Page 15 of An Inconvenient Plan
He headed over to Garner’s, even though he wasn’t supposed to be working tonight due to his clandestine mission. Mad had taken a shift behind the bar for him. He had a ridiculous amount of vacation time racked up. He never took a day off and he rarely got sick. He lived clean, ate healthy, mostly because he was a foodie, and didn’t get close enough to anyone to pick up an illness. Only his twin ever dared invade his personal space, which felt fine, they were like two halves of a whole, being identical. The guys understood his need for a perimeter of personal space after his time in combat.
It was a little after six when he walked into Garner’s. The dining area was full and people were waiting for a table. Always good to see on a Friday night. He greeted a few regulars as he moved through to the bar. Several people sat at the bar, where Mad was chopping some limes.
“I’m back,” he told her, heading around behind the bar.
Her head whipped toward him. “Aww, man. I was hoping to keep all the tips from tonight for my honeymoon.”
“Tips are all yours.” What did he need the money for anyway? Tips could never add up to a princely sum. Ha. Royal humor. He glanced out the window of the dining area over to Something’s Brewing Café and spotted Hailey’s familiar strawberry blond hair, her back to him as she stood in line for coffee. He used to think of her hair as light red, but she called it strawberry blond, and the luscious-sounding words stuck in his mind.
Mad appeared at his side. “Thanks, Josh. You’re the best.”
He grunted, his gaze still riveted on the action across the street.
“Hey, there’s Hailey. I wonder how it went with the prince.”
He didn’t respond.
“Wow. She just texted he asked her out for coffee. I don’t see him, do you?”
He ignored her. He saw him all right, his profile turned toward Hailey. There was a security guard behind him and one standing by the door.
Mad elbowed him. “You think coffee’s like a first date?”
He shifted away. “Coffee’s like coffee.”
“I don’t know,” Mad said, going back to slicing limes. “I think the order is beverage, dinner, and then some of the ol’ in and out.”
He glared at her, but she didn’t notice, her gaze fixed on her task. Hailey wasn’t the kind of woman who rushed to bed. Was she? Hmm…she had stripped down to her bra and thong and offered herself the first moment she’d ever been alone with him. Why? Did she just want him for sex? Because now that he knew they belonged together, that was a very bad thing. Maybe she didn’t see him as relationship material. His gut churned, an all too familiar acid feeling when he got thinking about Hailey.
Maybe she’d been drunk on vodka like she’d said. So it was good that he’d been a gentleman, even though it sucked right now. He never wanted to take advantage. He wanted her willing and begging for it. An image of a flushed pink Hailey in all her naked glory, panting, begging him to give it to her flashed through his mind. Fuck. He forced his mind back to the hideous prince, his new nemesis. The battle lines were drawn.
Mad finished with the limes, wiped her hands on a paper towel, and checked her phone. “Mind if I take a break? Hailey wants me to stop by the café to check out the prince.”
He stared at her. Women did that? Ran potential lovers past their friends first? “Check him out for what?”
Mad grinned. “It’s a girl thing. I’ll just casually show up like, oh, hey, nice running into you. Then later I’ll tell her what I thought of him and any potential between them.” She looked proud of herself for knowing about girl things. He was proud too. It had taken a while, but Mad was finally up on the intricacies of women’s relationships. No easy feat. He didn’t know any guy, him included, who’d cracked that code.
Still, he wasn’t ready to yield the battlefield just yet. He tugged a lock of her half brown, half red hair. “Sorry. I need you here. I’m going to take the night off after all.”
He stepped out from behind the bar and headed toward the door.
“Tell the prince I said hi,” Mad called from behind him with a laugh.
He flipped her the bird over his shoulder. Brat.
He headed across the street and decided he’d play it exactly like Mad had planned, all casual, like he’d just happened to run into them. He walked into the café with its deep red walls, glowing golden sconces, and dark wood tables and chairs, his gaze quickly narrowing to the table where the prince sat with his arm around the top of Hailey’s chair, his fingers mere millimeters away from her bare shoulder. Another few minutes and that hand would be on her bare shoulder or in her soft hair or worse.
He closed the distance between them, careful to keep to his usual amble so as not to alert the security guard standing a few feet away. “Hey, Hailey, nice running into you.” Smooth was his middle name.
She straightened. “Josh! What’re you doing here?” Rose popped her head up from Hailey’s purse under the table and growled at him.
He lifted one shoulder. “Stopped by for a coffee. Mind if I join you with…”
“Phillip,” the prince supplied, offering his hand.
Josh gave him a firm handshake. “Nice to meet you. I’ll be back in a minute after I put in my order.”
“No.” Hailey pasted on one of her fake smiles. “Sorry. Phillip is only in town for a short time. I’ll see you another time. Enjoy your coffee!”
