“Thanks for defending me, Damon,” Ty said, a smile in his voice. “But the option is worth reviewing. Have we been fair? I thought so, but I’ll go through the math and create a presentation for next time. We need to all be sure.”
“Theo said he’s going to be shopping for a place in the city when they get back from San Francisco,” Cassie said. “It might suit him to live here, too.”
“It might,” Ty acknowledged. “I don’t know if Kyle wants a place in the building since he and Lauren moved in together. But if neither of you do, we could work out some alternative compensation.”
“Sounds good to me,” Damon said.
“Me, too,” Cassie agreed.
One of the things Damon liked best about his F5F partners is that they seldom turned anything into an emotional dispute. It was always rational, and always readily resolved.
They did take care of each other. Ty didn’t have to create a presentation to prove that the compensation had been fair. Damon trusted him, but he admired that his partner would do that to ensure that everyone was happy. If anyone was disgruntled about anything, there was never an opportunity for resentment to fester.
“These are amazing, Damon,” Cassie enthused. “We’re going to sell these so fast it’ll leave heads spinning.”
“Then we should charge more for them,” Ty said easily. “Thanks, Damon. I’ve got lots to work with here.”
“I’m going to take pictures of these with my phone and send them to Kyle and Theo,” Cassie said. “Don’t put them away just yet.”
“Tell Kyle that I’m still working on the lobby design for F5F West,” Damon added. “I’m playing with glass mosaic tiles for the lobby but haven’t quite got it right yet.”
“Because you don’t have anything else to do,” Cassie scoffed. “Let Kyle wait.”
Damon smiled at that.
“And Damon, anything you need, just let us know,” Ty added. “Text me the arrangements about the celebration of life if you don’t have time to call. I’ll spread the word.”
“Thanks,” Damon said and meant it.
He ended the call and glanced toward the kitchen. Haley was singing, a little bit off-key but with enthusiasm. She was probably dancing, too, from the sound, and he found his smile broadening.
She’d been right about his partners and he wished he’d confided in them sooner. They really did have his back, and once he’d started to tell them, it hadn’t been that hard.
Damon wanted to thank Haley in the way they both liked best.
But first he’d call the priest and make an appointment to discuss the service. He had a feeling that once he started thanking Haley, he wouldn’t be calling anyone for a while.
Haley had already hung up her coat and taken off her boots when Damon’s phone rang, as well as taken a glance around while he was checking the fridge. The house was perfectly clean although it seemed a bit empty. She wondered how much he’d been home since his mom went into the hospital.
The fridge had been stocked with healthy food, so he must have been eating there. They’d agreed on some grilled chicken breasts with a big salad and rice when his phone rang. She’s found the ingredients for a major salad and they were so fresh that she started to get hungry. She found a big bowl after he answered his call, then a cutting board and a knife, and set to work.
She was really curious about how Damon lived and whether there were any clues to his secrets to be found in the house, but she didn’t want to look nosy. She had a definite sense that she’d pushed him far enough for the moment and that her curiosity would probably be unwelcome.
She’d never even expected to be invited into the house.
She liked him, really liked him, and respected how honorable and strong he was. He was the kind of man she could fall in love with, if she had been inclined to do such a thing again.
It was too easy to remember how much Garrett’s betrayal had hurt. Her heart clenched a little even now and she felt a little of that old yearning for his company. She’d thought they were so good together. She’d thought she could have it all.
And she’d been so wrong. Haley never wanted to be that vulnerable again. She still thought of Garrett as the ideal man, even though his decision to marry someone other than her was far from ideal.
Was she waiting for another man just like Garrett to walk into her life?
Or maybe Garrett himself?
Was her story about never being vulnerable the truth, or was it an excuse? Her new perspective for the year made her wonder if it was an indication of fear.
She had been badly hurt by Garrett. She knew she’d never love anyone else the way she’d loved him.
All the same, there was something about Damon that drew Haley back over and over again. She felt a connection with him, and couldn’t resist him. It was more than sex, even if it couldn’t be more than it already was. Haley knew better than to want something impossible. Love was fleeting, no matter how powerful it was, and the trick was to enjoy it while it lasted—not to hope for it to last forever.
They were in the best moment. That’s what was seductive and made her think of the future. But the best moment always ended. It was better to be prepared than to dream and be surprised.
Damon would meet someone else. She might meet someone else. They would have sex with other people and move on.
But she would enjoy this while it lasted, because being with Damon made her happy.
She could hear Damon talking to his partner, but didn’t want to eavesdrop on him.
Haley put in her earbuds and turned on some music on her phone, placing it on the counter as she diced vegetables. She had a loop of various versions of her favorite song, which seemed perfectly appropriate under the circumstances.
She’d drive all night to have sex with Damon, that was for sure.
That impulse couldn’t possibly be a bad thing.
Damon leaned in the doorway to the kitchen, watching Haley. She was in her stocking feet, wearing tights and a swingy knit dress, dancing in his kitchen. She had her back to him and was singing, oblivious to his presence thanks to her earbuds. Her phone was on the counter beside her, and she was adding diced carrots to a big bowl as she sang. It was already loaded with mixed greens and chopped peppers.
She was singing out of tune.
Loudly and passionately.
She was impossibly cute.
He knew she wouldn’t be able to hear him approach and didn’t want her to jump in surprise and get hurt. She’d chosen a big knife and job one was making sure it didn’t fall. He covered her hand with one of his in the same moment that he caught her around the waist from behind. He held that hand down on the cutting board, ensuring that the knife couldn’t do any damage. She released it, then twisted in his embrace and smiled up at him, still singing along.
But now she was singing to him.
Damon removed one of her earbuds and put it in his own ear. It was Cyndi Lauper’s version of I Drove All Night, an infectious and energetic song that he heard often at the club. The beat was perfect for working out or dancing.
“My favorite,” Haley admitted when it ended. “Next up is the Roy Orbison version.” She lifted a finger. “Which was recorded first but released second. Posthumously.”