Reid had mentioned maybe hanging out tonight to celebrate the potential lead on the footage. We hadn’t nailed down a precise plan, but I didn’t want to overbook in case he’d been serious. At this point, there was nothing that sounded more appealing than hanging out with Reid. I felt a little pathetic admitting that to myself, but I didn’t care. I liked the guy.A lot.
That night at his parents’ house two days ago was still playing on a loop in my mind. Yesterday, after we got back from my apartment, we’d watched a few reruns of old TV shows before he’d left to meet up with his friend West. Apparently he’d bailed on him last time they had plans and felt guilty about it. I wasn’t about to be the kind of girl who made a guy ditch his friends, so I’d smiled and told him to have fun.
I ended up going to Jackson’s place just to have something to do, and to push myself to actually build some real friendships. It turned out to be a good time. He fed me cheese and crackers, and we gossiped. Well, mostlyhegossiped. He spilled all the tea about his friend group and the new guy he was seeing.
I hadn’t meant to stay out late, but a text from Reid around midnight (just checking in to make sure I was okay) made me glance at the clock and realize how late it had gotten. By the time I’d made it home, he was already sleeping.
Which meant the added tension of our hook-up still lingered in the air between us. What was going to happen once we were alone again? At night, in his empty house?
I, for one, couldn’t wait to find out.
The bell chimed at the front of the salon, but I didn’t even bother to look up.
“Reid!” Ruby’s excited greeting had me whipping my head toward the entrance.
“Hey sis.” He leaned down to give her a hug. He looked adorable, as usual. His glasses were on straight, his hair tuckedinto a beanie, his black down jacket covering one of his perfectly pressed sweaters.
“What are you doing here? Did you want a haircut? I’m booked solid tonight.”
“Nah, I’m good. I’m letting it grow out.” He looked toward the back and caught my eye. He winked.
My smile widened.
“I’m here for Hazel.”
The words made me melt.
“Oh, so that’s why you can’t get a drink tonight,” Jackson said, crossing his arms and smirking at me.
Practically floating on air, I grabbed my jacket and bag off the hook at the back of the salon.
“What’s up?” I asked, stopping just short of him. Were we supposed to hug? Kiss? We hadn’t exactly worked out the whole casual-greetings portion of our relationship yet. Especially considering we were in front of his sister.
“Want to grab dinner at the new sushi place that just opened? It’s near here, so I figured I’d just drive over.”
I’d mentioned being excited about that place last week. Had he really remembered? Of course he’d remembered. He was Reid.
“That’s perfect.” I was basically beaming at the guy, but it was hard to contain it.
“You two have fun.” Ruby shot us both a genuine smile. I was a bit relieved that, at the very least, she didn’t seem put off by the idea of Reid and me. “You’re coming Friday, right Hazel?”
“Friday?” I looked at Reid.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s kind of silly. Instead of dinner this week, we’re going out to pick a Christmas tree together. We do it every year.”
“That’s not silly. That sounds like my dream come true,” I said.
He chuckled. “Then you should come. But keep your expectations low.”
That wouldn’t be necessary. Just being a part of something felt nice. To be included. It had already exceeded all my expectations.
Ruby stuck out her bottom lip. “Please come. I’m sad I missed you at the last dinner.”
Happiness bloomed inside me, soft and sudden. “I’ll be there.”
Reid drove us to the restaurant, with the plan to swing by work and grab my car on the way back. The roads had finally been cleared after the storm. Now gray snow clung to the sides of the street. Some people would argue that winter was the ugliest season in Michigan. I wholeheartedly disagreed. There was something special about it. Almost whimsical. Of course, this feeling was reserved for November and December. Once the holidays were over, winter could hightail it right on out of here as far as I was concerned.
At some point during the drive, Reid had slipped his hand loosely into mine.
