She was dressed and all set to go, only her feet weren’t moving. She kept staring at the gift, wondering if she had the courage and stamina to face the man who didn’t love her, didn’t want to complicate his life any more, didn’t find what they had worth fighting for.
A knock came to her front door. She finally rose from the kitchen chair and headed to the entrance, punching in the numbers to her alarm keypad.
She opened the door to Catherine, holding a bakery box in her hands. “Wow, you look beautiful, Hayley. Are you going out with Cody tonight?”
Hayley had deliberately put on a body-hugging emerald dress that brought out the hue in her eyes, high heels, and her favorite chunky jewelry. Her hair was down in long waves and clipped to one side and there was no doubt in her mind that she’d dressed specifically for Code. “No, I’m not dating Cody. What makes you ask that?”
“Oh, uh, I saw the two of you kissing the other night on the porch. I wasn’t spying, mind you, but after the disturbance, I would glance out the window every few minutes to make sure you were okay. That kiss, Hayley, had taken all of over it. If you’re not dating, you should be.”
Hayley chuckled, even though she was bruised and battered inside. “It’s a long story. Actually, I’m debating about going to a surprise birthday party. Would you like to come in?”
“No, thanks. I just came over to bring you this.” Catherine handed her the bakery box. “Mindy Sue Benedict stopped by your house earlier. And when she didn’t find you home, she asked if I could refrigerate this for you. She said there’s a note inside.”
Hayley furrowed her brows. “Really? That’s odd. I didn’t order anything from the bakery.”
Catherine shrugged. “Sorry, that’s all I know.”
“Okay, well, thanks again.”
“No problem. Oh, and Hayley, stop your debating. You need to go to that party. It’d be a shame to waste that outfit. You look absolutely gorgeous.”
When Catherine left, Hayley plopped down on the sofa, curious about the box she held her hands. If she were wishing for a stalling tactic, this was it. She opened the box to find a miniature double heart-shaped cake exquisitely decorated in white buttercream frosting with script red lettering that read Code and Hayley Forever. There was a cupid’s arrow going through both hearts.
Hayley blinked a few times. A strange sensation swept through her body as she tried to make sense of this. She shivered and wondered if she’d lost her mind. She shouldn’t be uneasy. This was a sweet, yet misguided gesture on Mindy Sue’s part. A double heart just like the kind they’d draw in high school, with the names of two sweethearts inside. Only she and Code weren’t the sweethearts Mindy Sue seemed to think they were.
Why did she have the feeling something was terribly off?
She shelved her trembles and quickly picked up the envelope attached to the inside of the box. Certain the note would bring clarity, she unfolded the paper and started reading.
*
“I don’t see why we have to go to Violet’s house again. Hell, boy, I was just there for dinner last week.” Uncle Brand’s complaints were getting a tad monotonous. He’d repeated himself twice already on the drive from the Lucky B to the Benedict house. As Code parked the car, Uncle Brand made one, last ditch attempt to weasel out of this dinner invitation. “It’s not as if she’s a great cook or anything. Her grub is barely passable.”
Code rolled his eyes and killed the engine. In truth, he’d rather be anywhere than here, too. After what happened between him and Hayley, he didn’t have the heart for a party. Lately, he’d been miserable and grouchy, an all out bear to anyone who got within ten feet of him. The part-time ranch hands had steered clear of him and Uncle Brand was too darn astute to say anything about Hayley in front of him.
But Uncle Brand, for all his griping and bluster, deserved this celebration with his friends. Wasn’t every day a man turned three-quarters of a century. So Code sucked it up in order to give the man his due. “I told you, Mrs. Benedict wants to make a sizable donation to the bachelor auction and she’s asked us to come by and get it. It’s the least I can do.”
“Aw, that’s just an excuse.”
Did the old guy have his surprise party all figured out? His real birthday wasn’t until Tuesday and he never did make much out of his birthdays in the past, so Code was pretty sure he had no clue what Violet was up to. “An excuse? For what?”
“She’s been after me for years. She trying to trap me and you know it.”
