Page 20 of Make Me Whole
Sawyer nodded furiously before both of us broke out in a laugh.
"Fancy meeting you boys here." Talia's arm draped over my shoulder about a second after her voice sounded. "Who's buying me a drink, mmm?"
Reaching up, I patted my sister's hand. "It's the twenty-first century; you get to buy your own…everything."
I didn't have to look to know she was rolling her eyes in a dramatic fashion. "Boo. You're no fun." She smacked my shoulder and motioned for me to move to the empty stool next to me. I knew better than to argue with her.
Talia wiggled her butt onto my now vacated seat and lifted her hand to get Josh's attention. After ordering a bourbon—she could hold her own with the big boys—she tapped her fingers on the smooth surface of the bar and asked, "Where's Hailey? I thought you were going to invite her, Sawyer?"
His eyes darted to mine before he lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "She declined."
My sister scrunched up her nose and made a face. "Aw, that's too bad. I was really hoping she'd come since Jessie has to help her mom at the shop tonight." The cheeriness in her voice kicked up a notch. "Guess you boys are stuck with me now."
Our drinks had barely been placed in front of us before the conversation turned to all things Hailey. The more I sat there and listened to Sawyer and Talia gush about how she'd impressed them, the more irritated I became.
I needed her out of my mind and their words were keeping her there; making me wonder what she was doing. Was she sitting in her room and missing someone back home? Hell, where was home?
"Where's she from, anyway?" I blurted out.
Talia cocked her head, brows drawn down. "I think she said Fairhill."
"You don't think it's weird that she comes for a quick visit and ends up with a job and a roof over her head?" I asked.
My sister chewed on her lip. "When you put it like that…"
Her eyes flicked in Sawyer's direction who immediately shook his head. "Maybe she needed a change of scenery."
"Or, she's running from something," I countered.
An exasperated sigh courtesy of Talia filled the air. "If you're so curious about her, my dear brother, why don't you ask her?"
"I'm not curious." The lie easily rolled off my tongue. "I'm cautious. I mean, the only thing we know about her is that Mavis was her mother's friend. That's it."
"That's all I need to know," Talia shrugged. "If Mavis trusts her, so do I."
"I don't trust her."
My sister poked my shoulder as if it had done something to offend her. "Thanks to the ginormous chip on your shoulder, you don't trust anyone. Not even the people who love you most." That last sentence held so much hurt and subtext. But I was in no mood to sift through it all.
Beer in hand, I swiveled in my seat. Leaning my back against the counter, I scanned the frolicking patrons. My lips lifted into a grin when I noticed a woman watching me from across the room. Even from my vantage point I could tell she was tall. And blonde—not a single dark strand in sight. Exactly what I needed tonight. With a tilt of her head, she beckoned me the moment our gazes met.
I knocked back the rest of my beer and placed the empty bottle on the coaster. After I dropped a few bills next on the counter, I turned to Talia and Sawyer. "I'd love to sit here and discuss the size of my chips with you, but there's a blonde over there with my name written all over her."
Sawyer's lips twitched slightly. "I hope the stick removal is successful."
Talia, on the other hand, looked utterly disgusted. "Ew. You're such an ass."
Chuckling, I spun around and headed straight for the blonde. With any luck, I would be saying 'Hailey who' by the time morning rolled around.
