A stab of guilt twisted in Hailey’s stomach. “Thank you.” She truly hated deceiving Max’s parents and family, which was another reason for them to put an end to the farce before his mother became anymore attached, too.
“Did Kristen, Alex, and the kids make it?” she asked curiously of Max’s sister’s and brother’s families.
“Yes, we just saw them,” Grace said. “They’re over at the bounce house trying to get the kids to burn off some excess energy, then they’re heading over to the petting zoo.”
Hailey smiled, easily imagining those rambunctious nephews of Max’s having a blast in the huge inflatable castle. “Sounds like they’re having fun.”
“They are, and so are we.” Grace tipped her head with a smile. “It’s such a beautiful day out; I hope you’ll be able to enjoy the carnival fun, too.”
Hailey added a few more caramel apples to her display to keep it filled. “Actually, we all get off at two and have the rest of the day to ourselves.”
“Then why don’t we make plans to have a late lunch together?” Grace suggested brightly. “I’m sure by then you’ll all be hungry. There’s a hamburger place right over that way with picnic-style benches, and I’ll save a few of them so we can all sit together.”
Hailey couldn’t bring herself to say no or make any excuses not to join them. As far as Max’s family was concerned, she was still his fiancée and they were treating her like it. “Sure. That sounds great. I know the boys will be hungry after their shift at the dunk tanks.”
A loud buzzer rang out, along with a chorus of cheers on the other side of the section they were in. Hailey glanced up just as Grace turned around, and they both laughed when they realized that Douglas had just dunked Kyle, and with a single throw, he dunked Wes, too. Max and Connor were standing on the sidelines since it wasn’t their turn, their chuckles and ribbing adding to the entertainment.
And that’s when Hailey saw Addison, standing off to the side by herself, her arms crossed over her chest and her gaze on Max—who hadn’t yet seen her. She was wearing a cute strapless dress and sandals, the kind that were turning male heads as they walked by, but she didn’t notice any of them. Her stare never wavered from Max. It was, as Max would put it, stalker-ish.
Hailey’s stomach churned with unease. On one hand, she couldn’t say she was surprised to see Addison. Most likely Max’s mother had mentioned the charity carnival to Priscilla, probably even commenting that Max was going to be here helping out, and from there, Hailey had no doubt Priscilla had told Addison. Hailey didn’t think for one minute that Addison was there to support the charity, judging by the intense way she was staring at Max.
“We’ll see you and the gang at the burger place at two then,” Grace said as she picked up the wine coolers, oblivious to what had caught Hailey’s attention.
“Yes,” Hailey said with a nod. “We’ll be there.”
Hailey watched as Grace headed off to the dunk tanks to talk to Max and Douglas, and when she shifted her gaze back to Addison, her entire body stiffened when she saw the other woman heading in her direction. She already knew how nasty Addison could be, and she refused to stoop to her level. Killing her with kindness was the best defense Hailey had, so she put on a smile as Addison came up to her table.
At the moment, neither Brielle nor Natalie had any customers, either, and Hailey was grateful that there was no one else around. There was no telling what would come out of Addison’s mouth or what was about to go down.
She exhaled a calm breath and ignored the way Addison looked her over with what she could only describe as loathing. “Can I get you something to eat or drink, Addison?” she asked pleasantly.
Addison wrinkled her nose in obvious distaste. “I don’t really see anything here that I can eat that won’t end up on my hips. You know how that is, don’t you, Hailey?” A fake smile that looked more like a sneer lifted her plump, injected lips.
The insinuation was clear, that Hailey had overtly curvy hips compared to Addison’s skinny, slender figure. “Actually, yes, I do know how that is,” Hailey replied, completely throwing Addison off with her honesty instead of caving to her normal insecurities. There was no denying that she still occasionally indulged, and yes, she had a little padding in places.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Brielle and Natalie had both stopped what they were doing and were looking at Addison with concern. Neither woman knew who she was, but it was clear that they didn’t care for what she had to say.
