by Laura Conway
It was a simple question, but Hayley hesitated. Jenna didn’t sound angry. It was almost like she’d expected this to happen.
“Yeah,” Hayley said, leaving her bag beside the door.
“He’s not coming back,” Jenna said as she stood up. “Besides, I have my golf club.” Jenna glanced at the club propped up against the wall behind her. “Seriously, the doorman knows to look out for him.”
“It’s not that I don’t feel safe. I do.”
“Then what is it?”
Hayley swallowed. Was she going to break up with Jenna right now? After they’d just said that they were going to give this a shot?
“You’re busy with Clara,” Hayley said. “And work... I just thought that it might be better if I got out of your way. There’s a train in less than an hour.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you when you get back,” Hayley said, somehow keeping her voice steady. The lump in her throat wouldn’t allow her to say much more.
“I’ll be back in two days.” Jenna walked over to her, wrapping her arms around. “I’m sorry about what happened. You have no idea...”
Hayley nodded as she pulled away. “It’s okay.” She wasn’t going to cry in front of Jenna. “I better get going.”
“I’ll see you in a few days.”
Hayley took the elevator downstairs, willing herself not to cry, but once she was in the back of a taxi and on her way to get the train home, she couldn’t keep it in any longer. A single tear trickled down her cheek, and Hayley wiped it away with the back of her hand.
They hadn’t fought, but that sure as hell felt like the end. Jenna hadn’t asked her to stay. Hayley didn’t know what to make of that. Maybe she sensed it too, that this was over.
Hayley watched the city go by from the back seat of the taxi. How could things have changed so quickly?
Chapter Twenty-Six
Jenna unlocked the door to Nina’s apartment and turned on the lights, wheeling her suitcase behind her. She paused for a second, listening for any sounds, but the apartment was quiet. It was almost nine o’clock on a Friday night. Maybe Hayley was out.
As much as she missed Hayley, she was glad to have the apartment to herself. She just wanted to get changed into her pajamas, pour herself a glass of wine, and get a good night’s sleep, something she hadn’t managed in the two nights since the break-in.
Jenna had stayed awake working instead. She’d been too afraid to take sleeping pills in case he came back, although she doubted he would.
She couldn’t stop herself from wondering what would come next. If he’d been that desperate to intimidate her, to attack her, who knew what he was capable of.
Jenna wheeled her suitcase down the hall and into her bedroom, leaving it in the corner while she went to the dresser to take out a pair of gray shorts and a black t-shirt. She got changed, ignoring a phone call on her way into the kitchen to pour herself a much-deserved glass of wine.
Jenna opened a bottle of Shiraz and poured herself a generous glass. She got comfortable on the sofa, flinching when she thought she heard someone opening the door, but it must have been one of the neighbors. Jenna took a drink as her heart rate returned to normal. She hated feeling like this, constantly on edge.
Going back to the city had been a disaster. She had a sinking feeling that when she did see Hayley again, she was going to break up with her, and Jenna wouldn’t blame her. Jenna had put them in danger. Hayley also got to meet half of her exes. In one night. It wasn’t at all what Jenna had imagined when she asked Hayley to come with her.
Clara’s case was the only positive thing to come out of the trip. Her husband’s affair would be easy to prove, and Jenna’s law firm were ready to welcome her back whenever she felt ready.
Jenna had all but begged her doctor to sign off on three months of leave when she was getting several calls a day from Denise’s ex-husband. She thought she’d need the time to regroup, to calm down, to figure out what was next, but now, after everything that had happened, she didn’t need that much time. The only reason she’d continue stay at Nina’s was to be with Hayley. She could keep working from here. She could still go back into the city when she needed to.
The problem was, Jenna wasn’t even sure if Hayley still wanted her here.
The last two days had been a preview of what Jenna’s life would be like when she moved back to the city. She wouldn’t get to have dinner with Hayley. There’d be no after-work drinks. She’d have that massive king-sized bed all to herself. That sort of freedom might have appealed to her before, but it left her feeling empty now.