Code struggled to keep a smile from breaking his stone face. Only his old codger of an uncle could amuse him today. “What I know is that if Violet ever stopped paying you mind, and turned her attention to Elbert Johnson, you’d be madder than a rabid dog.”
“Ain’t true.”
“Is so,” he said, eyeing the house and hoping everything was all set. He’d been instructed to get Uncle Brand here by seven-thirty. And it was a little past that now.
“Besides, Elbert ain’t nearly as fit as I am, and Lord knows that man is like a water faucet left on, running his words together until you’re doggone dizzy. Violet doesn’t like him. No sir.” Uncle Brand set his jaw and that was that.
In a few minutes, he’d be too preoccupied with his birthday guests to make any more complaints.
“Well, we’re here now so put a smile on your face and be nice. Ready, Uncle Brand?”
“I suppose,” he said. “Let’s get this over with.”
He climbed out the car and Code was only steps behind him. When they reached the door, he knocked and Violet greeted them with a smile. “Right on time, boys.”
Code had to hand it to her, Violet dressed for the occasion. The beaded dress fit her nicely and her hair had recently been cut into a newer style. The overall package made her look ten years younger. Code and Uncle Brand both immediately removed their hats, holding them over their chests.
Uncle Brand spoke up first. “Violet, you look very nice.”
Code nodded in agreement and tried not to appear stunned. Maybe all that talk about Elbert Johnson was setting in. “Why, thank you, Brand. That’s sweet of you to say. Won’t you come in?”
“I think we will,” his uncle said.
“Follow me into the parlor. We’ll have us a drink.”
Uncle Brand was right behind Violet when she flipped on the lights. More than a dozen friends rose up from the depths of the room and shouted. “Surprise!”
His uncle stared open-mouthed at the crowd. The shocked look on Brand’s face would never be duplicated. He took it all in, the guests, the birthday banner above the window sill with his name on it and then the woman who had accomplished all this. Violet was beaming, her eyes sparkling and bright. Then Uncle Brand did the unexpected.
He smiled.
Wide.
At Violet.
A grin so broad and joyous that it took years off his age as well, reminding Code of the young man his uncle had once been. Uncle Brand turned and greeted all of his close friends and neighbors and there were hugs and handshakes for everyone.
Mindy Sue grabbed Code’s arm and steered him toward a corner of the room, pulling him away from the guests. “Uncle B-Brand sure is surprised,” she said with a cheerful grin.
Her childlike enthusiasm never ceased to lift his mood. “Yeah. I think he’s very happy tonight.”
“It’s a good night then. But, w-where is Hayley Dawn?”
“Hayley Dawn? I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to her. Was she invited?”
“Of c-course she was invited.” Mindy Sue said, exasperated. Her tone made him blink. “Why didn’t you… b-bring her, Codee?”
“I didn’t know I was supposed to.”
“But, b-but, the two of you are together…now. The two of y-you—”
Code gathered his brows and gave a shake of his head. “We’re not together, Mindy Sue.”
Mindy Sue played with her dress, her fidgety fingers fumbling with the soft cotton. “But…she’s your g-girl. You…you
went on the date over the weekend…and, and you protect her. Just l-like you protect me and all the people you c-care about, Codee.”
“She’s not my girl, Mindy Sue. Sometimes, things just don’t work out like you want them to.”
“She is your g-girl.” Mindy’s voice rose above the crowd. Her eyes wide, she appeared horrified. Code didn’t understand why she was so upset about this.
“You told me that day in the b-barn. You t-told me, you loved her and when she left, you cried Codee. You did…I remember…and I…I thought when she came back this t-time, you would protect her again and, and—”
Code’s instincts nudged him in the gut. And the more he looked at Mindy Sue’s stricken face, the more he didn’t want to believe the notion filling his head. Mindy Sue had always been a friend. He’d protected her and cared about her and made sure she wasn’t bullied. He’d always been proud at how she made her way in the world, despite mean-spirited people who might try to belittle her and bring her down. “Mindy Sue?”
“You s-said you’d n-never be happy again.”
“Mindy Sue, I was just a boy back then.”
“B-but you love H-hayley,” she said adamantly, her foot stomping the ground. “I know you do.”
