A Guide to Being Just Friends(3)
“What a jerk.” Sure, he’d been stood up, but it was like he’d been waiting for disappointment. Not her fault or her problem. But she wondered if his date would actually show.
Midway through the second scone, she reached for her cup. She picked it up, grabbed a sharpie, and scribbled out the wrong name, wrote her own. And she damn well spelled it properly.
2
The good thing about the jerk next door—hmm, that could be a rom-com title—was it stopped her from going back for seconds. Could she call it seconds if she’d had three?
As she texted her cousin, Piper, the only person she really knew in San Verde, her irritation dissipated.
Piper
What an asshole
Hailey winced. He’d been a bit of a jerk but clearly there were reasons.
Hailey
I guess if he really thought I was blowing him off, that I was really lying about my name, it makes sense.
Piper
You always do this. You’re such a softy.
Hailey grinned.
It’s all the scones. I need to eat more of what I’m selling.
Piper
Shut up! That’s not what I meant and you know it. Seriously, you ok?
Hailey
I am. See you soon? “Book” club Wednesday, right?
Piper
Absolutely!
As she pocketed her phone, intending to double-check some prices for produce suppliers, the little bell over the door jingled. It was Hailey’s new favorite sound.
Two women walked through the door, chatting back and forth—a blonde who was a few inches taller than the brunette, but that might have just been the heels. The brunette wore adorable pink Converse. While they were both very pretty, the blonde looked like an advertisement for the state of California with her sun-kissed skin and oversized sunglasses. She shifted them into her hair.
Hailey smiled while trying to tamp down the excitement she felt when people came in. “Hi. Welcome to By the Cup.”
“Thanks. We were heading to the bakery next door but saw the sign. I forgot a new shop was opening.”
Whether it was the dessert cup or the San Verde Sunshine Cup, she was grateful for that sign. Maybe she should have had a grand opening like Piper suggested. But parties made her nervous. She’d attended so many Hollywood ones at this point that anything she could pull off felt like too little.
“I’ve been open a couple weeks now,” she said.
“It’s a great area,” the brunette said, her voice low. “Your shop is adorable. It’s like a blend of vintage and modern.”
“Thank you.” Her happiness meter soared. It was a great area and she’d been lucky to lease the place. “That’s exactly what I was going for. What can I get you ladies today?”
“Evs?” the blonde asked. Something about her voice was familiar.
“You go first. You’re better at decisions,” “Evs” answered.
The other woman looked up at the menu board. It didn’t make sense for the butterflies to wake up in Hailey’s stomach but at the moment, everything depended on word of mouth and repeat customers. Not only was it the most effective marketing tool, it was the cheapest.
“They all look so good. Are your dressings homemade?”
Hailey nodded, stuck for a minute on the distinct sound of the woman’s voice. “Yes, sorry, your voice sounds so familiar.”
The two women exchanged a glance then the blonde beamed at Hailey. “I’m a DJ for 96.2 Sun.”
Hailey snapped her fingers. “That’s totally it. You’ve got an excellent voice.” She loved that station. It was fun, engaging, and played great music.
“Unless she’s singing,” the other woman said quietly.
The blonde—damn, what’s her name, she’s on billboards … Stacey!—sent a mock glare to her friend. “That worked out pretty well for you in the end.”
Unsure what they were talking about, Hailey worked to keep her cool. A radio station DJ in her shop. How cool was that? Seeing as she’d run a Craft Food Truck on movie and television sets in her previous life, one would think she’d be more chill. But since moving to San Verde, Hailey had listened to the station almost every day. They played cool games, did giveaways, and generally made listening to the radio enjoyable. A forgotten media art form.
No pressure but this salad needs to be fantastic. Do what you do—make a salad to knock her gorgeous high heels off.
“I love your station. I’m thrilled you decided to check out my shop,” Hailey said. Okay, so she wasn’t great at being chill. She’d had to teach herself not to openly fangirl when on set. They were all there to do a job. Her ex, an actor who got enough work to feed his ego but not make him a star, had constantly told her how childish she seemed when she gushed over meeting someone she admired. Once they’d gotten together, he’d told her not to embarrass him. It made her self-conscious, but what was the harm in telling her she liked the station?
“I’m excited you’re open. I need something to counteract the brownies Tara makes,” the woman said. She gestured toward the wall By the Cup shared with Baked. “Tara’s our friend, she owns the bakery. I’m Stacey. This is Everly, my bestie and producer for my show.”
“It’s really a pleasure to meet you both. I’m Hailey. Whatever you’d like, it’s on the house.”