Page 37 of An Inconvenient Plan
Romantic prince of her dreams he was not.
Hailey sat at book club, shaken by the turn of events. All this time she’d feared her mom flaking on Joe would turn the Campbells against her when it sounded like Joe was already against her. She couldn’t even assure Josh her mom would stick around if there was a real issue in keeping the family peace. Her mom flaked whenever things got stressful. She swallowed hard, really hurt over Joe’s decree. Sure, he didn’t mind her being friends with Mad, and he’d said she’d be like a daughter since he was marrying her mom, but he didn’t want her for his son. Josh should’ve told her that before he’d kissed her. She’d been worried about the family consequences, and he’d only said their parents wanted them to make amends. Joe must’ve thought she and Josh would never work out because of the way they fought all the time. She’d worried about that too, right up until Josh had kissed her. She’d never felt that kind of passion with anyone else. It had made her think maybe they were meant to be together. Then he blew her off and she’d cooled toward him. Now here he was being sweet to her. So where did that leave them now?
She stared at the cowboy book sticking out of her purse. He’d brought her a gift, and he’d braved book club with all of her best girl friends and his sister, who was sure to tease him. And he’d taken it seriously, reading the book and contributing intelligently to the discussion. It was clear he wasn’t there to make fun of romance, or of her. And even though Mad, the tricky bitch, had set him up with that cowboy book, the fact that Josh had asked what she might like as a gift must mean he cared for her. He respected what she loved. That went a long way, given their rocky history. For too long she’d felt he was secretly—or not so secretly—laughing at her. Tonight he’d been dead serious. He wanted her to know he was relationship material.
She stroked Rose’s wiry fur. Maybe dropping her dress the first time she was alone with Josh had given him the idea she was using him for his gorgeous body. She was a woman of passions, but at the time she’d thought it would bring them closer together. With all those pent-up feelings she’d had for him and, believing she needed his rock-steady self in her life, she’d gone for it. Admittedly, not one of her finer moments, she’d been a little tipsy and a lot worked up over her mom and Joe moving in together. Her clumsy attempt at seduction should’ve been a red flag that her breakdown was coming six weeks down the line when her mom and Joe got engaged.
She cared about Josh. And when they weren’t fighting, like tonight, she was drawn to him. He was the kind of man she could count on. She’d seen him in action, the way his younger siblings and friends turned to him. He’d been there for her during her sobfest at their parents’ engagement party. So why couldn’t they seem to get in synch?
Now Josh was in the kitchen with Jake while the women talked to Claire about her pregnancy and how she was feeling. She kept tuning into the twin deep rumbles, working out who was who. They were identical, but Jake was much more open and expressive, Josh always reserved. They laughed at similar stuff, though, finished each other’s sentences, and occasionally spoke in unison. It must’ve been great growing up with a twin. Like having a best friend with you all the time.
Claire squeezed her arm. “Could you help me carry some pitchers of water? I put fruit in them so they’re tasty. My version of nonalcoholic fun.”
“Of course.” She handed Rose over to Mad so she’d have both hands free. Mad didn’t even interrupt her conversation, still talking as she cuddled Rose. Mad was like Rose’s second mom since she’d taken care of her for a couple of weeks before giving her to Hailey as a gift from all of their friends.
The moment they arrived in the kitchen, Claire announced, “Time for the fruity drinks.”
Jake and Josh turned at the same time. She could tell them apart because Jake kept his dark brown hair neatly trimmed, his jaw clean-shaven, and his clothes were designer. He also moved much faster than his twin. Josh ambled, like nothing was worth rushing for, really laid-back. His dark hair was long enough to curl at the nape of his neck, always a little rumpled, his jaw stubbled, and his clothes well worn and casual.
Jake smiled at Claire like she was the best woman on earth.
Hailey swallowed down a pang of jealousy and turned to find Josh staring at her with a question in his eyes that she didn’t know how to answer. All she knew was she felt something strong for him, yet she feared the consequences of getting tangled up with him. Going against the family that she’d wanted to be a real part of for so long, sneaking around, probably fighting some more with him, which would be so much more hurtful once her heart was deeply involved. And, if it didn’t work out, the damage would affect more than just the two of them. The risk felt too high.
She headed to the refrigerator, feeling Josh’s eyes on her.
“How’re you?” he asked when she passed by.
She stopped and turned back to him, falling back on good manners. “I’m fine. How’re you?”
He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. “Good.” His dark eyes were full of question again.
“Good,” she echoed.
“I can see why you like book club,” he said. “It’s cool to talk with your friends about something you love. It’s like a, uh, bonding experience.”
Her jaw dropped at the unexpectedly insightful observation. “Very true. I had originally intended it to be more of a vehicle to get single people together. That’s when I first invited you to it. You know, a singles book club, but we never did get an influx of men, so it turned into a sisterhood focused on romance.”
He gazed into her eyes, his voice low and husky. “I should’ve accepted your invitation back then.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks flushed. “Well, that was a long time ago. Water under the bridge.” Water. She was supposed to be helping Claire with the water.
“We got it!” Claire sang as she walked by with two pitchers of fruity water. Jake followed with another pitcher and a stack of red plastic cups.
Suddenly it was just her and Josh in the kitchen. She gulped, holding her hands behind her back and then dropping them to her sides. Why was this so awkward?
He closed the distance between them and leaned down to her ear. “I didn’t come here because I wanted to dish about a book.”
She licked her lips, her heart thumping unnaturally hard. “Okay.”
He took her hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed the back of it. Just like in the historical romance they’d just read! “Hailey…” He took both her hands in his.
“Yes,” she breathed.
“I want a courtship, a slow burn between you and me. This is either going to be for real—make it worth both our time—or not at all. I should’ve said that the moment I realized we belong together.”
Her breath caught. “When did you realize that?”
“When you were giving me hell at Garner’s for trying to get you alone to talk right before the prince showed up. You refused to spend any time with me because you were hurt over my rejection, which was only because I was trying to do the right thing, by the way, nothing personal. Now I think the right thing is to be with you, not keep my distance.”
