A Guide to Being Just Friends(72)

“Really?” Happiness lit up Dolly’s face.

“It’s going to be worth it. We’ll build a salad around the spice. Leo had a few ideas after he tried it.” Her brain started spinning with employee incentives and how that would work. She’d ask Wes. He’d know.

Dolly walked over, squeezed Hailey’s shoulders. “You’re wonderful.”

Hailey leaned in, gave her a quick hug. “So are you.”



* * *



The day was busy. Leo worked on the orders that came through the app. Much like other companies, people could log on to the app, place an order, and have it waiting for them when they showed up. Bryce was taking care of deliveries, while Dolly and Hailey worked the front counter.

Every time a customer walked through the door, Hailey thought about what Dolly had said. This made her heart pound. This needed to be her focus.

Like he’d been sent to pull that focus into a giant knot, Wes came in just as they were slowing down.

“Hey,” she said.

“How’s it going?” He looked tired. He wore a button-up shirt in light gray that softened the blue of his eyes.

“Good,” she said.

“You still up for helping me with the class tonight?” He walked toward the back corner table he preferred as Hailey came out from behind the counter.

“Of course.” Though he was teaching coding and programming to a group of teens at the center, he wanted to sneak in a quick résumé-building course. He’d asked Hailey to come talk to the class as a business owner, and a woman, as a way to reach some of the quieter kids, in particular the girls. Hailey had happily agreed since she enjoyed being there. She loved how Wes and his brothers were involved with the rec center. It made her more aware of the impact she wanted to have. If she could help those kids take the steps they needed to have a successful future, she was all in.

He sat, gestured to the seat across from him. “Do you have a minute?”

She sat. “I do. The app is doing great, Wes. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. It’s just an app.”

She laughed. “One that has increased my revenue enough to offset the rent in a very short period of time. At least, for this month.” She realized that was all she could really do—take it one step at a time. She had big-picture ideas for what she wanted for her store but right now, it was all about building momentum.

“That makes me happy.” He said it with a hint of a smile but his eyes told her something else.

“Then what’s wrong?”

He tugged at the collar of his shirt. He did that when he was worried about what he had to say. “Do you mind if we shop on Sunday after brunch?”

She winced. Right. She hadn’t handled the last schedule change so well. “Of course. That’s fine.” She bounced her eyebrows. “You have a hot date?”

The corners of his mouth creased.

Hailey swallowed, her heart dipping down into her stomach. “That’s great. Why do you look like you’ve been sentenced to death?”

Wes looked at the table, tapped it with his index finger. “I just don’t want things to be awkward between us.”

Worry flickered in her chest. “Why would it be?” Her lungs felt smaller, like they couldn’t take in enough oxygen.

His gaze locked on hers. Was that pity? Did he think she was pining for him between salads? Setting her hands on the table with more force than she meant to, she leaned in.

“I think it’s great. You should be getting out there, Wes. You need to find a woman that actually makes you feel something. Something you can’t walk away from.” Like us. Like me.

His mouth dropped open. “Hailey.”

She stood up. “You made your feelings clear, Wes. I’m not lounging around in a corner licking my wounds. I’m dating Seth. I’m happy.”

Okay, that was overstating the whole Seth thing since she didn’t plan on going out with him again because it just wasn’t there between them. But Wes didn’t need to know that.

“Also, I’m busy this Saturday, so I would have had to bail anyway.”

A couple customers came through the door. Dolly greeted them with her enthusiastic hello.

“Hailey.”

She turned back to face Wes.

“What?”

“I’ll see you tonight?”

What he meant was, “We’re okay, right?” She sighed. For all his confidence and compartmentalizing, he was surprisingly in need of reassurances that they were all right. That their friendship would remain intact. Unharmed. Hailey was starting to wonder how much of that was about his feelings for her as opposed to his need for consistency and routine.

“We’re fine, Wes.”

Do what makes you happy. Maybe she needed to take a closer look at her own intentions. Because something had shifted when they kissed. It couldn’t be undone. Pretending it hadn’t mattered to her was not bringing her any happiness.





31


Wes tugged at his tie. When had the damn things become so uncomfortable? Maybe it wasn’t the tie. More likely, it was that he’d agreed to escort Ana to this stupid party tonight. He hated this sort of thing: the false smiles, weak handshakes, pretending people mattered who didn’t. Everyone here was looking for that one connection that would mean their big break.