“I’m off at two,” I admitted.
“I’ll meet you here then.”
“Okay,” I agreed before he said goodbye and vanished as quickly as he appeared, leaving me standing there wondering why he’d come all this way and what the hell he wanted to talk about.
Once he was gone, I went back to work but my mind wasn’t on the job. Instead I was replaying the million and one different scenarios why Hayden would’ve shown up here and how the hell he tracked me down. I mean, I knew he was a cop but still it was kinda freaky knowing he’d found me so easily.
I felt it the moment he returned. Somehow the air got thicker and I felt myself starting to sweat. The nerves that had been making me jittery went crazy, and the next thing I knew my hands were so clammy I was dropping a coffee mug on the tiles watching it shatter around my feet.
Eliza, the barista extraordinaire, the one who could make all those fancy patterns in the top of your latte, grabbed my wrist as I bent down to clean up.
“I’ve got this. You go. Do what you need to do.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, feeling guilty leaving her with my mess.
“Absolutely. Now scoot. And tomorrow, I want all the juicy details about that delicious hunk of man meat over there waiting for you.” She smiled.
“It’s not like that,” I assured her, untying my apron and tossing it in the hamper.
“Sure it’s not.”
Telling Hayden I just needed a couple of minutes, I grabbed my purse before ducking into the bathroom. After splashing some water on my face, I pulled the hair tie out and ran my brush through my long locks, briefly debating getting it all cut off. It wasn’t like I did anything with it these days and I didn’t have anywhere to go or anyone to impress anyway. But a public restroom wasn’t the place for contemplating life decisions. Remembering Hayden was waiting outside, I hurriedly sprayed on some perfume and added a swipe of gloss to my lips. There wasn’t much more I could do, so this was going to have to be enough. With one last look in the mirror, I went to face him.
I found him sitting in the corner flipping through the paper absentmindedly. I hadn’t seen Hayden since he’d practically thrown me out of his house calling me all sorts of names. As I’d walked down the street, refusing to wait for my ride on his driveway, I’d swatted away the tears that flowed like a waterfall down my cheeks. I couldn’t remember a time when anyone had ever hurt me so badly or cut me so deeply. He better not be here for round two. I was barely holding it together as it was, going head-to-head with Hayden may just break me.
“You ready?” I asked as I approached the table.
Without answering he folded the paper neatly, setting it back on the table before standing up. I’d forgotten how tall he was. He towered over me and made me feel tiny beside him. When he held open the door and ushered me out into the afternoon sun, I felt his hand against the small of my back and the warmth that flooded my body unbalanced me. Hayden was not the man to be having these kinds of reactions to.
“Where are we going?” I asked, falling into step beside him as we walked along the street.
“Have you eaten?”
“Yeah,” I replied, not sounding convincing. I had eaten, if you count two donut holes and a handful of chocolate coated coffee beans.
“Liar.”
I wanted to call him out, slap him, berate him in the street for calling me a liar but the small smile on his face assured me he wasn’t trying to be an asshole. Not this time anyway.
“I found a burger place just around the corner while I was wandering around. Is that okay?” he asked, suddenly aware that asking was a thing.
My stomach gurgled at the thought. I knew the place he was talking about. At least I hoped I was thinking about the same one. More often than I probably should, I stopped by and indulged in their loaded fries. I don't know if it was the gravy or the cheese or the hunks of bacon or pulled pork, but I was an addict and if I didn’t break my habit soon, my ass wouldn’t be thanking me when I couldn’t get my favorite jeans on.
“Yeah. It’s good. They make a killer cheeseburger,” I offered, trying to be polite, even though I was still healing from the hurt. Something I knew I’d have to get over at some point.
“Well then, I’m buying.” We continued in silence. Every now and then, Hayden glanced over at me with a friendly smile. I couldn’t tell if it reached his eyes, they were hidden behind his aviators making him look even sexier. Throw in a bomber jacket and I was sure my knees wouldn’t be so stable.
Ten minutes later we were seated at a booth in the back of the restaurant nursing our drinks with a weird and awkward silence hanging over us. I didn’t want to go first. I didn’t have the words. Sure, there were things I wanted to say. Things I wanted him to know, but if I made the first move, I knew I’d end up overly emotional and in tears before my burger even came out.
“Albuquerque seems nice,” he offered.
“How much have you seen?” I countered.
Looking sheepish, Hayden didn’t back down. “The airport, your parents' place, and the coffee shop.”
“Right.” I couldn’t help but smile around my straw.
“Hayden, why—?”
