“Hey, Maddie,” Debbie, the front receptionist who was about my age but over half a foot taller with loose red curls hanging down her back, said when I was halfway through my last pre-lunch haircut. Luckily, it was just a trim and blowout. When I looked up to her she added, “Someone’s here to see you.”
“Who?”
“No idea. A guy.”
Thanks for all the details, Debbie.
I furrowed my brows then leaned back so I could see the front counter. “Oh shit.”
Natalie cleared her throat from beside me. Shit. I shouldn’t swear in front of the counter.
“Who is that?” Emily asked from beside me. She’d been in back just a second before and moved like the wind only quieter.
“Tegan.”
She turned to me with raised brows and whispered, “Are you fucking serious?”
Debbie turned on her heels and went back out front. I don’t think she liked Emily all that much but wasn’t sure why. The next thing I knew, Tegan was striding back toward us.
“I’ll just be a second,” I told my client, Mrs. Gallagher, as I patted her on the shoulder. But I didn’t get but a step away from my chair before Tegan was in front of me with a bouquet of daisies in his hand. “Hey,” I said because I had no idea what else to say. Not my finest greeting.
“How’s it going?” His deep voice was like a warm summer breeze. As stupid as that sounded, it filled me with the same comfort that the breeze did.
“Fine. What’s going on?”
“Do you mean why am I here?” he asked as he handed me the bouquet of daisies.
I shrugged. “I wouldn’t have asked that way, but yeah.”
“Laney said daisies are your favorite flower.”
“They are.” Then I realized I hadn’t thanked him. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He took another step toward me. “You said to ask again in a couple of days. It’s been more than a few. Will you go out with me?”
My mouth opened for yes to come out, but Kayla, one of the other stylists, called out, “If she doesn’t, I will.” Kayla was tall and beautiful. Could probably have been a model with her tan skin tone and shiny mahogany hair. Her mother was Mexican and her father German which gave her an amazing combination. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip as she checked Tegan out.
A low level of giggles rumbled through the salon and I shook my head at the lot of them. Tegan would’ve had no idea he was walking into a cougar den.
“How do you feel about bigger girls?” Trudy, a stylist in her fifties added. She was a beautiful woman with generous curves that she ran a hand down as she, too, took Tegan in.
These women were vultures but knew me and the harassment wouldn’t end until I answered the man. If only they’d give me the chance.
Once she stopped laughing, Natalie said, “You didn’t tell me he looked like that. I wouldn’t say no.” She hadn’t stopped the cut she was in the middle of at all.
“You do remember that you’re married, right?” I asked her.
Now she shrugged and said, “Details.”
Tegan took all of this in stride. He maintained his easy smile and hadn’t looked away from me for a second. My cheeks burned with embarrassment since all of the girls had made it clear how attractive they all found Tegan, but also, he now knew that I’d talked to my sister about him. But I laughed it off. Nothing I could do about any of that.
“Well?” he asked again.
“I’ll go out with you,” I said, nodding. It was the answer I’d decided to give him already, but now that I’d agreed to it, butterflies filled my chest at the thought of spending alone time with Tegan Schwartz.
“That means when I call later to decide on when, you’ll answer, right?” he asked. Couldn’t blame him. I’d been so flighty up to this point.
“Wait, how do you have my phone number?” I asked him.
He gave me a cheeky grin and said, “I have my ways.”
“Rhian,” I muttered because obviously she’d give her brother my phone number.
“So you’ll answer?”
“I will answer.”
“Why don’t you go with her to lunch and figure it out now?” Emily suggested. I hadn’t even known she was paying attention, but of course, she was.
“You’re going to lunch?” he asked.
“After I finish this cut.”
He nodded. “I’ll wait.” Then he went back out to the waiting room.
I took a deep breath then got back to work. I’d already been almost done with my client, so I finished up then blew it out. She liked to wear her hair straight, so a little flat iron here and there and she was good to go.
