A Guide to Being Just Friends(63)
Wes didn’t know what to say. He had absolutely no idea what his story was. Hailey was supposed to be just his friend. Until recently, that’s all she’d been. A friend who’d been hurt horribly but somehow still believed in love. Someone who made him laugh and think and look forward to things. Would she fall for this guy and get all of the things she deserved and dreamed about? The thought made his stomach feel like he’d chowed down on concrete.
He wasn’t into her. She was Hailey. Just his Hailey. Shit. His friend Hailey. That’s all. Yeah. That was his story.
26
Sometimes, a person worked their ass off, put in the blood, sweat, and tears, and slowly reaped the rewards. Other times, a fun and flirty quiz maker with thousands of followers on Twitter and Instagram mentioned a certain local business and the world went freaking crazy for salad.
FionaHale
@flirtyfunwriter
If you have not tried the salads from @BytheCup your life is not complete. Once you’ve corrected this, @ me with your favorite. #gonow #notyourusualsalad #santasaladismyfavorite
Hailey was lying on her bed in her apartment, feeling like she’d run a marathon after climbing a mountain. She stared up at her phone not sure what was harder to believe—that Fiona’s tweet had given her a record-breaking day or that she was this damn tired from making salads. She’d had to call in Bryce and Leo. There was a line out the door. She’d stayed open an hour past closing.
Dropping her phone, she stared up at her popcorn ceiling and summoned the energy to bicycle kick her legs while simultaneously air punching and let out some of the giddy, overwhelmed laughter she’d been holding back.
Then she lay flat, closed her eyes, and focused on breathing. Record. Breaking. Day. She’d done more in sales today than she had the whole month so far. Her phone rang. Moving as little of her body as possible, she pressed accept.
“Hello.”
“Hi, dear.” Her mom’s voice came through the phone.
Surprise slowed her response. She sat up. “Hey, Mom. How are you?” Where are you was a better question. Her parents liked to be on the move, whether it was in their convertible, in a rented RV, or on a plane.
“We’re good. Just packing for our trip. Are you spending Christmas with Piper and her family?”
“I’ll go over for dinner. I’ve made some good friends and they’ve invited me to be part of their day.” Okay, they hadn’t actually but she didn’t like to make her mom feel bad.
“Good. Then I won’t have to feel bad about you being alone. I know we agreed to meet at the airport but we’ve actually found a cheaper flight out of a different airport. I’ve sent your gifts.” She could picture her mom marking the item off on a checklist.
Of course they weren’t meeting at the airport. The logical part of Hailey never thought they were. The part of her who still wanted to believe in them curled into a ball, put her head on her knees. “Same. No worries about the airport. I hope you guys have fun in Mexico.”
“We’re looking forward to it. How’s California?”
“Good.” She rolled to her side. “You should come visit.”
“Maybe in the new year. How’s your little salad shop?”
Maybe not so little. “Today was an amazing day. A friend of mine mentioned me on social media—”
“Sorry, dear. I have to go. That’s fantastic about your friend. We love you.”
Just like that, the conversation was over. Hailey was too used to the status quo to let it dim the happiness bursting inside of her. Unfortunately, the weight of her limbs, the fatigue of the day, was stronger than her excitement. She fell asleep curled around her phone, dreaming of salads.
A buzz woke her up. She looked at her phone but realized it was her apartment buzzer. Quickly, she scrambled off her bed, disoriented as she shuffled to the speaker.
“Hello.” She sounded like a sick frog.
“Delivery for Hailey Sharp.”
“Oh. Uh, I’ll come down.” Because even half-asleep, she wasn’t stupid.
She had no idea what was in the gift-wrapped box she signed for. She shook it gently as she walked back up to her nondescript apartment. It was really more a room and a half than an actual apartment. Like a studio with a half wall that separated the bedroom area.
Her phone was ringing when she got back. Setting the box on the bed, she smiled when she saw Wes’s face but frowned when she realized the time.
“Hey,” she said, panic settling into her bones. She’d fallen asleep for an hour and a half. He was going to be here to pick her up for the Christmas party at the radio station in twenty minutes.
“You ready?”
“Nearly. Working on the finishing touches. I need to go do that,” she said, already stripping off her clothes. She hurried toward the only separate room in her place: the bathroom. Swearing when she stubbed her toe, she leaned over, started the shower.
“Hailey.”
“Wes. I gotta go. I have a hot date,” she said with a laugh.
“Wait. You’re still coming with me tonight, right?”
She froze. What the heck? “Of course I am. You’re the hot date.”
“Oh. I thought you meant Seth.”
She stared at her phone even though he couldn’t see her. He hadn’t brought up running into her at the restaurant or how weird he’d been. Seth had stopped by the shop earlier this week, asking if she wanted to maybe catch a movie. They’d left it up in the air as to when but she’d said yes.