A Guide to Being Just Friends(16)

Chris

I’ll check with Everly but I’m sure we’re in.

Noah

Invite Stacey and Rob

Wes thought of Hailey and how she was working to build a life here, how Everly and Grace had accepted her with ease.

Wes

Should I invite Hailey?

Chris

Absolutely! Way to go, bro. She’s awesome.

Wes

As a friend. That’s all we are. You know what friend means right?

Noah

Sadly, for you, it probably means exactly what the dictionary says

Wes

Don’t be an ass

Chris

You’re asking the impossible. For sure, invite her.

Wes

I will.

Chris

Cool.

Noah

Tell me you don’t think she’s hot.

Wes

Give me a second, I’m looking for a GIF of someone strangling their brother.

Wes reached his apartment with twenty minutes to get ready for his meeting. Between missing his brothers and his increasingly strained relationship with his dad, it hadn’t taken much convincing for Wes to follow them to the West Coast. He loved New York but it changed when the two people he was closest to left.

Now he was here and he was happy but he was also restless, and that wasn’t something he was used to. His brothers had really found their groove. Wes didn’t have to work. He could dive into actually creating a video game if he wanted. He’d been thinking more and more about it but still felt this nagging sense of guilt that it would be a “waste” of his time and talent.

Hell, he could spend every day on the beach with someone bringing him ice-cold beers if he wanted. His father would probably respect that more. Why the hell do you still care what he thinks? Glancing at his sketchbook, it was like he could hear his father’s words. They were like a tattoo he wanted removed. That took time.

Grabbing an iced tea from his fridge, he sat down at his small kitchen table, next to the window, listening to the sound of low, soft music drifting out of someone’s apartment.

Chris and Noah seemed so centered, sure of what they were doing. Opening his tablet, Wes reviewed his emails. He took care of all the paperwork, the tech support for each company, vetted possible acquisitions, dug into companies, and managed the investment portfolio. Professionally, he was doing everything he wanted and now, he was doing it with his favorite people.

They were going to create an empire that matched their father’s. His focus was best served doing exactly what he was already doing.

He thought of how happy Hailey seemed every single time she made a sale or took an order. He hadn’t felt like that about a deal or acquisition in so long it felt like a ghost of a memory.

Pushing his tablet aside, he opened his laptop, told himself to stop searching for problems. He was as privileged as it could get. He had no right to feel this little tick of disquiet. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be just like his father, never content with what he had. Always needing more and not caring who he had to step on to get it.

He sighed, clicked on the Zoom link for his meeting. Maybe Hailey was right—he needed to do some yoga.





7


People were weird. But Hailey was so grateful to have a steady stream of customers today, she didn’t care. Today she’d had three elderly women argue over who was paying and they nearly left without any of them doing so. There’d been a father-son duo who asked if she had anything on plates. They were followed by a group of teens who ordered individual cups of vegetables: one cup of carrots, one cup of cucumbers, one cup of tomatoes, and one cup of snap peas. They didn’t want lettuce or forks. Who was she to judge? This week had been much better than last and regardless of how strange some requests were, she loved interacting with people.

“Do you use organic lettuce?” the dark-haired, dark-skinned woman asked. She’d been studying the menu for about five minutes. Her workout clothes reminded Hailey that she really did want to look into yoga. She could go alone. Maybe she’d meet new friends. If you had your business cards ready, you could take them. She’d only made one new pal—which still made her laugh because she and Wes were very different—but it felt like she was on a roll.

“I have that option, yes.” Hailey smiled at the woman, who clearly took salads seriously. A trait she both admired and appreciated.

“Okay. I’m ready.” The woman nodded in confirmation, clapping her hands together.

Hailey bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at the way she announced the words. This salad better be one of your best or she’ll be disappointed.

“I’ll have seven Chicken Landslides and three Pesto Pastas.”

“Did you want organic lettuce for the Landslides?” Hailey pulled on gloves, grabbed ten cups, the happy dance in her wanting to escape. She had to stop acting like having customers was a miracle. Act like you’ve been there. Ha. She hadn’t though!

“No, thanks. How long have you been open?” The woman scanned the empty store before turning her warm brown eyes back to Hailey.

“I’ll be celebrating a month soon. I’m really loving the area.”

“Welcome to the neighborhood. I work at a gym not too far from here. I have a feeling my co-workers are going to be thrilled there’s something like this close by.”

Hailey had practiced making each salad so many times, it was easy to carry on a conversation while she whipped them up. “I was hoping salads would be a hit. This is California, after all.”