Those two days had dragged by, and she didn’t think she could do that week in and week out. She couldn’t handle seeing Hayley just once or twice a week. They both had busy schedules. They were both driven. That was one of the things that Jenna loved about Hayley, the way she held onto her dream of having her own surf school.
When the partners at her firm said they were ready to welcome her back, Jenna knew she should have been happier. She should have been thinking ahead to the new clients she’d find, to the new cases, to getting her name on the door, but she couldn’t get excited about any of those things. Her mind kept wandering in the opposite direction.
What if she didn’t go back at all?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Hayley gently closed the apartment door behind her. Jenna was probably back by now, and she didn’t want to wake her if she was asleep. Two floor lamps gave the living room a soft glow, but it was completely quiet.
Even though Hayley was tired, she still met with Kyle for dinner, and spending a few hours with him at their favorite sports bar had taken her mind off Jenna. Hayley missed her, more than she cared to admit, but then she remembered why she’d cut her trip short.
Hayley had spent the last two days replaying that conversation in her head, wondering how the Jenna she knew could do something like that. Having an affair with a client was one thing, but setting up that woman’s husband? Hayley was having a hard time believing that Jenna could be that cut-throat.
Hayley went into the living room to get her phone charger but stopped short when Jenna cleared her throat. She was stretched out on her back with two cushions propping up her head, her bare thighs balancing her laptop. Jenna closed it when their eyes met, and she sat up.
“Hey,” Jenna said, leaning forward to leave her laptop on the coffee table.
“Hi. Don’t let me keep you from working. I was just getting my charger and going to bed.”
“No, it’s fine. I wasn’t working.”
“Oh.” Hayley didn’t know what to do know. She thought that was the perfect excuse to avoid talking to Jenna. She did want to talk to her. She’d missed her, but Hayley didn’t think they would be having a normal conversation. They needed to talk about what happened in New York, to see if there was any point in continuing this.
“I was actually looking at apartments. Houses too, but I think an apartment would make the most sense.”
“You’re thinking of moving because of what happened?” Hayley asked as she sat down, leaving a few inches between them. Whiskey jumped up a few seconds later, preferring to sit between them instead of on one of them. Hayley rubbed his head, happy to have a distraction.
“No. I was thinking about leaving New York.”
Hayley stopped petting him. She cleared her throat. “Because of that guy?”
“No. Because I want to have a chance with you,” Jenna said, draping her arm across the back of the couch as she turned to face her fully. “I’ve spent the last two days on my own, doing what I used to love doing, but I kept wondering about you, about what you were doing. It was strange being away from you, after these last few weeks. Anyway, I can’t see this working if we’re in two different places. It’s not realistic. I thought it could work, but now that I’ve tried to do it, I know it can’t, not long term, anyway.”
Hayley’s pulse hammered in her ears as she took in Jenna’s words. “You’re looking
at apartments here?”
Jenna nodded. “I’m sorry about everything that happened, but it made me realize that I can’t go back to that life. I turn into a different person, and I do reckless things that I would never now. It’s like an addiction. To adrenaline. Or drama, maybe. I don’t know. Either way, I’m done with it.”
“You’re leaving New York and you’re giving up being a lawyer?” Hayley asked, feeling like she’d missed something. How could things change so drastically in just two days?
“Yes. If you’re still...” Jenna sat up a bit straighter, combing her hand through her hair. “If we’re...”
Hayley picked up Whiskey and put him on the other side of the couch. “Jenna, I’m crazy about you. I guess what happened in New York just caught me by surprise. I find it so hard to believe that you’re this ruthless divorce lawyer but also this really kind and caring person. I mean, I can picture you in the pencil skirts and the blazers…”
Jenna laughed, and Hayley smiled back at her.
