She nearly burst out with a laugh, but other words elbowed each other for her attention.
“Make love.” Is that what we’re doing? Oh yes, that’s exactly what we’re doing.And it couldn’t have felt more right.
Before she could enthuse with a “Yes!” to his fine idea, his mouth took hers in a consuming kiss. Soon she was lost in the sensations created by lips and tongues in sync.
Digging her fingers into his hard-planked shoulders, she wrapped her legs around his waist and fused herself to him, anticipation bubbling inside at the thought of their bodies also moving in sync. He must have sensed it too because he nearly ran up the stairs.
Two hours later, thecringeworthy scene unfolding before her couldn’t have been more different. Hailey tried to still her jangling nerves as she swiped at Mountain Coffee’s pristine counter. Again. Closing time was near, and the place was empty except for Noah and Sandy seated at a table in a quiet corner.
How weird was this diorama? How often did a girl get to witness her newly minted boyfriend stamp a “The End” on a past relationship?
He’d been right about Sandy: shewaspretty, in a Sydney Sweeney kind of way—which meant she was perfect—but Hailey couldn’t muster jealousy because Noah’s body language said it all. The more Sandy leaned across the table, the farther away he drew, arms crossed over his chest, balancing on his chair’s back legs. Any observer would have recognizedthat Sandy either hadn’t received the memo that he wasn’t into her or she’d tossed it into recycling.
Sure, it bothered Hailey that she was watchingherman—yes, hers—talking to a woman he had once bedded, but she drew comfort from the fact that he had never pursued it further. It was plain that whatever attraction he had felt for the woman had died on the vine.
Oh, and there was the other detail: he’d been inside Hailey’s body, groaning outhername, only an hour prior. Yeah, Hailey couldn’t hold back the satisfaction that factoid stoked.
Nevertheless, the vignette was painful to witness. Occasionally, he darted pleading eyes Hailey’s way, but they’d agreed she was only there as a buffer in case Sandy decided to pull out a can of crazy. People tended to be better behaved when someone else was watching. As far as Noah’s ex was concerned, Hailey was just the help. She was, in fact, working. Amy had slotted her into the closing shift at the last minute so she could run a few errands.
Snippets of their conversation drifted on the air as Sandy’s voice rose and fell, matching the emotions waving over her face. “You offered me a place to work, Noah. You made me give up my job!”
Oh no, he didn’t!Hailey took another forceful swipe at the counter.
“The way I remember it, you and I both joked about it, but I never meant it to sound like I actually had a spot for you. I can’t even keep my regulars busy,especiallynow. I’m sorry if you took me seriously.” He was the epitome of calm and diplomacy, damn it!
“And what aboutus, Noah?” Sandy squawked.
There is no “us,” you hussy! And, barkeep, you need to be more forceful!Hailey refrained from gnawing on the towel.
He dropped his voice in a range too low for Hailey to pick up. Sandy’s voice, on the other hand, climbed.
“Fuck you, Noah! You might as well have said, ‘Thanks for letting me use your body for a few nights. Now that my itch is scratched, I’m out.’ What a prick! You lied to me. You led me on.”
He tilted his head, and his eyes got that dangerous cut-glass glint in them. “If anyonelied, Sandy, it was you,” he gritted out. “You set me up. You told me you wanted to keep it light. In fact, I remember you throwing around the term ‘friends with benefits’ a helluva lot. If I’dknown you had no intention of keeping it casual, I would’ve said, ‘Have a great life,’ and moved on.”
Yeah, take that!
Sandy burst into tears. Noah rocked forward in his chair, and his expression dissolved into pure anguish. Hailey watched as he reached out a hand, pulled it back. Lord, the manwasa sucker for tears. This revelation surprised her because he had that bartender ninja skill that let him see past a person’s facade, but he was completely missing that this chick was putting on an act. His hand extended again.
Don’t do it, Noah! Don’t fall for it.
A shadow looming beyond the front door seemed to catch his attention, and he leaned the chair back once more. The silhouette sharpened into a familiar figure right before she stepped through the door and pointed at him.
“There you are!” Ursula, perfectly clothed and coiffed, perched her hands on her curvy hips and shifted her scowl from Noah to Sandy and back again.
Noah leaned farther back and tipped over, man and chair clattering to the floor. While Hailey clapped her hand over her mouth and ducked from behind the counter, the two other women gasped and rushed to help him up. She screeched to a squeaky stop. He didn’t need her jumping into the fray. Not only did he appear undamaged, but hisharemwas handling the situation quite efficiently, even if theywereexchanging mean-girl glares and yanking on him as though he was the rope in a game of tug-of-war. Hailey couldn’t decide if she was amused, annoyed, or both.
She was pivoting back toward her station when the door crashed open and Dixie stepped inside, swathed in hot fuchsia and neon lime. Her head snapped toward the trio wrestling on the floor.
“Boss, you need to come! Right. Now.”
Shrugging off the women, he hopped to his feet, slid Hailey a contrite look, and faced his fluorescent manager. “What’s going on?”
“Helene Holiday just died!”
His reply came in the form of a canted head and a quizzical expression.
“Inyourbar!”
