“To obey her whims, you mean. Isn’t that the job of the baby daddy? I have a life, you know. I have a job.”
“I’m sure this dump will survive without you for four days.” I hated being mean. I always thought about other people’s feelings and tried not to hurt them. But when Tyler Hartley was involved, I had the tendency to extend my boundaries in all kinds of unexpected directions. “I will go home that weekend too.” I was referring to the one that the camping trip was planned for. “You are coming with me. We will leave on Thursday. On Friday morning you will get in Lucas’s car and let him drive you to the mountain for the most awful weekend in your life, because you want to make your pregnant little sister happy.”
I emphasized on the word pregnant deliberately trying to pull any possible string in him. He cocked his head sideways looking at me intensely. Like he was trying to figure something out. Then he straightened his back and said.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“How is this conversation even continuing right now?” He looked at something behind my back. His jaw ticked. “Go away, Spencer.”
I was Spencer now. I got the feeling I was little Spencer when he found me entertaining and just Spencer when I annoyed him.
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that Nick was approaching us. A woman was walking right next to him, but by the way she was looking at Tyler I knew she wasn’t here with Nick. She was here for the cutest bartender in the city.
“Hey,” Nick wrapped his hands around my waist. I lifted my head up and he gave me a peck. “Are we staying or leaving?”
“Leaving.” Both me and Tyler said at the same time. Nick chuckled.
“You two don’t get along, do you?”
“Something like that,” I said before Tyler had a chance to blurt out something humiliating.
The girl that walked in with Nick sat right next to me and looked at Tyler with her desire for him written all over her face.
“You called,” she purred, and he leaned closer to her.
“Technically, I texted. Why don’t you go wait for me in my office? I just have to see these lovebirds out first.”
She jumped off to her feet and motioned towards a door I had no idea was leading to Tyler’s office, but apparently she knew, so this wasn’t their first rodeo. I wondered what that meant for him and Chloe, the bitchiest waitress in the city.
I caught Nick checking that girl’s ass and moved my gaze to Tyler, who also noticed that embarrassing situation. He flashed me a cocky grin.
“Lots and lots of lonely nights,” he repeated his predictions about my future, but Nick, who had no idea what Tyler meant, laughed.
“With a hot chick like that, I doubt your nights are lonely,” he said.
“Your hot girlfriend is sitting right next to you,” I said more offended that I should have been. Of course he had the right to find other women attractive. I unfortunately found Tyler Hartley attractive. It wasn’t a big deal.
“No one is hotter than you, sunshine. Besides she is a brunette. You know I love your hair.” He ran his hand through my blond wavy hair. Tyler interrupted the moment.
“Come find me when you get tired of blonds. We can find you someone interesting in here.” He then fixed his gaze on mine with a sly smile on his face.
“Oh, I don’t know. I think I won’t be getting tired of this particular blond.”
“Of course,” Tyler offered a curt nod with that signature grin of his and added, “I don’t want to keep the lady waiting, so I will be leaving you.”
He waved at a waitress. At least Chloe wasn’t here this time around.
“Cover up for me, please.” She lifted a thumb in the air and popped her gum. Tyler turned to me and Nick again. “Have a nice flight, Hannah.”
Then he followed his lady. I stood up and Nick placed a hand on my back ushering me to the door.
“Just a second. I will be right back.”
I ran over to Tyler, grabbed him by the wrist. He just looked at me over his shoulder.
“I know you. I know you will do the right thing.”
Then I let him go, turned around and caught up with Nick.
It was weird. Tyler and I were going in the opposite directions and yet I couldn’t help but feel like we were somehow moving towards one another.
As I stepped outside, I turned around to see if he was still standing where I left him.
Our gazes met and we both froze for a moment, just looking at each other. Then Tyler turned his back on me and disappeared behind the door leading to his office.
Later that night, when Nick and I were sitting on the floor in my living room munching Chinese, I told him about my history with Tyler. I told him every little embarrassing detail. From the moment I first realized I was in love with my best friend’s brother to the one-night stand we had five years ago.
I wanted to connect with Nick. Build something that extended beyond what we currently had. And there was a teeny tiny seed of hope that Tyler would agree to fly to California and I didn’t want to be that girl. The girl who lied to her boyfriend about her relationships with the men of her past.
Nick reacted like it didn’t bother him at all that I was going to spend time with a man I was obsessed with for years. Not that I wanted a jealous, possessive boyfriend, but shouldn’t he at least feel anxious about it?
I should have probably let it go, but I couldn’t hold it in me.
“Isn’t that bothering you?”
“Honestly? No.” He seemed calm and more interested in his meal. “I trust you.”
“Oh,” I mumbled, and I felt like an asshole. The man trusted me. It was a good thing. A healthy reaction. Then he continued.
“And I am a cardiac surgeon. I can’t be intimidated by a thirty-year-old frat boy. But even if he wasn’t a train wreck, you are so…conscientious. I know you would always do the right thing, even if it’s against your actual wishes.”
Ouch. That sounded awful.
And true.
Chapter Seven
Tyler
On Thursday I found myself at the airport.
Hannah looked so satisfied with herself. She probably thought it was her who influenced my decision to fly back home. The looks she shot me every now and again were full of confidence. She thought she understood how I operated. And that grated on my nerves.
True. Her last words before she left the bar unsettled me. I wasn’t used to people believing in me to do the right thing. On the contrary. People treated me like an irresponsible, reckless asshole which just gave me permission to act like it.
Hannah telling me she knew me, that she knew I was going to do the right thing made me feel something inside my chest I couldn’t immediately identify, so I just pushed it aside and used Tracy’s as a distraction.
Two people influenced my decision to fly back home. The first one was Patrick Hayes. My new business partner needed time to buy the bar and renovate it. I received that information from his son.
Kieran Hayes paid me a visit on Monday, informing me and the staff that we were all going on a two-week paid leave. In a private conversation I found out that the basement would be fixed too. I hadn’t realized that an illegal underground fighting ring needed to look fancy, but they were bringing another clientele to the table. Maybe these customers wanted the shiny new interior both upstairs and downstairs. So I used the moment to ask Kieran for new, less slutty uniforms for the girls.