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“She’s working,” Lonnie shoots back.
“Haley!” I call out.
“I said she’s working!” Lonnie says.
Haley’s head pops out from the kitchen. Her eyes go wide when she sees me standing there, still half out of breath and my arms full of roses.
“I’ll be right back,” Haley says to her boss, and rushes out from the kitchen. She grabs my hand and pulls me out of the bakery and into the narrow side alley beside the building. “What are youdoing, Mason?”
“I needed to see you. Even if it’s only for a few seconds. Haley, I’m going crazy. You left this morning without saying goodbye. You haven’t answered my texts.”
“Mason, you know how early I have to get up for my shift. And you know I can’t be on my phone when I’m at work.”
“Is that really all it is? Because that’s not what my gut is telling me.”
Her eyes drop down to the bricks beneath our feet. Instead of answering, she chews on her bottom lip.
“Haley,” I say. “Please. Talk to me.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. We talk about everything.” I try to catch her eyes, but she still won’t look at me. “Are you worried about our friendship?”
“No.”
“Do you…” Fuck, I don’t want to ask this question. But I have to. “Do you regret last night?”
The pause that follows is like a punch to the gut.
“I’m just…embarrassed,” she finally says.
“Why?”
“The things I said to you. The way I touched myself in front of you. And then…when I…you know.” Her cheeks go pink. “Mason, you’ve always felt like a brother to me.”
I laugh. “But I’m not your brother, Haley. I’m just your best friend.” I reach out and tilt her chin up so I can look into her eyes. “You have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. Every single thing you did and said last night turned me on.”
Her eyes are so shy and innocent. She starts to smile, then dips her head again. “I’m sorry. It’s so strange looking at you now, after what we did. I can’t stop blushing.”
“Can I take you out on a date tonight?”
Her eyes come back up to meet mine. “A date?”
“Yeah. Let’s do this right. I’ll take you out to dinner. It’ll be fun.”
“Okay. Sure. That sounds nice.”
“Great.” I hold out the roses. “Here. These are for you, obviously.”
“Mason, this is really sweet, but what am I supposed to—”
“Put ’em on display in the bakery. Give them away to customers. They’re yours.”
“Well, thank you.” She glances away. “I really should get back to work.”
I nod. “Just one other thing first.”
She looks at me questioningly, and I lean in to kiss her. When I feel her smile into the kiss, I finally feel at ease.
