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RYAN
Idropped Corey off at practice after checking with his teammate’s parents that it was okay for him to stay overnight. They promised to get him to school the next morning.
I cleaned up my place and did some laundry.
I was still new to the Shops on Main group. It felt weird to go to the barbecue without Jake. He’d been the point of contact when Max called to invite the garage to be involved in the recent town fundraiser and the monthly meetings. I thought of the one person who could put me at ease. Who already fit in. Hailey. I sent her a text, asking if she wanted me to pick her up.
It was an excuse to spend more time with Hailey. I wanted to be the one taking her home at the end of the night. Hailey quickly agreed.
Her willingness to be seen with me bolstered my self-confidence. Today had been slightly awkward because I didn’t want Jake to find out about us, at least, not before we figured out what was going on between us. When I was alone with her, I thought something was possible, and selfishly, I wanted to explore that.
I wanted to check in with her after everything went down on Friday night. Was she freaking out? I’d left things open, but she hadn’t said where her head was at.
After I showered, I took extra care to find a nicer shirt, a Henley, and clean jeans. I circled Hailey’s block and finally found a spot a couple of houses down the street.
I felt more nervous than when I’d picked her up for Corey’s football game. Tonight felt more significant.
When Hailey opened the door, her eyes flared slightly as her gaze glided over me. As if she couldn’t quite believe I was here, she said, “Ryan.”
She wore a jean jacket over a summery dress and short boots. She looked fresh and sweet. I wanted to touch her hair and kiss her. Any move needed to wait until we talked. I knew I didn’t have any resistance where she was concerned.
I stuffed my hands in my pockets and swallowed down any words about how beautiful she looked. “Are you ready to go?”
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she nodded and grabbed a small purse from a table, then closed and locked the door.
Walking toward my truck, I wanted to grab her hand. But my head was a mess.
I opened the passenger side door for her, then took the walk around the hood to calm myself. The right thing to do would be to ask how her afternoon went.
“How’d your talk go with Nana?” I glanced over at her.
Hailey carefully arranged her skirt over her legs. “She wants to close the store by December.”
“What?” I couldn’t imagine that store not being there when it always had been.
Hailey’s brow furrowed. “I think she’s worried I’m holding myself back by working there.”
“You might be.” I’d wondered the same thing.
“I can take the store over if I want to, but she wants a decision sooner rather than later.”
“That’s fair.” She wasn’t pushing Hailey out, but she wanted to pressure her to make a choice. I admired Nana for coming up with that idea. It would push Hailey to take a hard look at her life and what she wanted. Neither Jake nor Nana had pushed her out of her comfort zone before.
“It is,” Hailey agreed, but there was something in her tone, a sadness that wasn’t there before.
I reached over to touch her bare knee with my hand. I kept it brief because my fingers wanted to glide up that smooth expanse of skin under her skirt. “If the store closes, it doesn’t mean things have to change.”
She chuckled without any humor before looking out the window. “That’s exactly what it means.”
“Nana and Jake are still here. I’m here.”
She rested her head on the seat back. “The store is a large part of my life, and that house—I just can’t imagine what I’ll do if she moves somewhere else.”
“You’ll be okay.”
She looked at me. “How do you know?”
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. The last thing I wanted to do was upset her.
