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“Well, since you brought it up ... I’ve been thinking a lot about that biker guy, Lynch, who bailed us out.”
“Oh?” My stomach twisted into a knot. “What about him?”
“I think I’m gonna go see him.”
“What!” I sprang up off the sofa as I shrieked, “Noooo!”
“What do you mean no?” She looked at me like I had three heads as she explained, “It cost the poor guy a lot to bail us out, and it’s not right for us to just keep that money.”
“I get that, but we didn’t ask him to do it.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t make it okay for us not to pay him back.”
Haleigh was always very thoughtful of others and tried to do the respectable thing, so I wasn’t surprised that she wanted to do right by Lynch. I didn’t disagree, but at the same time, I had my reasons for her not to see Lynch.
I didn’t want Haleigh to find out that I’d gone out with him behind her back nor take the chance of her starting up something with the man who’d had me so torn up. I was acting like a selfish brat but couldn’t help myself. Sounding far more horrified than I intended, I told her, “I just don’t think it’s a good idea right now. We have our court date coming up, and the last thing we need is another problem on our hands.”
“There’s not going to be a problem. I just want to give him the money and go.”
“But—”
“What is it with you and this guy?” Haleigh crossed her arms and scowled. “Earlier, you were all about going to his stupid strip club so you could see him again, and now you’re acting like he’s some kind of deranged psycho who’s gonna kill us in our sleep.”
“There’s always that possibility.” I felt a little guilty saying such a terrible thing about Lynch, especially when I knew it wasn’t true, but I was reaching the land of desperation. “Those biker guys can be pretty dangerous.”
“Okay, fine.” She threw up her hands. “I won’t go, but I have to give him the money somehow.”
I thought for a moment, then suggested, “We could always put it in an envelope and drop it off at the club’s mailbox. I’m sure he’ll get it.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, definitely.” I let out a sigh of relief before adding, “Oh, and I’ll write a check for my half, and you can add it to the envelope.”
“Great.” Haleigh walked into the kitchen and grabbed an envelope from the drawer. “Should I just write Lynch on the outside?”
“Yeah, that should be okay.”
“What about a note?” She reached over and took out a slip of paper. “What should we say?”
“A simple thank you will be fine.” I reached for my purse, pulled out my checkbook, then started writing but stopped. I had no idea what Lynch’s full name was—only that his first name was Conor, but assumed he’d add his last name to the check. Once I was done, I told her, “It’s not like it’s going to matter. All he’s gonna care about is the money anyway.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Haleigh jotted down a short note, stuffed it in the envelope, then came over to the sofa. “You got yours ready?”
I nodded, then offered it to her. “When are you going to take it over?”
“I guess I’ll go now.” She glanced down at her watch. “Maybe I can put it in the mailbox before they all get there for work.”
“That’s probably a good idea, especially with the weekend coming up.” Until that moment, I hadn’t realized that Haleigh was dressed up in one of her favorite date-night outfits—a black wrap dress with boots—and she’d even curled her hair. After I noticed she’d put on fake eyelashes, I had to ask, “Wait, did I miss something?”
“What?”
“You. You’re all decked out.” I motioned my hand up and down the length of her dress. “Do you have a hot date you didn’t tell me about?”
She glanced down at her dress and instantly turned into a nervous mess. “Oh, umm ... I just thought I’d dress up a little. No big deal.”
“Dress up for what?”
The words had barely left my mouth when it hit me.
She’d dressed up for Lynch.
My mind started racing from the thought, and just like that, I was imagining Haleigh and Lynch sitting at DJs, where he and I had first shared a drink. She’d smile and bat her long eyelashes, and in a matter of minutes, Lynch would be under her spell. The whole notion literally brought bile to the back of my throat.
Damn.
What was wrong with me?
I was jealous—and not just a little. The green-eyed monster had a hold of me and was rearing its ugly head in the worst way, and there was absolutely no reason for it.
I could’ve just told Haleigh about my date with Lynch, and that would’ve been the end of it. Instead, I feigned a smile and teased her. “You dirty little slut. You got dolled up for the sexy bikers?”
