A Guide to Being Just Friends(32)

The kids were great about shutting down and storing the computers. When they left, he wheeled the cart out to the front cart to leave it with Leo. The older teen was on the phone when he approached.

He saw Wes and held up a finger before turning to face the wall. “I need that shift. Yeah, I get it. Okay. If anyone else calls in sick, you can put me on the list.”

He hung up, shoulders slumped. When he turned back around, Wes saw him try to shake it off. “Everything go okay?”

“Absolutely. The kids were great. I’m looking forward to next week.”

“Cool. Here, I’ll grab those.” Coming around the counter, he grabbed the cart, wheeled it into the office Noah had come out of earlier.

“You work here a lot?” Wes asked, pulling his keys from his pocket.

“This isn’t my job. I volunteer one night a week here. Sometimes more if there are special events. It’s part of a program called Give Back. I get to drop in whenever I want without paying.”

Wes nodded, not sure how to broach the topic. “You go to school?”

The kid swiped a dark lock of hair out of his eyes, his gaze shifting. “Graduated last year. I’m working right now. I’m taking a year before I go to college.” Whatever he was thinking about made him frown deeper.

“What’s your other job?”

“What’s yours? Other than questioning me?”

Damn. He needed to learn. Biting back his smile, Wes held up his hands, the keys jingling. “Sorry. I overstepped. I do that. I try to step in and solve problems.”

The kid’s lips twitched. “Knowing you have an issue is said to be the first step.”

Wes nodded. “I’ve heard that too.” He turned to leave.

“Hey,” Leo called out.

Wes turned back.

“How would you solve my problem if, say, I wasn’t getting enough shifts at my current job?”

Wes shrugged, hoping he wasn’t about to risk the new friendship he was so happy with. Couldn’t hurt to ask, right? “I have a friend who’s looking for someone to do some deliveries. Maybe. She’s just starting her business and the hours aren’t static.”

The way he leaned forward a little, how his eyes came back to Wes suggested interest. “I have a car. It breaks down more than it runs but I’ve been fixing it up.”

He almost asked why his parents didn’t help him with that—two doctors? If Noah was right about that, why was this kid struggling with small things like a reliable vehicle? Noah’s words about prejudging, thinking he knew, came back to Wes. He didn’t know anyone else’s true story.

“Would it be okay if I mentioned you to her? I’m not sure what she’d be able to pay or what the hours would be like but it could be mutually beneficial.”

He hoped like hell Hailey wasn’t mad at him but how could he not act when he was right? It would be mutually beneficial. Wes couldn’t help himself. He’d done thousand-piece puzzles on his own at age five. He was a born and bred problem solver.

He’d tell her why he suggested it—she might have too if she met Leo—and leave it in her court. She was getting busier every day and if she didn’t get mad at his overstepping, she’d see this could really push her to the next level. Wes had run the numbers on her website and she was getting frequent visitors. It would increase if she could offer delivery, even part-time.

“Sure. That’d be okay. I’ll talk to you next week?” The tiny touch of hope, the faint glimmer in his tone, was enough to have Wes smiling.

“You bet.” And because he was practical and hated disappointing people, he added, “No guarantees but I think it would be a great fit.”

When he left the center, drove toward home, he felt better than he had in a while. More grounded. Less … scattered. Lately, he’d felt like his brain was Hailey’s laptop—eight hundred open tabs all vying for attention. He didn’t like feeling pulled in different directions when none of them seemed particularly interesting.

When he pulled into his parking spot at home, he checked his phone. Ana had asked about a dinner meeting next week, saying she’d bring the paperwork to sign there. It was too good an offer to be put off by having to socialize for one dinner. The money from this deal could give them the cushion they wanted for other investments.

With a smile, he got out of his vehicle and thought about what he could trade Hailey to get her to come with him. This might not be what was meant by friends with benefits, but he had a feeling she’d be willing to make a deal.





13


Wes’s apartment was awesome. She’d been 100 percent accurate when she assumed the space would be enviable. “I love it. It’s a great size. Oh look! You have a little patio,” Hailey said, sliding the door open and stepping onto it.

“There sure is a difference between the word ‘studio’ in New York and here in California,” he said behind her, a smile in his voice. She liked that she could recognize that even without looking at him.

Other people were out on their patios as well. Vehicles moved along the street, and music came from multiple places. She leaned over the railing, hanging on tight but trying to fold her body just … a … little … more.

Wes’s hands gripped her waist, shocking her in a duality of different ways.