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Then—holy crap!—at that exact second, I almost collide with Hayden.
Skidding to a halt in the nick of time, but still tottering in my heels, I apologize, “Oh my God, I am so sorry. That could have been a real disaster.”
It could have been, too, no joke. He’s holding a serving platter covered in grilled halibut. And he’s wearing a really nice sleek black suit. He must’ve put that on recently, as when I saw him earlier, while he was helping Addison cook, he was in jeans and a T-shirt.
Hayden chuckles and assures me, “It’s all good. Nothing bad happened.” Holding my elbow to steady me, he adds, “With that quick stop, though, and without even dropping the wine bottle, we should ask the Thunder to transfer you over from accounting to the team.”
That makes me laugh. I appreciate that he’s trying to make me feel better after almost wrecking into him.
Hayden is a nice guy. I’m glad he’s going to be my brother-in-law.
“You good now?” he asks.
“Yeah.” I nod once. “I was just in a hurry to get this wine into the refrigerator.”
Hey, I have to come up with some excuse for practically taking him out.
He seems to buy it, and we go our separate ways.
But when I step into the kitchen, Addison, who never misses a thing, crosses her arms and narrows her eyes at me.
“What?” I ask, all innocently.
She knows me too well, though.
“Hmmm,” she begins. “You look a little flustered, Willow. And almost crashing into Hayden in the hallway? That’s not like you.” She raises a dark brow and lowers her voice. “Could it be that Arden has captivated you with his good looks and charm? I’m assuming since you’re holding a wine bottle that I know isn’t ours that you let him in.”
“Oh, shut up.” I hand her the bottle, pressing it hard into her apron-covered chest. “This needs to go in the fridge, by the way.”
She takes the wine from me and, pursing her lips as she peruses the label, says, “Wow, Arden has excellent taste. This is a vintage chardonnay.”
“Oh, enough about Arden.” Now it’s my turn to cross my arms as I put her on the spot. “Why do you keep talking him up? Are you trying to set us up? I’ve been suspicious from the beginning, ever since you first mentioned he and I should hang out this summer.”
She looks guilty but is shaking her head adamantly, her raven locks bouncing. “No, not at all.”
I’m skeptical and remind her, “Good, because I’m not looking for love, Addison. I’ve had enough of men after what happened with Liam.”
Softly, she says, “I know. And I’m sorry about the way that all went down.” Sighing, she unties her apron and slips it off, revealing a pretty royal blue dress underneath. “No one is saying for you to date Arden. I only want for you and him to have a good time this summer. You both deserve some lighthearted fun.”
I raise a brow. “And if something were to develop between us…”
“I wouldn’t be sad,” she admits.
Finally!
I knew I was right.
Too bad I have to be the bearer of bad news.
“Okay, yes,” I say, eyeing her sternly. “The guy is hot. There’s no denying that. And he seems nice enough, just like you said. But—and this is a big ‘but,’ so listen up—I am not getting involved with anyone, and sorry to bust your bubble, but that includes Arden Troy.”
Arden
Okay, so, I’m glad I hit the target in the net the other day. I’m happy I stayed in town. And most of all, I have no more reservations about “hanging out” with Willow Knight.
Hell, I’ll be her “tour guide” or “babysitter” or whatever the fuck she needs any day of the week. Not that she actually needs any of those things.
That girl exudes confidence. I liked the way she started flirting with me right away.