“I’m surprised that they’d trust you around all these sweets,” Addison said with a wave of her hand over the caramel apples. “Or did you volunteer so you can spend the day sampling the sweets when no one’s around?”
What a bitch, Hailey thought, and it was all she could do to hang on to her composure, but she’d never ruin Maureen’s event or make a scene.
“Excuse me,” Natalie snapped defensively, taking Hailey by surprise as she moved closer to Hailey’s side. “And who are you exactly?”
Addison looked down her nose at Natalie in a condescending manner. “I wasn’t talking to you, and I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
Natalie’s shoulders straightened and her gaze narrowed on Addison. “Oh, yes, it is my business when you’re talking shit to my friend.”
Wow, Hailey admired Natalie’s gutsiness, and while she appreciated the other woman’s support, she knew how ugly this whole scenario with Addison could get. She put her hand on her friend’s arm. “Natalie, I’m okay, really. I’ll explain everything later.”
But Addison wasn’t done, and she spewed more spiteful words. “I really can’t figure out what Max sees in you, and believe me, I’ve tried. He can do so much better. Hell, he had better, and then a few weeks later, he ends up engaged to you.” Addison’s gaze dropped to Hailey’s stomach, then lifted back up to her face. “Are you pregnant and trapping him into marriage? It’s the only thing that makes sense, though I don’t understand why he’d sleep with you in the first place.”
“Addison, that’s low, even for you,” Hailey muttered.
“Who the hell are you?” Natalie all but yelled, her tone furious, and Hailey had to tighten her grip on her friend’s arm for fear she’d leap over the table to have it out with the other woman on Hailey’s behalf.
Addison looked completely unfazed, narcissist that she was. “I’m a very good friend of Max’s.”
Natalie laughed, but the sound was caustic. “I’m going to have to call bullshit on that, because I know Max very well and he would not be friends, or anything else for that matter, with someone like you.”
Hailey was about to put an end to the verbal exchange between the two before the situation escalated just as Maureen came by with her clipboard to check on things, as she’d been doing every hour.
“How are you girls doing?” she asked brightly. “Do I need to send a runner over with anything? More ice or sugar for the cotton candy?”
Brielle shook her head, though her expression still reflected a bit of shock at what she’d just witnessed with Addison. “We just had someone come by, so we’re good for now.”
Maureen wrote a note on her clipboard, then smiled at Addison. “Are you having a good time?” she asked, automatically assuming she was a visitor at the carnival.
Right before Hailey’s eyes, everything about Addison changed . . . from rude and condescending to pleasant and cordial as she smiled at Maureen with such sweetness that it made Hailey nauseous. Obviously, this was the side of her that Max’s mother had seen and what had convinced Grace to set her up with Max. She appeared friendly and approachable, but it was all a lie.
“Yes, I’m having a wonderful time,” Addison said, addressing Maureen with a delighted smile. “I’m a very good friend of Max Sterling and his fiancée here and wanted to come out and support such a great cause.”
Hailey’s jaw nearly hit the ground in shock. Beside her, she could feel the anger vibrating off Natalie, but Hailey was gratefu
l she didn’t say a word.
“I couldn’t be happier for Max and Hailey,” Maureen said, beaming at Hailey and at the same time shaking a chastising finger at her. “Hailey has been keeping Max to herself for too long, and I’m so pleased he was able to finally be here at an event with her.”
Addison cocked her head inquisitively. “So, you’ve known them awhile, then?”
Hailey could hear the slight skepticism in Addison’s voice, just enough to tell Hailey that the other woman was suddenly very interested in discovering the details and time frame of their relationship.
“Well, I’ve known Hailey for quite some time,” Maureen replied. “She matched up my son with the love of his life. But I just recently met Max a little over two weeks ago.”
“Interesting,” was Addison’s only response, but her voice was suddenly low and cold.
“Well, I need to move on and check on the other booths,” Maureen said, and then she was gone, leaving Addison staring at Hailey with a hateful sneer.
