie and me to go to Nashville with him.”
“No problem.”
That was fast. “Are you sure?”
“More than sure, Carol-Ann’s asshole brother is coming into town for Thanksgiving, so I’ll take any excuse not to have to spend time with him.”
She laughed. “I know the feeling.”
“Yeah, I suppose you do.” More chewing. “Hey, Carol-Ann told me what happened at the dance last night. I’m so damn proud of you for standing up to that asshole of an ex-husband of yours.”
“Thank you. Wait. Was Carol-Ann at the dance?”
A soft burp carried across the phone line. “Naw, she heard it at the cafe this morning. Seems everyone’s freakin’ out because you took yourself off every damn committee in town. But I thought you’d also want to know that Carol-Ann said you had as many supporters at the cafe as you did asshole critics.”
That was surprising. “Really?”
“Mmm-hmm. Except for the old-timers and some of Derek’s friends, everybody else thought you’d been treated badly for too long. Honey Jenkins told Lonnie he should be nippin’ at Derek’s behind instead of yours.”
Good ol’ Honey. The woman was a saint. Hailey had already decided she didn’t care what the town thought of her, but it was nice to know she had a few allies in her corner. “I should’ve known it would be the talk of the town, but that was fast even for Zachsville.”
“Good news travels fast.” He chuckled. “Anyway, I don’t mind covering for you at all. In fact, I’ll owe you one.”
“Just run my bar for me, and we’ll call it even.”
“You got it.” He crunched down on something else. “Anything special I need to do?”
“No, I’m handling all the ordering right now, and we’ll go over everything tomorrow night.”
“Sounds good. Oh, did you call the electrician about the vent-a-hood in the kitchen? I think it’s got a short.”
Crap. One more thing to put on her list of things to take care of that would cost money. “No, I forgot. I’ve made a note to myself. Thanks for reminding me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you then.” He disconnected but not before he let out a not-so-soft belch.
Excitement jangled her nerves when she thought of how much she wanted to spend Thanksgiving away from Zachsville with Beau and Lottie, but there was one more person she needed on board.
The phone rang three times before May picked it up. “Hailey, is everything alright?”
She chuckled at May’s worrywart personality. “Everything’s fine. I was wondering what your plans are for Thanksgiving.”
“Oh, well, I’m taking green bean casserole to my sister’s and spending the day with her crazy-as-hell family.”
Hailey’s heart plummeted to her stomach. “Sounds fun.”
“It’s not. If I got a better offer to do…oh, I don’t know, proctology examinations on a pack of rhinoceros, then I’d take it.”
A snort shot from Hailey’s mouth. “I might have a slightly better offer.”
“Lay it on me.”
She crossed her fingers and made the offer. “How would you like to go to Nashville with me, Lottie, and Beau?”
“I’d say, you better not leave without me.”
Hailey laughed. “We wouldn’t dream of it. We’re planning a little getaway, which you are welcome to be a part of, then Beau has the awards show on Sunday night, so I’ll need you to keep Lottie for that, if that’s okay.”
“That’s the best offer I’ve ever received. When are we leaving?”
“Thursday morning, I think. I’ll have Beau get in touch with you about travel arrangements. Thank you so much, May.”
This was going to happen. She couldn’t wait to tell Lottie.
One more call to make, and she wasn’t looking forward to it. She picked up the phone and made the call. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hailey.”
“Listen, I wanted to let you know that I won’t be there on Thursday for Thanksgiving.”
“Why not?” The stoic tone of his voice let her know he wasn’t happy. Too bad.
“Beau’s invited Lottie and me to spend the holiday with him in Nashville. I think Lottie needs to get out of town.” So did Hailey, but she wouldn’t give her father the satisfaction of knowing that she wanted the same thing as her daughter—to see the world, and get out of this small-minded town with the long memory, if only for a few days.
“Does this have anything to do with what happened at the dance?”
“Not directly, but sort of.”
“Then that’s fine. We’ll see you both next week. Have fun.”
Hailey stared at the dead phone in her hand. That hadn’t gone at all like she thought it would. He was downright pleasant when he got off the phone.
What are you up to, Daddy dearest? What are you up to?
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Beau couldn’t believe how fast Clay and Marissa had gotten things together. In just a few days, during a holiday week, they’d arranged for a suite big enough to accommodate him, Hailey, Lottie, and May. He was footing the bill, but they’d done all the work. He owed them big.
“Beau, this is ginormous!” Lottie squealed as she followed him into the room.
He tipped the bellman and closed the door. “That it is, Lil’ Bit. I hope you don’t get lost.”
“She might. Good Lord, look at that view.” May handed her phone to Hailey. “Here, take our picture. Come here, Lottie.”
Hailey laughed as May and Lottie stood in the middle of the room with their arms outstretched and their mouths and eyes wide open. “You two are a couple of hams.”
May took the phone and examined the photo. “Oooooh, my sister is going to be gre
en with jealousy. I’m here in this swanky suite while she’s home with her hand up a turkey’s behind listening to her obnoxious son tell yet another totally fabricated story.”
“Sounds like you dodged a bullet, May.” Beau snaked his arm around Hailey’s waist from behind. “I’m starving. Who’s up for lunch?”
“Me!” May and Lottie said at once. Right at that moment, it was hard to tell who was the adult and who was the kid.
“Good, because Marissa and Clay arranged for a real Thanksgiving dinner to be brought up to us in about thirty minutes.”
“Room service?” May asked. “Well, aren’t we fancy?”
Lottie threw herself into an oversized chair and swung her legs over the arm so that they hung over the side. “Of course you’re fancy, Ms. May. Remember that time you wore that blue hat with the lace and big flower on it to church?” Lottie smiled like she was the keeper of all knowledge. “Fancy.”
“How about you, Hailey?” Beau asked. “Are you hungry?” She turned in his arms, and her amber eyes had lost a little of their spark. He wondered why. Did she not like the suite? “You okay?”
Her smile wobbled a little at the corners but held in place. “I’m great, just a bit tired.”
She wasn’t fooling him one little bit. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and turned her toward one of the two bedrooms. “May, you and Lottie look in that book right there.” He pointed to a leather-bound spiral book on the desk. “And see what there is to do around here. I need to talk to Hailey for a minute.”
She didn’t resist him, but let him guide her into the bedroom. Her warm, vanilla sugar fragrance filled his head. What was going on with her?
He closed the door, and she stepped out of his hold. Arms still crossed against her chest and a wrinkle of her brow as she surveyed the room told him it must be something about the suite that she didn’t like. “What’s the matter?” The bathroom light flicked on as she examined the space. He leaned against the door and crossed his arms and legs and waited. She’d tell him eventually.
The view from the floor-to-ceiling windows was spectacular, and she stood in front of it for a long time. He checked the time on the clock next to the bed. They still had twenty minutes before the meal would arrive. So, he waited.
Running After a Heartbreaker (Brides on the Run #4) Page 22