“Actually, I’ve got a guy in mind for a bass player, but I’ll give the house band drummer a call. I bet he’ll be fine with it. Don’t you think, Hailey?” Jack asked.
The conniving woman smiled like she’d just won the Miss Black-Eyed Pea pageant. “He’ll be great with it. Trust me.”
Beau thought they wouldn’t have much of a chance if they wanted to keep all their fingers, given the crazy glint in Hailey’s eyes. She was practically vibrating with maniacal excitement.
He didn’t mind playing at Boon’s. He’d like to play there if for no other reason than to hassle its owner, but he couldn’t just let her win. What kind of competitor would he be if he did?
He hadn’t missed the goosebumps that popped up on her skin when he’d gotten close to her. She wasn’t entirely immune to him. He moved to her side and picked up a strand of her curly hair. “I think this is a fantastic idea.”
“You do?” She didn’t move away, but there was a definite tremor in her voice.
The piece of hair he held was soft as silk and smelled like clean ocean air. “This will give us all the time in the world to be together—practically inseparable.” He gave a tiny tug on the strand before he let it sift through his fingers. “I think that sounds amazing.”
She did move away then and pinched her nose. “Dude, morning breath much? You might want to take care of that.”
This woman was hilarious. “I’ll do that.” He’d brushed his teeth when he put on a shirt, but it was a good comeback and accomplished her goal of getting away from him. Point to her.
“I swear, Hailey. You may be the only woman in the free world who isn’t affected by Beau Callen.” Luanne chuckled.
“Yeah, well, he’s pretty to look at and says all the right things, but words are crap without action.”
Interesting. He’d file that little tidbit away for future reference.
Jack clapped his hands together. “Alright. That’s settled then. Beau, we’ll see you tomorrow at the studio.”
He held his hand out to Jack and looked him in the eye. “Thanks, man. For everything.”
His cousin squeezed his hand. “You’re welcome. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”
They shared a hug, and Beau said low enough for only Jack to hear, “It’s not a problem. I understand.”
Jack released Beau’s hand and threw his arm around Luanne. “Thanks.”
Everyone said goodbye. Then Beau was standing alone with the most fascinating woman he’d met in a long time. And if the look on her face was any indication, then neither one was happy about it. “So you gonna show me this apartment?”
Hailey’s hand shook as she slid the key into the lock. She hoped Beau didn’t see it. Had she lied about having an apartment? No. Had she exaggerated its functionality? Maybe a little. It was just one big room, and there wasn’t a full kitchen, only a microwave.
The lock turned, and she threw the door open. “Here you go.” The game show host tone was probably too much.
He walked into the apartment and stopped. “What was this place?”
She came in behind him and threw the keys on the counter. “It was Derek’s man cave, or as I like to call it, his slut hut.”
“Care to explain?”
Dust flew into the air when she opened the blinds. “This is where Derek carried on his affair with my next-door neighbor, Ariel.” She unlatched the window and raised it a few inches. “Right under my nose.”
He halted in his inspection of the space. “You’re kidding, right?”
“I wish I were. She installed a gate in her fence that made it super easy for her to pop over here anytime he called. And since the gate and the stairs are in the back of the building, I never saw her coming over. I only caught them together by accident.” She moved to the other window and opened the blinds there too. “He didn’t know I’d stored the Christmas decorations in this closet.” She pointed to one of two doors on the back wall of the room. One Saturday, when he said he’d be in the cave the whole day and night because of college football, I decided to do a little decorating.”
“Uh-oh.”
Her arms went across her chest in case any of the scars on her heart still showed. “Imagine my surprise when I caught him decking her halls instead of watching football.”
“I’m…that’s not right, Hailey.” His usually relaxed face was all hard edges.
Her hair fell into her face, and she flipped it over her shoulder. “Yeah, well… I’m over it now.” Liar. Oh, she was past the betrayal, and she wasn’t in love with Derek anymore, but the you’re not enough message his infidelity sent was still alive and well.
He seemed to sense she didn’t want to talk any more about it because he changed the subject. “Where’s the bathroom?”
She opened the door to a room barely bigger than a closet. “In here.”
He stepped inside, and it was like the space shrank three feet. He glanced at the shower, then back at her. “That’s going to be a tight fit.”
“The shower head is detachable.”
“It is?” He craned his neck to examine the spout. “How?”
“There’s a little lever to release it, there.” She pointed from the doorway.
“Where?”
“Right there.”
“I don’t see it.”
The man was pretty, but not very bright. “Let me show you.” Unfortunately, the room was barely big enough for one person, let alone two. The only way to get to where she could demonstrate how the nozzle worked was to squeeze past him. No big deal. She could do this. “’Scuse me.”
“Sure.”
She turned sideways and inched in front of him. A jolt of awareness ricocheted through her like a lust-fueled pinball machine as soon as their bodies made contact.
Her body begged for more quality time with his pelvis plastered against her butt, while her mind calculated how fast she could get out of the position. A small groan from the man behind her spurred her to step into the stall away from him. “The lever is right here.”
He rested one hand on the wall and leaned in to inspect the lever. “Well look at that.”