“Definitely interesting,” was all Addison added as she turned and walked away, leaving Hailey with a horrible sense of dread tightening her chest.
“Jesus Christ!” Natalie said, her voice furious. “What a piece of work! There is no way that Max would date someone like that. No freaking way.”
“He did, for a while,” Hailey confirmed. “Which is part of the reason he agreed to the fake engagement, because she was being so persistent and he wasn’t interested.”
Natalie shook her head. “Max is going to be pissed that she confronted you like that and said those awful things to you.”
And that was the last thing Hailey wanted, especially when there was still the issue of Addison being the daughter of Max’s father’s biggest client. She did not want Max to do anything that would hurt that important business relationship.
“Please don’t say anything to Max,” Hailey said, unable to hide the plea in her tone. Hopefully, Addison was long gone for now.
“He has a right to know,” Brielle said, her voice soft with concern.
“I agree, but I’ll tell him later tonight.” When they were alone and they could finally discuss the end to their fake engagement.
* * *
At two o’clock in the afternoon, the next shift for the dunk tank came in to relieve Max and his friends. They all put their dry T-shirts back on, but there wasn’t much they could do about their damp jeans for now except let them dry on their own. None of them had thought ahead to bring a change of clothes.
From across the way, he watched as Hailey, Brielle, and Natalie headed in their direction, since their shift was over, as well. He smiled at Hailey as the trio neared, and while she returned the gesture, it seemed forced. Over the past few weeks, he’d learned to gauge Hailey’s expressions and moods, and something was definitely off.
When the women were finally at the dunk tank, Wes caught Natalie around the waist and pulled her close. “I’ll give a hundred bucks to charity right now if you’ll get up on that bench and let me throw just one ball at the bull’s-eye.”
Natalie pursed her lips, clearly not on board with the idea but torn since her fiancé had just offered a nice sum of money to the charity. “This kind of feels like blackmail,” she said unhappily. “How can I say no to charity without looking like a total diva?”
“Umm, you can’t?” Connor chimed in, laughing.
Natalie glared at Wes. “You are such a jerk for making me do this, but fine, I’ll get up on that bench for the sake of charity,” she said, pushing out of his arms.
Wes smacked Natalie on the ass as she started toward the dunk tank. “You know how much I like you wet, baby.” He smirked.
“Jesus, Sinclair, there are kids around,” Max said, shaking his head incredulously.
Wes ducked his head sheepishly. “Oh, yeah, sorry about that. But it’s true.”
Max grabbed Hailey’s hand and pulled her off to the side as everyone else went back to the water tank to watch Wes dunk Natalie for a donation to charity. He gave the end of her braid a flirtatious tug, and even though she smiled up at him, it wasn’t the normal happy expression he’d become so used to seeing.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
She nodded. “I’m just a little tired,” she replied, and her reasoning made sense considering how busy she’d been in her booth. “By the way, your parents would like all of us to meet them for a late lunch over at the hamburger place.”
“That sounds really good. I’m starved and I’m sure the guys are hungry, too. We’ll head over there just as soon as Wes has his fun with Natalie.”
Hailey laughed. “Thank you for not daring me to get up on that bench.”
He shook his head as he led her back to the group. “That’s totally their thing, not ours. I don’t feel the need to one-up you in any way whatsoever.”
All Wes purchased was one softball, and that’s all it took to hit the bull’s-eye and knock Natalie into the huge tank of water. She landed with a splash and came up sputtering, her hair a wet mess around her face.
“There, are you happy now?” Natalie shouted to Wes as she dried off with a towel an attendant handed to her.
Wes grinned at her, though he gently pushed the damp strands away from her face. “Yes, very happy, Minx.”
“Hey, everyone,” Max announced. “Let’s go get some burgers to eat.”
Everyone agreed, and they made their way over to the food section, where Max’s family was already waiting for them. They’d claimed two of the tables, and once all the food was ordered and delivered, Max sat down next to Hailey at the table where his parents and siblings were with their kids, while his friends took the table next to them.
