Before I knew it, my stack of wings was placed in the middle of the table alongside curly fries, garlic bread, crispy cauliflower bites, and steamed vegetables. Barron also ordered a pitcher of beer, although I wasn't planning on drinking.
I ate silently as I listened to Eden and Barron discuss the details of a surprise engagement party she planned to throw at The Homestead for her mom and fiance next Friday. I was pretty impressed that Eden had managed to keep the details under wraps, considering how much news spread far and wide in this town. But from all accounts, her mom and Mike were none the wiser. Either that or she didn't want her daughter to know that her carefully organized plan was rumbled.
"I've met Mike a couple of times." I licked the sticky sauce off my thumb. "We worked on a few houses together when I first moved to the area. He's a good dude."
Eden's eyes lit up as she scooped some steamed beans onto her plate. "He's the best. So good for my mom, even though I've walked in on them more times than I care to." She shuddered.
I chuckled as I popped a spicy cauliflower bite into my mouth. These things were like popcorn; so addictive once you started.
"Hey, why don't you come to the party?" Eden suddenly invited.
I frowned at her offer. "But I don't know your mom. And apart from sharing a sandwich and war stories a long time ago, I haven't really seen Mike."
She waved her hand away, dismissing my worries. "The more the merrier. Plus, you're our friend now, too, and I need to even out the numbers. Some of my girlfriends are attending, and they're excited about the prospect of meeting some small-town men; even though I don't really know any single ones. I just think they're tired of dating the same men in New York."
I laughed as I wiped my sticky fingers on a wet napkin. "Well, does it count that I'm originally from New York?"
"Ooh, yes! The best of both worlds." She clapped her hands excitedly, and I couldn't help but laugh at her antics. It was hard to say no to her. God help Barron.
"C'mon, man," Simon encouraged as he snagged another chicken wing—the bastard. "I need someone to shoot the shit with anyway. Might as well be you."
I rolled my eyes before moving the plate of wings out of his reach. His death glare did nothing for me.
"I can introduce you to some of my friends," Eden continued to cajole me. "They're really nice."
"Only if you want to," Sofia softly countered her friend, her compassionate gaze searching my face. Sof knew part of my history. She knew I was a widower and that I hadn't been looking for a relationship past the physical act of sex. I recalled confiding in her that I missed Hannah too much to contemplate that connection.
A lot had changed since then.
"It's next Friday?" I ignored her offer of meeting other women. Unless they were Maria, I had no interest. But I didn't want to put my business out there.
At Eden's nod, I thought:fuck, it. What could it hurt?If anything, it was another day where I didn't have to think about my problems.
Chapter 26
Maria
"Thank fuck this day's over," Linda sighed as she flipped the sign over on the door and lowered the shade. She leaned dramatically against it, fatigue written on her pretty features.
"I don't know what's worse—a full day where I'm run off my feet or a quiet one where I'm bored off my feet."
I snorted in amusement as I zipped up our money bag. "Well, I know I'm biased, but the former one suits me." I wiggled the sealed bag I was holding, jiggling the coins inside.
Linda rolled her eyes as she pushed her svelte frame off the door and strode towards me. "Oh, yeah. I forgot what a total slave driver you are."
I whacked her ass playfully with the plastic bag as she brushed by me, laughing as she yelped and flipped me off.
I did sympathize with her gripe, though—todaywasan exceptionally busy day. Not exactly rare for the salon, but weusually had one or two cancellations, which allowed us a bit of breathing room and the freedom to accept last-minute walk-ins if time allowed. Today, no one canceled, and we still had a few walk-ins, some of which we managed to squeeze in.
It also didn't help that some of our regular clients cheekily added an extra service they hadn't advised us of in advance. By the end of the evening, I’d stepped in to assist with straightening and curling a few heads of hair just so we could try to close on time. We managed to hustle the last customer out forty minutes past closing, which wasn't bad considering it was a Friday night.
The other girls on shift had already left, eager to whet their palates with alcohol after a day where they barely sat down for lunch.
I wasn't in the mood for our usual Friday stress release, so I offered to close and shooed everyone out. They didn't need to be told twice.
Linda insisted on staying back to help me, which was odd, considering she was usually the first person at the bar on Fridays.
"Charli just texted." Linda curled her lip in amusement as she typed something on her phone. "She's trying to coerce us to come out."
