Her smile dimmed a fraction. “Is it important that I believe you?”
“Yeah, it is.” He swallowed around the vulnerability lodged in his throat.
Her pale blue gaze slid to the side. When it landed back on him, warmth danced in her eyes. “Yeah, I believe you.”
Relief rushed in. “Thank you.” Silently, he filled his lungs with sweet, fresh air. “How long are you here for?”
“Um, possibly a few days.”
“Have dinner with me tonight?” he blurted.
She appeared genuinely stunned by his invitation. “I-I can’t. I have a dinner meeting with my boss.” Her eyes widened, as if she’d let something slip.
“Wednesday?”
She shook her head.
“Thursday?”
“I’ll probably be back in Montrose.”
“What kind of business are you here on?”
“We’re doing some work for the county. I’m not sure of all the details yet,” she hedged.
Her evasiveness flipped up a little red flag until he reminded himself that every department in the county was perpetually understaffed, and it wasn’t unusual for employees from other areas to fill in now and again. But he had her answer: she worked for the government.
“Help me out here. What night, day, or morning works? I’ll drive to Montrose, or you can head back here.” The vagueness he was picking up might be her trying to dodge him, but he was a determined dog hunting a juicy bone.
“Friday? I could come back here so you can be with Lex Luthor?” She seemed to wince.
He wasn’t sure what that near-wince meant, but he saw his opening, and he ran with it. “Friday it is.” One of the bar’s busiest nights. He’d have to let Dixie know right away. Yeah, he was going to take advantage and rely on his staff to help him out. A date with Hailey wasthatworth it. “We could eat at the Majestic, though I think they’re overrated, and I’m not just saying that because they’re competition. Or at Silver Summit? Or at the Moose? Or my apartment? I’ll cook, and we can catch up on our pirate podcasts. We’re way behind,” he babbled.
This elicited a charming giggle. “You cook?”
“Among other things.” He couldn’t stop the grin that tugged his lips wider.
“Hmm. Lex Luthor would be more comfortable at his own place, I suspect.”
“I suspect,” he agreed.
She bit her lower lip and looked out the window, as though she expected her answer to be written in the parking lot behind his building. A war seemed to take place in those pretty eyes of hers.
Say yes. Say yes. Please say yes.
As he sat there on pins and needles waiting for her answer, he asked himself what it was about Hailey that drew him in. Was it simply because she soothed his tattered ego? No. Something else was at play here, and he blamed it on the universe because only the big U had the power to set up their unlikely meeting and nurture whatever was sparking between them.
What little he knew about her made him eager to learn more. She was sweetness and sass rolled into a self-confident package that was beyond appealing. Vivacious. Full of life. Warm. Open. She had a way about her that made people feel special when she smiled at them. Likehefelt when she smiled at him. Knowing what he did about her upbringing made him admire her even more. How someone who had been through so much could emerge with such a zestful spirit filled him with reverence. He wanted more of that.
She narrowed twinkling eyes. “I have to ask. Are you on a rebound here?”
He let go a laugh. “No. Being on the rebound would mean I’m trying to get over something, and I don’t have anything to get over.”
His eyes didn’t waver from hers as he poured his plea into his laser focus.
“Why are you asking me to dinner?”
“Because you look hungry?” His grin widened. “Seriously, it’s what a guy does when he wants to spend time with a woman.”