His mom and dad were seated across from him and Hailey, with his sister and brother and kids at the far end. His parents told him that they’d enjoyed a bit of the gambling at the casino, and as they all ate their burgers and fries, Max couldn’t help but notice that Hailey had only taken a few bites of hers. She seemed distracted, but he’d just have to wait until they were alone to figure out what was really on her mind.
Just as everyone was finishing their lunch and discussing what they wanted to do next, Max glanced up and did a double take when he saw Addison walking toward their table, a smug look on her face that immediately put him on guard. He hadn’t even been aware that she was here at the carnival, and judging by the surprised look on his mother’s face, she hadn’t known, either. But a quick look at Hailey and those big blue eyes filling with unmistakable dread, coupled with her current mood, and there was no doubt in his mind that she’d already seen or talked to Addison today.
She stopped at their end of the table and smiled at his parents. “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling,” she said, so friendly and polite.
“Addison!” his mother said with a smile. “I didn’t realize you were going to be here today. Did your mother come with you?”
Addison shook her head. “No, this really isn’t her kind of thing, but of course, I wanted to stop by and support the charity,” she said, which Max suspected was total bullshit. “And I met Maureen, the lovely coordinator of the event. She and I just had a very enlightening conversation.”
With that one statement, Max knew exactly where this conversation was heading and what was about to unfold in front of his family. Beside him, Hailey was tense, but he laid his hand on her knee beneath the table, letting her silently know that, whatever happened, he’d handle it.
“Really?” His sweet, guileless mother had no clue and walked right into Addison’s trap. “And what was that?”
Addison flipped her long, straight blonde hair over her shoulder, a perplexed expression on her face. “Well, it seems there’s a bit of confusion around Max and Hailey’s engagement. We all were told it happened very quickly and within the past few weeks, but Maureen is insistent that Max and Hailey have been engaged for well over three months.”
His mother frowned, and the rest of his family grew quiet as they listened in, as well.
“Well, that can’t be true.”
Addison nodded her agreement. “You know, that’s exactly what I thought, because just a little over a month ago, Max was single and dating me. So how could he be engaged to someone else?” Her gaze shifted to Hailey, the too innocent look in her eyes changing to something far more cruel. “Hailey, maybe you can explain what’s going on?”
Fuck. Max’s jaw clenched tight and it was all he could do to keep a rein on his anger as he met the other woman’s gaze head on. “Addison, I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, but—”
“No, stop, Max,” Hailey said, abruptly cutting him off. “The engagement isn’t real,” she blurted out as she stood, her voice hoarse and her eyes filled with a sheen of tears. “None of it is real and it’s my fault. I perpetuated the whole thing because I was building my business, and what kind of matchmaker doesn’t have her own guy? Max stepped up to help me. None of this was his idea, and I never meant to put anything over on his family. Things just got so out of hand. I’m so sorry if I hurt anyone,” she rambled, then quickly stepped over the bench they’d been sitting on and rushed toward the carnival exit.
“Hailey, wait,” Max called out, but she didn’t slow down. At the table next to theirs, both Brielle and Natalie jumped up and followed Hailey, which was the only thing that kept Max from going after her himself, while his family was staring at him in varying degrees of shock, and Addison stood with a smug look on her plastic face.
Max blew out a rough breath. Okay, he’d deal with his family first, give Hailey time to calm down, and then go make sure she was okay.
“Max, why would you do such a thing?” his mother demanded, her tone laced with disappointment.
Addison crossed her arms over her chest, looking completely vindicated. “Yes, Max, why would you fake an engagement to her when you had me?”
Was she fucking kidding him? “It started as a fake engagement because of you,” he said, done holding everything back. “Because no matter how many times I nicely and politely told you that I wasn’t interested, you couldn’t take no for an answer. But obviously you don’t know the meaning of the words polite or nice.”
The Book Boyfriend Series Box Set Page 32
