“So, where are we headed?”
I hold up two fingers on my free hand. “Two places. And the first one is right there.” We walk two more stores up and duck into an Italian restaurant.
Wes looks a bit bewildered as I give the hostess my name and tell her I’m here for the to-go order I placed. She hands it over and I march out of the place.
Looking back at Wes, I say, “The second place we’re going is a little different, but I think it will be good. I went for a walk last week after work and stumbled upon it.”
We walk another block, then make a right into a residential neighborhood. I pointedly ignore Wes’s quizzical look and keep going. Up ahead, a handful of people gather in a front yard.
“Is that where we’re going?” he asks.
“This is a couple who host a happy hour in their front yard every Friday night. They saw me walking last week and invited me over. Apparently the invite is open to everyone in town. What a cool way to foster community, right?”
Wes nods slowly. He looks wary but not upset. We get closer, and the couple who live here spot us right away. But instead of saying hi to me, they are open-mouth staring at Wes, and then they’re hustling over.
“Wes Hayden, you have got to be goddamn kidding me.” The husband, Derrick, nearly falls over himself in his astonishment.
“Oh my gosh, Wes.” The wife, Andrea, throws her arms around him. She lets him go and stands back, shaking her head like she’s trying to get ahold of her thoughts. She looks at me, pointing from me to Wes. “Wait, are you two together?” She doesn’t wait for a response before she says, “This is the best thing ever. Wes, you’re here. You’re actually here!” She hugs Wes again, and Derrick peels her off him.
“Andrea always did have a soft spot for you, Hayden.” Derrick claps Wes on the shoulder.
Wes looks dazed, like he’s been staring at the sun, but he’s coming to. His head bobs and he laughs. “It’s been a long time, guys.”
“Uh, yeah.” Andrea’s fisted hands go to her hips. “Seven years, Wes. You were here on R&R, then you went back to finish up. We were so happy when we heard you were home, but…” She trails off, shrugging.
Instinctively I reach over, placing my hand on Wes’s forearm. He looks at me and smiles.
Andrea claps her hands together. “Please, please, please tell me how you met. And let’s get a drink.” Her hands wave around excitedly.
I hand over the antipasto platter and reach into my big purse, pulling out a bottle of wine.
Andrea cackles. “Wine in a purse? You’re my kind of gal. Come on.” She pulls me and I go along after her, glancing back at Wes. He winks at me before turning his attention to Derrick.
“So,” Andrea says, grabbing two pint-sized glass mason jars. She takes the wine from my arm and twists off the top, pouring generously into each jar and handing me both. The remaining wine stays on the table. The rule at this happy hour is that you have to bring something, and you have to share what you bring. Last Thursday I mooched off Andrea’s white wine supply, so this week I made sure to bring the same bottle.
“Spill, Dakota. How did you meet the most reclusive and handsome Hayden brother?” She taps her finger against her chin, reconsidering. “Well, maybe not the most handsome. They’re all kind of dreamy, aren’t they?”
I picture Warner with his playful smile and Wyatt with his defined cheekbones and mysterious nature. “Beau and Juliette know how to make them, that’s for sure.” I look over at Wes. His hands are tucked into his front pockets, but he’s grinning at something Derrick is saying. “But I’m partial to one in particular.”
Andrea grins. “And what a stallion that one is. Or was.”
I tense at the word ‘stallion’. Did Andrea have a relationship with Wes? Did she mean the word sexually?
Andrea keeps talking. “He was wild in high school. Desert parties, taking his dad’s truck mudding, cliff diving at the lake.” Nostalgia brings a soft-focus glaze to her face. “We had a blast. And then Wes decided to join the military. He came home and visited from time to time, but he wasn’t so crazy anymore. Still fun, though. And then…” Andrea watches him talk to Derrick. “It was like a switch was flipped to the off position and taped down. Derrick drove out to the Hayden Ranch when he heard Wes was home for good, but Wes made it clear he didn’t want anything to do with anybody. We saw Warner in town a little while after that happened, and he told us Wes would hardly talk to him either. Or anybody in their family for that matter.” She cocks her head, studying him. “He’s got that haunted look in his eyes, doesn’t he?”
I see what Andrea sees, and so much more. Haunted is an accurate description. To that, I’d add anxious and easily provoked. But also loyal, confident, protective, heroic, generous, and loving. And there’s a whole lot of vulnerability hiding behind a brick wall.
“He’s working through some things,” I tell her.
“Oh, I’m sure, I’m sure,” she’s quick to say, in a way that lets me know she’s not trying to stick her nose where it doesn’t belong. “How’d you meet?”
Wes catches my eye and nods me over. Andrea sees this and pours herself a glass from the bottle I brought, then we start over to where Wes and Derrick stand.
“Remember last week when I told you I’m in charge of the new buildings going up on the far edge of town?” I glance at Andrea as we walk. She nods her head, her silver hoop earrings swinging. “It’s being built on land that used to belong to the Haydens. My family bought the land and we met at the initial purchase meeting.” Of course, this isn’t totally true.
Omitting the night we spent together five years ago hardly even qualifies as a white lie, though. Maybe one day, if Andrea becomes a real friend, I’ll tell her the full story. For now, this one works.
“Aw, it was love at first sight.” Andrea smiles at the romantic thought.
“Something like that.” We reach Wes and Derrick, and I hand Wes his drink. He takes it from me, wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me in, pressing a kiss to my temple. My heart swells, but then I remember the gesture is for show, and the feeling recedes.
Andrea leans into Derrick and looks at Wes. “Dakota was just telling me you met at the meeting about her family buying your land.”
Wes looks down at me, amusement in his eyes. “That’s right,” he says slowly, his fingers tracing the bottom edge of my shirt across my back. I swallow hard and block out the caress. “She came in talking about how she wanted to build something that would benefit the town and showcase local businesses, and I was sold. On the idea, and on her.”
If I didn’t know better, his words would melt me, cause my heart to liquefy and drip down into a puddle at his feet.
Andrea sighs. She’s clearly a fairy tale, hearts and flowers kind of girl. Good for her.
We stay another hour. Other people show up. Some know Wes, some don’t. They’re all older, mostly neighbors. For now, Derrick and Andrea are the only blasts from Wes’s past.
Before we leave, Derrick makes sure he has Wes’s number, and they make plans to grab a beer soon. I don’t know that it will actually happen, but I’m thrilled to see him at least trying. Andrea takes me by surprise by hugging me. “I’m a hugger,” she says with a shrug after she lets me go.