“Of course. But next time—”
“I’ll talk to you about my problems instead of being a bitch.”
“Not what I was going to say, but close enough.” I shrug and Bria shoves me away before standing up and bouncing on her toes.
“Breakfast? I’m paying.”
“You’re on. I think I deserve lobster.”
“Hmm. How about bacon and eggs?”
An hour later, we’re sitting down to breakfast—bacon and eggs, not lobster—when Bria’s phone rings and she steps away to take the call.
Following her lead, I grab my phone and check my messages since it’s been buzzing in my pocket from the moment I sat down. Among the sea of messages from the group chat I share with a few of the guys on my team—Luke, Easton and our retired teammate, Dylan— there’s a message from Hayley.
Smiling, I open hers first.
HAYLEY: Did you at least look? You deserve a panty peek after getting me home safely. Again
My body quakes as I laugh silently. Only Hayley. She’s so different from anyone I’ve ever met. It’s refreshing.
REED: Damn. I didn’t. Next time I will. Now that I have your permission
I’m joking. I’d never do that. And despite us barely knowing each other, I trust that she gets that about me.
HAYLEY: As if. I doubt you’d peek even if I begged
REED: Look how well you know me already
HAYLEY: You’re too good for this world. Thank you for taking me home
REED: Anytime
I’m smiling when Bria sits down, and when I look up, she’s staring at me with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. “Is that her?”
“Who?”
“Hayley.”
“It was.”
It should be strange that Bria knows who I was with without me actually telling her, but I have no doubt Hayley’s on her wayto being a household name. They’ve only released a teaser of her movie and people are already raving about it.
“I bet she wanted you to take her home.”
With her expression unreadable, Bria takes a sip of her coffee and I hit her with the truth.
“I did.”
“What?” She chokes on her drink. “After you left? And then you came back?”
She fakes a smile to appear calm, but the panic in her voice says otherwise.
“I went back to the event to see if I could help with anything, and when Hayley was still there, I made sure she got home safely. I walked her inside, got her settled, and then I went straight back to the hotel to make sure you got home today.”
The tension leaves Bria’s body and her shoulders drop. “You really are a gentleman.”
“Yep. That’s me.”But I’m starting to wish I wasn’t.