“I’m not sure how—” A cold, forceful stream of water shot from the shower head. She screamed and was rewarded with a mouthful of liquid. A spastic cat had nothing on her as she fought to get her hand on the faucet and flip it off.
“At least I don’t have to worry about the water pressure.” He reclined against the sink counter, holding his belly as he laughed like an idiot.
Her hair was a sopping mess and stuck to her face. She shoved it back so she could see her attacker. “Why’d you do that?”
“That—” he mopped his eyes with the sleeve of his t-shirt “—is for making me sleep in the princess bed when there was a perfectly good sofa to sleep on up here.”
“What?”
“You knew you had this apartment last night, and you didn’t say anything about it until you wanted something from me.” He wagged his finger at her. “That’s not very neighborly of you, Ms. Odom.”
“And a surprise shower is?” A darker t-shirt would probably be best in this situation, not the pale pink and completely see-through one she wore. She refused to cross her arms over her chest like a delicate flower.
He shrugged. “It felt right at the time.”
“Shut up and get me a towel. They’re under the sink.” She blinked several times.
“What’s wrong with your eyes?”
“I think one of my contacts got washed away.” She turned and surveyed the shower floor. “Ugh, that was my last pair. Now I’ll have to go buy new ones.”
A flash of guilt skittered across his face. “Here, let me help you.”
He didn’t have to sound so put out. This was his fault, or it would’ve been if she actually wore contacts. She waited until he was on his hands and knees in the stall then flipped on the shower. Of course, it meant she got wetter because she was still in the blast zone, but it was totally worth it.
&nbs
p; “What the hell?” He twisted to turn off the spray, but accidentally bumped into her, knocking her feet out from under her.
She screamed and slid down the wall. It’d seemed like a solid plan until she was sprawled in the corner of the shower with him on his hands and knees over her. This wasn’t awkward at all.
They stared at each other for several long seconds like neither could believe they’d gotten into this inelegant and intimate position. All either could do was stare and breathe. Water and electricity didn’t mix, and the current shooting between them was supercharged.
“Hailey.”
“Yeah?”
“You look like a drowned poodle.” He snorted.
She choked on a laugh. And as fast as it had flared, all the sexual tension drained from the small space they occupied. Their combined laughter filled the room. His head went to her shoulder. Her hand went to his back, and their bodies shook with uncontrolled hilarity.
He pulled back and gazed into her eyes. “Do you even wear contacts?”
Her teeth came down on her bottom lip, and she shook her head.
They cracked up laughing again.
Finally, he crawled to his feet and extended his hand to her. “Well played, Ms. Odom. Well played.”
She rose and retrieved two towels from under the cabinet. “Why, thank you. That means a lot coming from such a worthy adversary.” But he wasn’t her adversary. He was her friend, and only her friend. She’d do well to remember that too.
He had a career to build. She had a bar to save. Not in any universe could those two things be combined.
Once they’d dried off and cleaned up the water in the bathroom, they moved back into the main room. She pointed to a space behind the sofa. “There used to be a bed, but I threw it out after I caught Derek and Ariel together. The couch is comfortable. That should work until you can get a bed. Don’t you think?”
“Sure.”
She tried to see the room through his eyes. She supposed it wasn’t much. Maybe an olive branch to sweeten the pot. “I’ll call the cable company and have them do a reinstall. I had it disconnected after Derek…”
“I’m surprised you didn’t burn the place to the ground.”
She chuckled and squeezed her hair with the towel. “I thought about it, but I needed someplace to put my car.”
He turned in a circle, taking in the small space.
“It has a microwave, and I’ll get you a hot plate so you can cook.” She was back to her game show host voice.
“Thanks.”
“Listen, I know it’s not ideal, but it’s what I can offer you. Take it or leave it.”
He stared at her a long moment then stuck out his hand. “I’ll take it.”
“And playing at the club?”
“I’ll do that too.”
The tension in her muscles that she didn’t know she was holding washed away and left her knees wobbly. “Okay.” She held out her hand. “Welcome to Casa Odom.”
He gave the room the once-over. “Really?”
“Fine.” She released his hand and held her arms wide. “Welcome to your small room above my garage.”
Chapter 9
The knots in Hailey’s stomach yanked tighter and tighter the closer she got to Roger’s house.
She should’ve called him last night or this morning, but just hadn’t been able to bring herself to do it. Interestingly enough he hadn’t called her either. But then again, he’d said he wouldn’t.
Roger’s lovely ranch-style house was on the outskirts of Zachsville in a new housing development. It had a white limestone façade and a huge yard for Lottie to play in.
A dull ache behind her breastbone throbbed as she thought of her daughter and how she longed for stability. The blade of Lottie’s angry words was still lodged in her heart.
You ruin everything.
She shook off her concern about Lottie and her pain. It was time to deal with Roger. She knew now that marrying him would have been a mistake, and she’d been looking for an excuse to run.
The click, click, click of her shoes on the concrete walkway rang through the quiet Sunday afternoon. It was peaceful out here. A small part of her regretted that she and Lottie wouldn’t be living here in this peaceful place with this peaceful man.
