A Guide to Being Just Friends(25)

Fiona burst out laughing the same moment Hailey did. “Then don’t look me up either.”



* * *



Hailey had no idea why she’d pictured a quaint seaside shanty, but that wasn’t what they saw.

“Holy shit,” Fiona said, arching so she could look through the windshield at the gorgeous … could you call a house like that a house, or was it automatically a mansion?

“Wow.” Hailey’s chest tightened. This was not at all what she’d expected. Wes’s brother must be well off. She’d gotten the impression they all were, but there was I-can-eat-out-every-day-of-the-week wealthy and then there was I-live-in-a-mansion money.

Directly beside the beach, it had a spacious lawn, expertly manicured. There was a one-story bungalow, more like what she’d pictured, to the right. The other houses in the neighborhood seemed to range in between the two drastically different ends of the spectrum.

“Why does this seem familiar?” Fiona asked after they’d grabbed their things from the back of her Smart car.

The only thing that felt familiar to Hailey was the sinking feeling in her stomach. It was the same one she’d get right before walking into a party with Dorian. He always stopped her, like a willful child, to tell her how important this event was to his career. It was one of the many things she’d pushed down, let go, and not made a fuss about. One of the many things that made her lose herself.

“Not sure. I hear people out back.” Wes’s text had said to go through the gate but she hoped they’d get a tour of the house later.

They took the cutely paved path down the right side and found a yard full of people spread out. There were conversation sets on the deck and in the yard. Part of the green space, closest to the fence separating it from the neighbors, was cordoned off with posts and yellow tape.

“Hey,” Noah called out from the porch. Chris was sitting on a love seat next to Everly while Stacey and what had to be her boyfriend, if her position on his lap was any clue, shared an Adirondack chair.

A very pretty woman came to Noah’s side. He turned when she approached, looked down at her, and pressed a kiss on her lips.

“They’re familiar, too,” Fiona muttered.

“Not to me.”

Wes came out of the house as Noah and presumably Grace came down to the yard.

“Glad you could make it, Hailey. This is my girlfriend, Grace,” he said, offering a happy-go-lucky smile. He shared many physical traits with Wes but she’d seen hints of that smile last night at the grocery store. Wes’s was much harder to draw out than Noah’s. But totally worth the effort.

Grace leaned forward, her hand out. “Hi. We’re so happy you came.”

“I’m Fiona.” They shook hands as well but before they let go, Fiona’s other hand came up and she pointed back and forth between them. “The magazine! You guys were in Home and Heart.”

Hailey had no idea what Fiona was talking about but she felt her lungs relax when Wes came to their side, a beer in his hand.

“Hey,” he said.

Fiona dropped Grace’s hand and offered her own to Wes but her gaze stayed on the couple. “One sec.” She looked at Wes. “You must be Wes. I’m Fiona. I could spell it if that helps?”

Hailey wasn’t sure if her cheeks went as red as Wes’s but they felt like they were on fire. She bumped Fiona with her hip.

The group laughter suggested that the others already knew this story so she felt better about it. Had he told them?

Noah looked at Wes. “You do like to leave an impression.”

Grace rubbed her hand over Wes’s arm. “Leave him alone.”

Wes gave Noah a smug grin.

Grace smiled up at Noah. “Let’s introduce everyone and then we can tease him some more.”

Wes stepped to the side, gestured to the porch. “Nice to meet you, Fiona. I see my reputation precedes me.”

“Like Taylor Swift,” Fiona said with a teasing smile. Hailey could only laugh. When Wes looked back at her, she mouthed “sorry.”

The porch was wide and inviting, with a gorgeous view of the water. Chris and Everly said hello and Stacey gave her a big hug before introducing her to her boyfriend, Rob.

As Hailey took a seat next to Fiona on one of the love seats, an older man shuffled out of the house. His stark white hair looked like he’d stuck a knife in a socket. He was mumbling to himself before he reached the porch.

“Damn kids can’t buy any regular beer. What the hell happened to Budweiser?” He looked at Noah with a deep frown marring his weathered face.

Noah smiled. “Live a little, man. It tastes good.”

“Tastes like piss,” he said, dropping into a chair. He did a slight double take when he saw Fiona and Hailey. “Where’d these two come from? None of you are good-looking enough to be surrounded by all these beautiful women.”

Grace walked over to the man, put a hand on his shoulder. “This is Morty. He’s like a great-great-grandfather to me.” Her lips twitched.

“Brat. I’m barely old enough to be a father figure to you. You’re getting up there yourself.”

Laughing, Grace winked at them. “Please excuse him, he’s using getting old as a chance to be miserable. He can be quite charming when he wants.”