Good God, had Mindy Sue seen something he was too closed off and self-absorbed to see? His blindness was a flaw and that was why he’d forced himself to take a hard look at his life and make some decisions this week that he’d been putting off.
By now, he was aware conversations in the room died a quick death. Everyone had stopped speaking to listen in. To witness Mindy Sue’s utter meltdown. Code had never seen her like this. Except for the time when Code had gotten in a fist fight with a badass after school. Reynoldo had knocked him to the ground, and Code was ready to come back with his best shot when Mindy Sue picked up a rock and threw it at the boy. She missed, thankfully, but the rock sailed by Reynoldo’s head close enough to distract him and allow Code to get the upper hand. Afterward, she’d said, “You’re my b-best friend and I don’t want you to hurt.”
To hurt.
Not “get hurt” or “be hurt”.
The distinction was clear in his mind. He gripped her arms gently. “Mindy Sue, what did you do?” He held her gaze and though it was hard, he leveled his voice to a soft tone, hoping for an answer.
A few tears wet her cheeks. “I have Albert n-now, but you n-need someone, too, Codee. I did it for you.”
“Did what for me? Mindy Sue, just tell me.”
“I didn’t think it was w-wrong. I d-didn’t. I didn’t.”
“She was trying to help you, Code.” A voice came from behind the crowd.
As soon as she spoke, the sea of guests parted and there stood Hayley Dawn, in the center of the room. Looking more beautiful than he’d ever seen her. Good God, he’d missed her these past few days. Didn’t know how he was going to get along without her when she left town.
She stepped closer, a breath of freshness, wearing a sweet and tender smile. “She wanted to get us together, Code. So, she put that note on my doorstep and threw a rock in my window and let out the air in the tires. She knew you wouldn’t let me down. She knew you would protect me. Mindy Sue knows more about matters of the heart than most of us, though her tactics were pretty out there,” Hayley said softly.
Code’s eyes slammed shut briefly. “Out there? Is that how you would describe it? She had you scared to death. And me, too. Mindy Sue, is this all true?”
The girl spilled more tears and nodded her head. “Yes.”
Code struggled to maintain his temper. He leveled his voice to the softest tone he could manage. “Mindy Sue, you had to know that doing those things would frighten Hayley.”
“B-but not if you’re there, Codee. Whenever I’m with you, I’m never s-scared.”
Albert came up and put his arm around Mindy Sue’s shoulders. “I didn’t know about this, sir. But Mindy Sue would never hurt a soul, especially you or someone you cared about.”
Even though he was pissed at the world at the moment, he had to hand it to Albert, coming to Mindy Sue’s defense the way that he did.
“Mindy Sue,” Violet said carefully. “Why on earth would you do something like this?”
“Because I wanted Codee to be… h-happy like me.”
Code winced. How could he fault Mindy Sue for her act of friendship, as misguided as it was? Yet she had to understand there are consequences to breaking the law. What she did to Hayley was inexcusable.
Code took Mindy Sue’s trembling hand. The poor girl was out of her element now. “Thank you, Mindy Sue. What you did may be the single, kindest thing anyone has ever done for me. You’re intentions were good, but it was also the wrong way of going about it. Do you know that you broke the law?”
Mindy Sue’s eyes grew wide. “I didn’t h-hurt anyone,” she said. She glanced at Hayley. “I would n-never hurt you.”
Hayley took Mindy Sue’s other hand. “I know that, Mindy Sue. But I was scared and Cody was, too. We thought someone was trying to get me.”
“I’m sorry,” she said as quietly as a child who’d finally realized the severity of her deed. More tears spilled. “Am I going to j-jail?”
Violet gasped, her hand going to her lips.
“No, you’re not.” Hayley confirmed immediately, her voice encouraging yet soft. “I won’t press charges. I know where your heart was, Mindy Sue.”
A beautiful set of emerald eyes lifted to his and his heart did a giant flip. Hayley Dawn wasn’t a diva or a celebrity right now. She was simply a compassionate woman who was kind enough not to rant at Mindy Sue for all the trouble she’d caused.
