A Guide to Being Just Friends(78)

Noah shrugged. “I knew with Grace the minute I looked at her.”

Chris gave a quiet, almost shy smile like he was remembering something. “Same for me.”

Wes stiffened. “Well, that isn’t this. I’m very happy. I care about her a great deal but as I said, it’s been a week.” Though, he was quite certain he could feel what they did and that thought kept him up at night.

“Just remember that doesn’t matter on Valentine’s Day. Whether you’ve been together twenty minutes or twenty years, you know to get her something, right?”

Wes crossed his arms over his chest, looked down his nose at his brother, his lips quirking. “I’m older and smarter than both of you. Of course I’ll get her something. I’m not a complete idiot.” He was quite proud of the Tiffany’s diamond bracelet he’d already bought. Fine, the idea had technically been Ari’s. She’d sent him a picture of one she’d recently bought and Wes immediately thought the shimmer of diamonds would look lovely on Hailey’s wrist.

Noah held up his hands. “I’ll back off.” He stared at Wes a moment longer. “It’s nice to see you happy.”

Wes didn’t know what to say to that. In general, he was a happy person and always had been. He enjoyed his job, most of his family; he’d had a predictable but enjoyable social life in New York. But Noah meant something more than that. He was a different kind of happy now, and it must show. Like it did on his brothers.

“Where are we at with Vanderben?” Chris asked, pulling something up on his iPad.

Noah shook his head, his expression darkening. “We’re not. I think we need to pull the plug. He’s in over his head but still trying to play hardball.”

Wes’s stomach cramped. “I don’t think we should be hasty about walking away.”

Chris frowned, set his tablet down. “We’re not. But we shouldn’t jump into something just because we like the area or the property. I agree with Noah. We should bow out of this one. I have a bad feeling.”

Wes nodded. Two against three. It was done. Except it didn’t feel like it was when he looked over at Hailey again. He was so proud of her determination and success. He’d seen CEOs with everything at their disposal who didn’t put in a tenth of the heart and effort she did. She didn’t deserve to have it ripped out from under her before she’d had a chance to soar.

“I actually have something I’d like to talk to you guys about,” Noah said.

Wes picked up his coffee, putting a mental pin in his worries. “What is it?”

“The area around the community center needs new businesses. It got me thinking about this place, the high rent, and how it impacts the tenants. What if we purchased the strip of buildings across from the rec center? We redo it, offer cuts on the rent to local business owners based on their willingness to give back to their own community.”

Wes turned the idea over in his head. “I’ve checked those places out. It needs updating. Possibly a lot.”

Noah nodded. “I didn’t come without information.” He flicked his finger across the screen, opening his own tablet.

Wes saw Hailey watching him. When their eyes connected, she winked at him. The muscles around his heart tightened but his smile grew wider.

Noah snapped his fingers, smiling widely. “Hey. Flirt later.”

“You’d look good with coffee all over you.” Wes arched his brows.

“How about we focus so I can get back to work?” Chris leaned over Noah’s shoulder.

“It definitely needs updating. It’ll cost us some money but I’ve made a lot of connections so far. I can get a lot of deals on the supplies and labor. Even giving a reduced rent, we’ll earn a profit and be able to return the investment.”

Noah showed them the projections. They were good. His smile betrayed his excitement. “Can I start putting the paperwork together?”

Both Chris and Wes were on board. It was a solid plan.

They finished discussing the project, assigned tasks to themselves, and agreed to chat later. Hailey came over with a cup of fruit, layered with whipped cream.

“Thought you might want a to-go cup,” she said, sitting across from him.

Dolly was working today. Her bright hair didn’t move an inch as she excitedly pointed out options to a customer. She was settling in well. Hailey had a reliable, charmingly eclectic staff.

“Thanks. Looks like it will be a busy day,” he said, taking her hand across the table. He loved touching her, the feel of her soft skin.

“Hope so. What are you up to later?” She glanced over when two more customers entered the shop, then zeroed in on him again.

“I was hoping to make dinner for this really beautiful woman,” he said.

She arched her brows as she nodded slowly. “Noah teaching you how to be suave?”

Wes laughed. “Noah thinks he could teach me lots of things.”

Hailey squeezed his hand. “I don’t think you need Noah’s help with anything.”

He wanted to haul her toward him, kiss her until neither of them could breathe. Which was ridiculous because the middle of the salad shop was hardly the place. Sometimes, it was difficult to get a handle on all the feelings she evoked.

“You know what next week is?” He didn’t want her to think he wouldn’t remember Valentine’s.