A Guide to Being Just Friends(58)

Chris stepped forward. “You’ve backed off on designing the apps but you’re really good at them. You like it. We were just thinking, you used to love the design piece. You could customize for CoreTech.”

“That would take a significantly longer time,” Wes said. He was not only good at it, he loved it, but that made him feel like he wasn’t really working or doing his part.

Noah lifted both arms, looked up at the bright-blue California sky. “What the hell else are we doing?” He lowered his chin, pinned Wes with a curious gaze.

“I’m not really designing anything at the moment.” Though he’d had several story ideas and played around with some gaming development programs. Which was just to keep his brain busy. It was a hobby at best. Except for Hailey’s Christmas present. That was more than a hobby to him. It was almost finished.

“We’re just saying that we all get to do what we love. What we want. Chris and I feel pretty settled but we’re not sure you do. Don’t feel like you have to keep expanding our assets, adding on companies. That’s not what we’re about anymore.”

That was part of the problem. They both knew what they were about personally and professionally. Wes had always been secure in his professional path but right now, everything felt up in the air. He didn’t know where anything would land. Worse, he didn’t even know where he wanted anything to land.

“Thanks for the permission to live my life.” He was being an ass but he felt like his skin was too tight. Why did the idea of being able to do what he enjoyed full-time feel like he’d be letting them down?

“Whatever, man. Do what you want,” Noah said, waving a hand dismissively at him.

Wes sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I want to do. Sometimes it feels weird for both of you to be so settled. I felt like I was in New York but here, I haven’t found my footing yet.”

“Well, we have an appointment to walk through the San Verde Square property. Once we have an actual office space we can all agree on, we’ll sit down, hammer things out, and decide where we all want to go.”

Chris clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s okay to be happy, man. We earned it. Figure out what’s going to do that for you and grab on.” That advice could have applied to his personal or professional life, but he was confused. The things bringing him true happiness could easily slip away. Then what?

With a smile, he said goodbye to his brothers. He really did need to figure out what his piece in their puzzle was. Noah had shifted from corporate, large-scale real estate purchases and development to a much smaller scale. He and Grace had bought a bungalow near Laguna Beach with the intention of remodeling it together. He was more than content. He was happy. So was Chris. He was technically an advisor for their holdings. He took care of the companies directly connected to the radio station but he didn’t seem concerned about branching out beyond that.

What did Wes want? Where did he fit? It was the first time in his life that he didn’t know.





24


Piper and Fiona did an excellent job convincing Hailey that she should buy a new dress for her not-a-date that she’d told Wes was a date. She still didn’t know why she’d said it but the fact that he’d been okay with it was reason enough. Her brain was more settled today. Clearly defined boxes had been reconstructed. Wes, friend. Seth, date.

The mall was more crowded that Wednesday night than it had been the Sunday before. Or maybe she was just more tired because her store had been busy today. For-real busy. The kind she’d hoped for in those early days. If she could get through the next six months successfully, she really had a chance of things working out long-term.

Though she’d seen a gorgeous dress at the Kate Spade store when they were in there, Hailey had a budget. With Christmas coming, she wanted to be extra careful about sticking to it. Even with the catering jobs, which weren’t her favorite, she was hovering on the “just making it” line. When she’d first gotten a job on set, she’d taken on the catering gigs because they seemed fun. Fancy parties with stars everywhere? Yes, please. But it was a lot of work, before, during, and after. Not everyone was nice to behind-the-scenes workers and there wasn’t as much glamour as she’d hoped. The money was good, but once she and Dorian got together, he found her side jobs embarrassing. What if you cater a party I’m at as a guest? That would make me look ridiculous.

Focus on the good. Like what’s in your hand. In a cute little shop that Tara had told her about, she held an adorable dress in her price range. It was pale blue with a fitted bodice and A-line skirt. She held it close as she followed the store clerk toward the dressing room. From the corner of her eye, she saw a black-and-white dress that took her breath away. It was stunning. A retro, Audrey Hepburn–esque style. The sleeves would rest just off her shoulders; the waist was narrow but the skirt flowed out. She’d bet anything it would make a swishing sound if she twirled in it.

“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” the young lady asked, following Hailey’s gaze.

It was so charmingly graceful. “It really is.” She didn’t want to ask.

“Would you like to try it on?”

She pulled in a breath between her teeth. She’d want it. Bad. She could tell just from looking at it.

“It doesn’t cost anything to try it,” the clerk added.