Code was a little less forgiving. Yet, Mindy Sue humbled him by the one hundred percent faith she had in him. And Hayley’s understanding of the situation simmered his anger. “You walked in here already privy to what Mindy Sue had done. How did you know?” he asked Hayley, the question just dawning on him.
She glanced softly at Mindy Sue and smiled, before turning back to him, “Mindy Sue baked us a cake and sent it over with a note. The note explained everything in short detail and I figured out the rest.”
“A cake?” That seemed equally bizarre. “Why would you bake a cake, Mindy Sue?” he asked.
“It was a mini…of the w-wedding cake I want to bake for you.” Mindy Sue spoke more surely now as if her idea made perfect sense. “For when y-you and Hayley…get married.”
Code locked eyes on Hayley Dawn.
She stared back, her pretty as a meadow eyes saying so much without the benefit of words. No matter the party guests watching and listening in. No matter that they both held Mindy Sue’s hands. No matter that he was exposing himself to the world, Code couldn’t look away. He couldn’t deny himself the joy of gazing at Hayley’s beautiful face. Their connection was real and fierce, as intense as anything he’d ever experienced in his life.
He’d opened up and allowed his mind to go there.
And in that moment, with Uncle Brand by his side now and the people he cared most about in this very room, his life finally made perfect sense.
*
Hayley sat in her car next to Cody on her grandmother’s driveway. Code had insisted on driving her home after the ordeal at the Benedict home. The stars were out, the night still at this hour. Only the sound of an occasional dog barking off in the distance disturbed the quiet neighborhood. But at this moment, the barking couldn’t compete with her heartbeats pounding up in her ears. Something had shifted and changed tonight. And as she stared at Code’s profile, she felt it down to the very bottom of her soul.
Code’s arm slung over the steering wheel, he turned to her and gave her a smile. “You were pretty darn wonderful about all of this, Hayley. You had every right to be furious.”
“I was, for about ten seconds after I read the note. But then I realized Mindy Sue meant me no real harm.”
“That’s very generous of you.”
She shrugged and smiled sweetly. “She wanted to see you
happy, Code. Your friendship means that much to her. She thought if you were protecting me, we would fall in love.”
“Yeah, she’s a regular cupid. Remind me to thank Mindy Sue, after I’m through being mad at her.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothin’ much.” Then he unlocked the door, got out, and came around to her side of the car and opened the door. Hayley swung her legs around and touched her heels to the ground. Code made no apology for looking his fill, before taking her hand and helping her out of the car.
They walked hand in hand, and oh, boy, did that feel good, until they reached her front door. Then Code released her and she stood facing him on the porch.
“You want to know what threw me the most?” he asked. “I never once considered that you weren’t the target. I never thought that someone might be trying to go after me, regardless of the reasons.”
“That doesn’t mean you’re not darn good at what you do, Code. No one could’ve possibly seen that coming.”
He gave her a slow nod. Was he agreeing with her and seeing things a little more clearly now?
“Are you still leaving on Monday?”
“That depends,” she said earnestly, searching deeply into his eyes.
“On what?”
“On you, Cody Matthews,” she whispered.
His eyes were glistening now, filled with enough emotion to fill up Marietta High’s football stadium. “You once told me you didn’t want me to drive by your house anymore. Not unless I wanted to knock on your door and come inside. Well, sweetheart. I’m knocking right now. I want to come inside.”
“You do?”
“I do. I’m ready. I mean it, Hayley. You’re a one in a million kind of girl that maybe I don’t deserve, but I want regardless. You get me, Hayley. You know what I’ve been through and you’ve helped me find myself again. I’ve made some decisions about my life this week. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without you.”
“What decisions?” she asked softly and so hopeful that her heart was racing at full speed.
“I’m not going back to Texas. My place is right here in Marietta. Uncle Brand needs me, and I think, I need him, too, so I’m staying. But I’m not abandoning my calling. I love the security business and I’ve made some inquiries here about expanding what we do with Code First. It took some convincing, but Victor is onboard. He’ll head up the bodyguard part of the business out there and I’ll work in security here. The only body I ever want to guard is yours, and I don’t mean professionally.”
Bachelor for Hire (Bachelor Auction #1) Page 14