After a quick cleanup of my area, I went to grab the broom to get rid of all the hair I’d cut off Mrs. Gallagher, but Emily stopped me and offered to do it. My stomach was growling so loudly that I was sure the entire place could’ve heard it. I called out a quick thanks, grabbed my purse, slung it over crossbody, and headed to the front of the salon.
Tegan was leaning against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest. Two of the older women out there waiting for their appointments were clearly talking about him, but he didn’t seem to notice.
When he finally glanced up and saw me, he rose to his full height. “Ready to go?” he asked.
“Yup.”
We left the salon before he asked where I wanted to eat.
“I put in an order at the deli around the corner,” I told him. “I didn’t know I’d have company.”
“I’ll order something when we get there.”
“I always place my order in the morning because I only get half an hour for lunch usually.”
“Maddie.” He stopped walking and turned toward me. “You don’t have to explain. Do you have time to eat it?”
“Yeah.” I got us walking again because my stomach was honestly about to eat itself. “I usually sit on a bench across the street in the shade and waste time on the internet while I eat.”
“Sounds good to me, but maybe not the internet part.”
True. Today I had him to waste time with.
“Hey, Maddie. How ya doing?” Luke, the owner of the deli, asked as soon as we got through the door. He’d barely looked up from the sandwich he was working on. Luke was a bit older than my parents, though a bit more salt in his hair than pepper. He wore a pair of glasses near the tip of his nose and always had a pencil shoved behind his ear.
“Great,” I told him. “It’s a beautiful day.”
“Sure is. Your order’s all ready.” He nodded to the end of the counter where their to-go orders always sat.
“Thanks.” I went down to grab my bag and drink while Tegan placed his order.
Once they finished with his sandwich, we headed back out and I led him to my favorite bench across the street. It was convenient and in the shade. I got my regular club sandwich unwrapped along with my small cup of pickles on the side and took a big bite.
“Busy at work today?” he asked.
I nodded as I finished chewing. I’d taken too big of a bite to make conversation but my hunger had gotten the better of me. “We’re always busy,” I told him once I finally got it down. Then I took a drink of my pop. “There are a lot of regulars who come in for their monthly appointments.”
“That’s good, though, right?”
“It is, but I have no idea how people spend so much money on their hair.” I took another bite. “I mean, I’m glad they do. Keeps me employed, but I can’t imagine.”
“How long do you get for lunch?”
When I glanced up at him, a smile played on his lips. I had been hoovering my sandwich like it was the last meal I’d ever have.
“Usually an hour, but today, half an hour. I had to squeeze someone in.” I grabbed a napkin and wiped it across my mouth, hoping I hadn’t made a complete mess of myself. “Which is why I’m inhaling a sandwich.”
“Inhale away.” He ate much slower than I did and as we sat there on this beautiful
day, in the shade, I wondered how he could be here in the middle of a weekday. He had a job, but maybe it wasn’t a set schedule. We hadn’t talked about that yet. “Now that I got you to agree to go out with me,” he said, “when works for you?”
“Well, when were you thinking?”
“I have some longer shifts at the hospital this week. The doctor I work with decided to schedule every surgery possible in the same week. What does Friday after work look like for you?”
I didn’t have to think about it, but at the same time, I didn’t want to seem too eager. So I let it hang there in the air for a moment as I pretended to think about it. “Yeah. I don’t have plans for Friday. I have Dylan, though, so I’d have to see if there’s someone to watch him.”
“Seven?” he asked.
I began wrapping up the rest of my sandwich. That would most likely be dinner because my mom typically fed Dylan before I picked him up. “That’ll work. Do you want to meet somewhere?”
Tegan gave me this great lopsided smile. “I’ll pick you up if that’s all right with you.”
“Perfect. I’m sure Rhian can give you my address or text me and I’ll send it.” He had my number but I didn’t have his. Those were the only options. I stood up and pushed everything back into the deli bag. “I have to get back to work. I’ll see you then.”