“Seriously, though,” Hayley said. “I’ve really missed you, but I’m not sorry I left. I needed that bit of time to think, to try and process it all.” She sighed, trying to find the best way to put all her thoughts into words. “I want this to work, and I completely agree. As close as Manhattan is, I don’t think it would. I’d be so happy if you stayed, but are you sure about giving up your career?”
“Yes. Not at first, but when I did a bit of research, it became obvious. If I sell my apartment, I’ll have more than enough to buy an apartment here and a rental property. That way I’ll have income coming in while I decide what I want to do with myself.”
“Wow,” Hayley said, a smile tugging at her lips. “I don’t know what to say. I’m thrilled, but I don’t want you giving up your life in New York for me. I thought you loved it there.”
“I did, but it’s still less than two hours away. I was thinking of a weekend break, you know, if I’m homesick, and hopefully, it’ll go better than our last trip.”
“That’s an incredibly low bar.”
“I know,” Jenna said, reaching for Hayley’s hand. “So, you still haven’t answered my question.”
“I don’t think you asked me one.” Hayley swallowed the lump in her throat.
Jenna smiled. “My attempt at a question then. What do you think, Hayley? Do you want to give this a shot? Would you be okay with me sticking around for a while longer?”
Hayley thought back to just an hour ago when she was telling Kyle that things might be over between them. She thought Jenna would come back and say that she missed New York, that she wanted to go back to work. This is not at all what she expected to happen tonight.
“Yes,” Hayley whispered as she leaned in, her hand on Jenna’s cheek as she kissed her.
In the past few weeks, Hayley had tried so hard not to fall for Jenna, but it was impossible not to. She loved the way being around Jenna made her feel. The way their eyes locked, the way her heart beat a little faster when Jenna entered a room. It was all out of her control, and Hayley finally gave in.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jenna turned the key, holding the door to her new apartment open for Hayley who was immediately drawn to the windows and the view of the ocean.
In a month, she’d sold her apartment in Chelsea and bought this one in Long Branch, just a few minutes north of Asbury Park. The penthouse cost less than half of what her apartment had been worth even though it had more than three thousand square feet with two balconies and a private pool.
Things moved quickly when Jenna put in an all-cash offer, and tomorrow, everything she’d put into storage would arrive from New York. It wouldn’t take her long to pack up the few things she had at Nina’s.
She also put an offer on a multi-family building so that she’d have some income coming in while she decided what she wanted to do with herself.
“I didn’t even know places like this existed,” Hayley said as she took in the stunning views.
“You can even see Manhattan,” Jenna said, coming up behind her and slipping her arms around her waist.
So much had happened in the last month. In the last three months. Nina would be back this weekend, and Jenna wasn’t surprised to hear that Maria was coming back with her. She couldn’t wait to meet the woman who Nina had been gushing over every time she called.
“I was thinking,” Jenna said, lightly kiss Hayley’s tanned shoulder. “You could expand your business. You could get some clients up here, stay here.”
Jenna didn’t want to rush things with Hayley, but everything had happened so fast between them. She was so used to living with Hayley, to waking up with her. She knew that Hayley was looking for somewhere to live. She had a room lined up with a friend from the coffee shop where she worked, but it was a loose arrangement. Hayley hadn’t fully committed to it yet, and Jenna wondered if she should just ask her.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Hayley said, turning in her arms to face her.
Jenna’s hands were on her waist, searching Hayley’s mesmerizing blue eyes. Jenna reached behind her and slid one hand into the back pocket of her jeans, pulling out the spare key. Hayley glanced down at Jenna’s hand.
“I know things are still new,” Jenna said. “But I want you to feel like you can come and go as often as you want. Or stay. But if you want to move in with... Ashley? That’s fine. I won’t be offended or anything, but I just wanted you to know that I’d love to have you here, to wake up with you.”
Jenna took a step back as she gently pressed the key into Hayley’s palm. She wasn’t used to rambling, to being unsure of herself.
