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Nick gave another nod, and then he and Don were singing about what they’d do if they had a million dollars.
It was good that the song was easy and familiar, because his mind was having about as much trouble dealing with thoughts of Hayley and Kevin as his stomach was dealing with all the alcohol.
Hewould not kissHayley Burke. Not if they had a dozen more pickleback shots, not if she begged him—
If shebeggedhim?
Hayley hadn’t come on to him.
How arrogant was it to think this woman, who was obviously in a relationship with somebody she loved, an able-bodied somebody—how deluded did Nick have to be to believe Hayley was going to jump a cripple after a few drinks? Really, the jury was still out on whether she even liked him. Worrying about her advances was about as ridiculous as getting a restraining order against her.
The much bigger problem was how he’d felt when she’d kept him from falling. She’d smiled at him. It was laughable to think Hayley wanted the artificial warmth of his game-show grin after the smile she’d just given him. She knew he was a miserable jerk; she could tell when he was putting on an act, and still she’d found it in her to lend him a hand, to link herself with him, to smile like that.
“We’ve got this, rock star.”We. She could’ve saidyou’vegot this, or told him to get the hell away from her. But Hayley Burke, the woman who moved with such grace, the woman whose smiles seemed to be fueled by something wonderful and pure deep inside her—Hayley Burke had chosen to be a part of something with him, and he was afraid of how much he wanted that.
Nick looked at the booth, hoping to catch another smile, but Hayley was looking at her phone. Probably texting Kevin. Because Kevin was the guy she was actually with, instead of the drunk guy she’d been decent enough to help down a step or two, the guy who was overthinking the hell out of what had probably been just a simple act of kindness. Because keeping a cripple from hurting himself was the kind of thing people like Hayley did.
He needed a new plan.
Nick finished the song, put in a food order with Steph while she and Alexa helped him down the steps, then told Hayley he was headed to the bathroom as he hurried past the booth. After relieving himself, he found the sink and splashed some water on his face. He glanced in the mirror and made a halfhearted attempt to improve the look of his hair. He felt the tension in his shoulders, the frustration hijacking his nerves until everything in him demanded he get the hell out of this bar.
He closed his eyes, pictured the beach, the color of the ocean, the sky.
“It’s up to you, man,” he said to his reflection. “You’re the only one freaking out.”
He could leave. For the first time in the history of his Squeaky Lion karaoke career, Nick could go home before the place shut down. But what if leaving now made Hayley more certain he didn’t like her? What if she spent the rest of the evening drunk off her ass, with no one to make sure she got home safely?
Come on,he thought.You already know what you’re going to do. Otherwise you wouldn’t have ordered the food.
He would go back to the booth. He would let the food soak up the alcohol, and he would talk to Hayley Burke. He wouldn’t touch her, he wouldn’t get close to her, and he wouldn’t flirt. He’d just have a harmless, careful conversation with her while he sobered up, and then he’d figure out when to leave. She probably wouldn’t remember any of this tomorrow.
“That was really good,” she said when he arrived back at his seat.
“What?” Nick watched her put the walker behind their booth. She had asked permission, but he still felt locked in place with his wheels out of easy reach.
“Your song,” Hayley said. “Really good.”
“Thanks.” He bought a little time with a sip or two of ice water. “So Kevin’s at Vivez tonight, huh?”
Hayley let her head fall back dramatically against the cushion of the booth so she was staring at the ceiling. “Yes,” she said. “Kevin is at Vivez.”
Oops. Nick had figured talking about Kevin would make it a lot harder for either of them to forget about Kevin, but clearly things with Hayley’s boyfriend were not, in fact, peachy keen.
“I’m sure you’ll be working there soon,” he said.
She laughed. “You know the worst part? Iwantedhim to go in tonight. It’s easier to miss him than to figure the rest of it out.”
Three steaming plates of bar snacks were placed in front of Nick, and he thanked Steph and dug in. Hayley ordered another drink, then watched him eat, amused. All the plates held the same thing.
“You really like fried mushrooms,” she said.
“You bet your ass,” he said, chewing. “Have some.”
She did. “He asked me to go with him,” she said through a mouthful of mushroom.
“Kevin?” he said. “To Vivez tonight?”
“Yep.” She licked dip off her fingers. “I said no.”
