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As far as I knew, The Club did not do coupons. “Really, that’s um, great. But what I wanted to say was I think it best if this dinner is our—”
“No. Don’t say it. I’ve been on enough dates since my divorce to read the signs. “You’re a nice guy, Chad.’ or, ‘You have a lot going for you. But I don’t see us as being anything more than friends.’”
Wow. He was spot on. I closed my mouth and folded my hands on the table. “That obvious, huh?”
“Well, not until tonight. The first date was great. I thought we hit it off really well. But I could tell as soon as we sat down tonight that I may have been a bit optimistic. It’s okay, really. You’re out of my league anyway.” He raised his hand to gain the waiter's attention.
Out of his league? I didn’t know I was in any league, let alone not in his.“Look, I’d like to pay my share of the bill. And I’m not out of your league or anyone’s—”
“Brenley Lynch? It is you, right? If I hadn’t noticed your unforgettable green eyes… you’re even more beautiful than I remember.” Hayden stood next to our table; his own piercing grey-blue eyes locked onto me.
I waited an extra beat, glanced at my date to see his reaction before I spoke. Awkward. “Yes. It’s me. Hello Hayden. It’s nice to see you.”
Had I really changed that much since high school? Other than a different hair style and better clothes, I always thought I looked the same. Pretty, yes, but beautiful? He was just being nice.
“Hayden Snow, this is Chad Johnson. Chad this is—”
“I know who he is. It’s a pleasure. My kids and I watch your show every Sunday. Even if it’s a rerun.” Chad took Hayden’s hand and enthusiastically shook it.
“I’m glad to hear it. So, you said your kids, does that mean….” Hayden looked between the two of us, his attention fully on me now, waiting, but for what exactly?
“Oh, yeah. Just my kids. They’re seven and nine. Brenley and I are just on a date. Would you like to join us?” Chad stood, but Hayden waved him back to his seat.
“That’s kind of you, but I’m meeting my sister and her husband, and it looks like they’ve arrived. It was nice meeting you, Chad. Give my best to your kids. Tell them I appreciate them being fans. And you too.”
Hayden turned back to me with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. I knew that look. Twenty years may have passed, but I remembered them all.
“I hope to see you this weekend at the reunion.” Another long pause. His gaze now serious, with a touch of interest I’d never once noticed when we were teenagers.
I hadn’t realized how deafening my heartbeat was until this moment. It was no use attempting to play off my reaction to him. I knew I was probably beet red by this point. My palms had been sweating since he said my name. It had always been this way whenever he was close. My best chance at appearing cool, as if attention from a handsome man was commonplace, especially when I was on a date with someone else, was to smile and speak calmly as if my insides weren’t screaming.
“Wow, you went to school with Hayden Snow? How cool is that?” Chad took my offered credit card and settled the bill, coupon, and all. Which, in fact, wasn’t a coupon, but a handwritten discount from the owner as a thank you for Chad’s help for something he told me but I couldn’t remember because I was too busy ogling Hayden.
He attempted to explain the complicated scenario to me, how he’d met Reese and her husband Connor, who was a star player for the Idaho Outlaws. My brain zeroed in on how small of a world it really was since I was also friends with Reese.
We walked toward the front of the restaurant. And once again, it was as if my eyes had a mind of their own, defying my inner voice and its plea not to look Hayden’s way. But I did and found him staring at me. His gaze swept my body, lighting a trail of need that left me shaken.
“So, it's that way between you two, huh?” Chad’s disappointment was hard to miss, but we’d already agreed this would be our last date.
It had never been that way between Hayden and me. The “what if” game played out in my head the entire way home and suddenly attending our twenty-year reunion became a lot more appealing.
Chapter2
HAYDEN
“So,you and Holly going to make it tonight?” I sat across from my brother in O’Malley’s Pub, my back to the main door, doing my best to remain unnoticed. Having a face that was recognizable in most parts of the US was great for ratings, not so much for my private life.
Zane finished his last bite of lunch, took a long pull of the house draft, then leaned back in his chair. “I don’t think we’ll make it. Holly’s morning sickness has been terrible for the last two days. Looks like you’ll have to represent both of us tonight, bro.”
As fraternal twins, we’d never been saddled with having to wear matching outfits or been mistaken for the other. Although, that would have been fun in school if we could have pretended to be each other. He took after our mom’s side of the family with thick dark hair and even darker eyes while I was saddled with the Snow side of having gone grey early and the grey-blue eyes of our father. I often thought about getting contacts to cover them up. My loathing for the man had been so great I’d also once considered having surgery to remove the dimple in my chin.
I finished my beer and swiped the check before Zane could.
“Shit, Hayden. I’m pretty sure it’s my turn to pay.” Zane checked his cell. “Holly just texted me. She left work early and is going home to nap. That gives us a bit more time to catch up. Tell me about this piece of land you bought over in Cedar Ridge.”
Since seeing Brenley a few days ago, I had given little thought to my new place. In fact, instead of meeting with the contractor I’d hired to renovate the existing home on the ten acres I’d purchased, I’d done some digging into her background, finding out she’d never married and had no kids. A lot of my free time had been daydreaming about the girl from chemistry class who’d become a woman I wanted to see more of. And when I wasn’t thinking of her, I was working out the logistics for my new show that would begin shooting in a couple of months.
It seemed all the great stuff in my life came in threes. I just wish I’d run into Brenley sooner like when I’d been home last Christmas before everything had gotten crazy busy. It had been iffy for me to be in town for the reunion, but I’d managed it, which left me wondering if the timing of seeing Brenley again for the first time in twenty years hadn’t been kismet.