“Are you sure?” Hayley asked, looking down at the key.
“Positive.”
Hayley kissed her, catching Jenna off guard as her hands returned to her waist. “As much as I’ve missed Nina,” Hayley said, breaking their kiss. “I was dreading her coming back, to having to move out. Well, I didn’t mind finding a new place, but I didn’t know what you were going to do, where you were going to live.”
“Stay here,” Jenna whispered as she brushed her lips across Hayley’s, and she hoped that she never got tired of kissing Hayley.
Hayley’s hand was on her cheek, her thumb caressing her jawline as she kissed her back. Jenna’s hands drifted lower, giving her ass a squeeze.
“Come on,” Jenna said, reaching for Hayley’s hand. “I’ll give you the tour. The view from the master bedroom is amazing.”
Epilogue
Hayley stood outside Nina’s bar, taking another glance down the boardwalk. She had one job tonight. To let everyone inside know when Nina was on her way.
When Hayley called her earlier, Nina said that she’d get here around nine, but Hayley wanted to make sure she got a proper welcome.
Hayley’s eyes narrowed as she tried to make out the women coming towards her. She should have worn her jacket. The cool autumn breeze had her skin covered in goosebumps. That was them. She spotted Nina’s walk, and she didn’t recognize the woman beside her. That must be Maria.
Hayley ducked back inside and gave Carlos the signal. He had the DJ on alert, and all Carlos had to do was give him a nod. The DJ was on the mic.
“Your girl’s back! Let’s give her a big welcome.”
The music was back on and everyone’s attention was on the door as Nina came in, her hand covering her mouth as everyone clapped and cheered. She took in the scene with Maria’s arm around her waist. Hayley and Kyle had banners strung across the walls with ‘Welcome Back’ written on them.
The regulars all gave Nina a hug as she made her way through the bar. Jenna had reserved a table for them, with pitchers of cocktails ready for them.
“Welcome back,” Hayley said as she wrapped her arms around Nina.
“Thank you.” Nina looked like she was blinking back tears. “It’s so good to be back. Hayley, this is Maria. Maria this is Hayley. I think you might have a new client,” she said to Hayley before she caught Jenna’s eye.
Maria
gave Hayley a warm smile. “I’d love to book a few lessons with you. Learning how to surf is on my bucket list,” she said in accented English.
“Cool. We’ll fit something in this weekend,” Hayley said as Jenna came over to them, giving Nina a long hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Nina introduced Jenna and Maria as they took a seat, and Hayley tried to keep a smile off her face as she overheard Jenna talking to Nina.
“You didn’t tell me she was half your age,” Jenna said with a smirk as she gave Hayley a wink.
“That’s because she’s not,” Nina said, reaching for the pitcher and filling their glasses. Kyle was sitting beside Maria, introducing himself. “She’s twenty-five, and as you know, I’m going to be forty in a few weeks. So, she’s not half my age, not even close.”
“You know I’m only joking.” Jenna gave Hayley another look.
“You’d better be. Look at you two,” Nina said.
“There’s only eleven years between us,” Hayley said, jumping in. “Not that I think there’s anything wrong with a bigger age difference.”
“Nor do I,” Jenna said, glancing over at Maria who was still chatting with Kyle.
“Alright,” Nina said, picking up her glass. “No more debating our ages. None of that matters because...” Nina lifted her glass while Hayley and Jenna both took the hint and raised their own. Maria and Kyle stopped talking as Nina spoke, and they both reached for their own glasses. “Somehow, in a world full of billions of people, we’ve managed to meet someone who makes us happy, who’s worth taking a risk for. What are the odds?”
Maria smiled as she met Nina’s eyes. “I will definitely drink to that,” she said.
“Cheers,” they all said, clinking their glasses together.
Hayley caught Jenna’s gaze, giving her a warm smile and reaching for her hand under the table, interlacing their fingers. What were the odds?