Several boxes sat on the porch with a note addressed to her. Surely he hadn’t just packed up her stuff and stuck it outside. She flipped the note open and read, then reread, the words.
Hailey
Here are your things and Lottie’s things. If there is anything I missed, then text me, and I will get them to you.
I have chosen to leave town for a while. As you know I have a project that would’ve required travel. I have decided to move to St. Louis temporarily in order to concentrate on my job, and to let this fiasco blow over.
The hurt you’ve caused me and my family cannot be understated. I have deep affection for you and Lottie and believed we could make a life together. However, I have to believe that you do not feel the same about me, or you would not have been able to just walk out of our wedding over something as inconsequential as my opinions about your business. I am, after all, entitled to my opinions.
The embarrassment of this whole affair is unforgiveable. As you know, I despise drama, which is why I blame myself for this as much as you. I knew of your reputation for creating a spectacle, and I chose to ignore it, believing that you had overcome those tendencies. Sadly, I was mistaken.
I do not wish to see you or hear from you so I will not be answering your phone calls or texts unless they have to do with things involved in separating our lives.
Roger
His words shot off the page like artillery fire, the bullets to her pride coming too fast and furious to avoid. He thought she created drama? Never, not once, had he ever said anything that would’ve made her think he felt that way. Hell, he barely said anything.
If he had a problem with her, then she had a problem with him too. They’d been dating nearly a year and she’d never seen the side of him he showed at the wedding. It just proved that she had terrible taste in men in general, and the worst in husbands and potential husbands.
Once the boxes were loaded into her trunk, she sat in her car for several minutes gazing at the pretty limestone house.
He hadn’t said he loved her. He had deep affection, but that wasn’t the same as love. But she’d known that, and it was the reason why she could consider marrying him. She couldn’t have married someone she didn’t love, who loved her back. That would be wrong. What she and Roger had was comfortable and convenient, but not something you should build a marriage on.
Beau pulled into Hailey’s driveway and saw her unloading boxes from her car. He wondered if they were boxes of things from Roger’s house. He knew she’d moved a lot of her stuff before the wedding that wasn’t.
He was a little too happy that Hailey Odom hadn’t gotten married. Her unmarried status put him in a bad spot, literally. Renting a room with very little privacy wasn’t ideal. Unlike her ex-husband, any woman he’d bring home would have to walk up the driveway to get to his apartment. He didn’t like anyone knowing his business—especially not his landlady.
The woman in question currently had half her body in the trunk of the car, her butt in the air as she yanked on a box. Not a bad view at all.
Stop right there, Callen.
Hailey was his friend…period. Hailey was beautiful and sexy, but she wasn’t for him for many reasons, not the least of which was her kid.
It wasn’t that he didn’t like kids—he did. But a woman with a child was a different animal altogether. They may as well have a DO NOT TOUCH sign painted across their chest. There was nothing casual about a relationship with a single mom, and casual was all he was interested in at the moment. A family was a far-off thing for him.
Besides, he wasn’t even sure he was capable of the kind of the feelings necessary to have a family of his own. He loved Clyde and his kinfolks in West Virginia, but it wasn’t
the deep, romantic, selfless adoration he’d seen Jack, Gavin, and Hank display toward their wives and children.
He had goals and dreams that required single-minded focus. He couldn’t accomplish them and have a family. He’d learned that lesson from his grandfather. Clyde had never outright said that Beau ruined his music career, but he knew he had. The man had to stop touring to raise him. Beau could do the math. Two plus two equals it’s not possible to start a music career with a family.
Against his better judgment he snuck one last peek at Hailey’s spandex-clad butt, then exited the truck. “Whatcha got there?”
She jumped and cracked her head into the upper lip of the trunk. “Ouch!” She stood up rubbing the back of her head.
“Oh, shit.” He moved to her. “Sorry about that. Let me have a look.”
He gently rubbed his hand over the spot that she hit, then parted her hair to examine her scalp. “No blood, but you do have a bump.”
She stepped back to extricate herself from his hold and rubbed her head. “Thank you, Dr. Heartbreaker. I could tell that myself.”
He laughed. One more reason why he and Hailey could never have anything together—she had no interest in him. “That’ll be three hundred dollars. I don’t usually make house calls.”
“Funny.”
He pointed to the box. “Do you need some help?”
“Do you mind? It’s stuck, but I can’t see where.”
He slapped his hands together then rubbed them back and forth. “Step aside, and let the master work.” He gave her his best wink for good measure.
She stepped out of the way to give him access to the car’s trunk. “Oh, brother.” She crossed her arms. “You really are the most shameless flirt I’ve ever known.”
“We all have to be good at something.” He examined the box and quickly found that one of the tri-folded sides was stuck under the lip of the trunk. He wiggled the box and pulled it free. “I got it.”
“Oh, thank goodness. I want to have all this stuff put away before Lottie gets back.” She reached her arms out. “You can give it to me now.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll carry it in.” The stubborn look on her face indicated that she was going to fight him. “You grab the other box. I don’t want to have to keep traipsing out here to unload your car.”
Brides on the Run (Books 1-4): Small-Town Romance Series Page 88