He nodded and smiled widely at me and though I couldn’t have been sure, I’d swear I felt his eyes on me the entire way back across the street to the salon.
Once inside, I went back to the employee area to put my leftovers in the fridge and since I still had five minutes of my lunch break left, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and selected Zac’s name from the list. Maybe he’d be too busy to answer me, but I’d leave a message if necessary.
“What’s up?” he answered. Guess he had a second while at work. In the distance, I could hear some guys yelling. Likely from the shop because they were always yelling, usually over the sound of machines. Customers couldn’t hear it in the parts store but if he was in back, I definitely would.
“Do you have anything going Friday night?” I asked.
“I’d have to check with Laney, but I don’t think so. Why? What’s up?”
“Well, check with Laney, but if you have nothing, do you think you could take Dylan for a few hours?”
“Of course. You got plans?”
“I do if you can take Dylan.” I took a deep breath. “I have a date.” There were no worries about saying this to Zac. We’d talked about this stuff since we’d been kids and since neither of us had ever been into the other, there was no weirdness over the fact that we’d slept together once.
“Not with that motherfuck—”
I cut him off. “Not with Ian. That will never happen again and hey, maybe you all could tell me when you think someone is an asshole.”
“Yeah, because you would’ve taken that well.”
Well, he wasn’t wrong and I didn’t love being called out on that. “Anyway… Can you check with her and let me know?”
“Only if you tell me who the date is with because she’s going to ask, then be irritated that I didn’t get that information, even though I don’t give a fuck as long as it’s not that son of a bitch or hey, any other fucker we’re going to have to hate.”
I should’ve expected him to ask because Laney really would’ve given him shit if he hadn’t. “Tegan.”
“Rhian’s brother, Tegan?”
I rolled my eyes, knowing he wouldn’t be able to see it. “How many Tegans do you know?”
He chuckled from his side of the phone. “Sorry. Just giving you shit, but I’m glad you finally put the guy out of his misery.”
“Can you just check and let me know? If you’re busy, I’d like to cancel sooner rather than later.”
“Will do. But whatever plans we have, we’ll make it work. Don’t cancel.”
“Bye, Zac.” I hit the end button, washed my hands, then went back out for my next client.
But all I could think about was Friday night.
Chapter Eight
Friday late afternoon, I was trying to convince Dylan he didn’t need to take a bag to his dad’s house for only a few hours. Honestly, he didn’t need to take a bag even when he did spend the night since Zac had clothes there for him and he had toys, but my kid liked to be prepared.
“Bud, it’s only going to be a few hours. I promise. You don’t need a bag,” I told him for the hundredth time at least. “It’s only going to be a few hours.”
“But I want to take my cars.”
I sighed. There were some battles not worth fighting and my phone began to ring. “Fine. But one bag,” I reminded him. I grabbed my phone out of my back pocket and accepted the call. “Hello?”
“Dylan should just spend the night tonight,” Zac told me without any pleasantries.
“You don’t have to do that,” I said. “I just need a couple of hours.”
“Maddie,” he snapped. “This isn’t a hardship for me. I love our kid, so having him for the night is a bonus for me. And you deserve to go out without watching the clock.”
The best part of this conversation was that I didn’t have to wonder if this was coming from him or Laney. This was all Zac. I couldn’t think of a time once where he’d declined to spend any time with Dylan, let alone extra time with him. The bonus was that Laney loved our little guy, too.
“Thank you. I appreciate it,” I finally told him.
“I’m about to leave work. Is he ready? I’ll just grab him on my way home.”
“Yeah, he’s packing a bag right now.”
“Seriously?”
I shrugged. “You know how he is. He wants to bring his cars. I’m not fighting this battle.”
He chuckled. “All right. I’ll be there in ten.”
“Bye, Zac.”
I hung up, then went to tell the little guy the good news. He loved staying at Zac’s and said this meant he could bring more stuff. Again, I wasn’t fighting this battle.
As promised, Zac pulled up to the curb ten minutes later. He’d only gotten halfway up the sidewalk to my apartment when Dylan blew by me and straight to him. Zac pulled him into his arms in a big hug. I loved how excited Dylan got every time one of us picked him up. Zac waved, so I waved back, then they were gone.
I had a little bit before Tegan would be here to pick me up. I’d already showered that morning, so I started with my hair and makeup. Getting dressed was always the hardest part for dates anyway.
Around a quarter after six, there was a knock on my front door.
“No fucking way,” I muttered as I headed for the door. If Tegan was this early, I might’ve punched him in the nuts. There was early, then there was this and I wasn’t close to ready.
“Maddie.” Laney’s voice followed the last knock. She was inside my apartment which meant I’d forgotten to lock the door after Dylan left.
“What’re you two doing here?” I asked when I saw Rhian behind her. They closed the door and kept coming toward me.
“It feels so good in here,” Rhian commented.
I tended to run the air conditioning when the heat got overwhelming. My heat was included in the rent, which meant winter was cheap and I was able to splurge in the summer.
“Thought we’d come help you pick out an outfit,” Laney told me.
“I’ve been dressing myself for a few years now, Mom,” I said back.
“Fine. We just wanted to hang out with you before your date.”
When I turned to her, she had an eyebrow raised and her lips pursed while Rhian behind her was trying not to laugh.
“What?” I asked. Then it occurred to me that in the times I’d talked to either of them this week, I hadn’t mentioned going out with Tegan. They were giving me shit over the fact that they know but I wasn’t the one who’d told them. I rolled my eyes in an exaggerated way then turned to head back to my room. Whatever was happening right now, I still needed to finish getting ready. My hair was already bent into b
each waves, but only half of my makeup was done. “I assumed Zac would’ve told you.”
“He did,” she said as she dropped onto my bed and Rhian did the same. “But that’s not the point. I’ve talked to you three times this week and not a peep. What gives?”
“Zac didn’t tell me,” Rhian countered. “Tegan did. Came home grinning like a fool one day and I threatened to kick him in the nuts if he didn’t cut it out. But then he said you finally agreed to a date and I said it probably was a moment of insanity on your part.”
I chuckled. Rhian and Tegan tended to tease each other, but clearly, they cared about one another deeply.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to make a big deal out it. Like calling you up all excited and I just didn’t think about it when we talked. Plus, I don’t trust myself.” One last flick of mascara over my lashes, then I headed for the closet.
“Don’t trust yourself?” Rhian asked, clearly expecting clarification.
I shrugged and turned toward them holding up a summer dress. Laney shook her head, so I went back to look for something else. “Yeah. Don’t trust my taste in men.”
Rhian snorted. “That sounds familiar. When I started seeing Porter I told Tegan that I couldn’t trust myself when it involved a trip to pound town.”
Laney and I exploded in laughter. She said, “He must’ve loved that.”
“Yeah. I rephrased it to the art of making love or something.” We laughed again. I could easily see how Rhian had become Laney’s best friend. “But my brother is awesome. Seriously, the best. If you don’t hit it off, it won’t be because he’s an asshole. So that’s at least something. Though he does have some quirks, you learn to love them.”
My spine went pencil straight. I tried to keep my face normal as I turned to her to not show any emotion. The last thing I needed was another guy with quirks. “What do you mean?”
She shrugged. “Nothing big. He really hates it when women talk about how good-looking he is. Which, I mean, I guess he’s OK, but some of them compliment him and he thinks they’re trying too hard and desperate.”
I guess that could get annoying but he didn’t seem to mind before at the salon. He had to have known the women in the lobby were talking about him and the other stylists weren’t being quiet about it either.
Hard to Say Yes (The Fallout Series Book 3) Page 6
