Page 57 of An Inconvenient Plan
Hip check. Fuck you.
Dance, glower, dance.
This went on for so long Josh actually got tired from fight dancing.
That was when he realized Hailey had left. Dammit!
Hailey woke Sunday morning to the sound of Rose barking. She opened her bedroom door and Rose ran to the outside door. She must need to go out. She got the leash, clipped it to Rose’s collar, and opened the door. A huge bouquet of roses lay at her feet. Oh, wow! After that crazy male posturing on the dance floor last night—she swore Josh and Phillip looked like peacocks out there doing some kind of ritualized battle—Josh came through with an apology. She’d been so over the meeting of the gonads that she’d left early with Mad, who’d agreed both men were acting ridiculous.
She scooped up the roses and walked Rose up the stairs to the backyard. Rose sniffed around, looking for the perfect spot. Hailey spotted a small card tucked into the bouquet.Please let it say something romantic.She really didn’t want to be mad at Josh anymore. He must care about her to scare other men away; he just didn’t know how to show it. Maybe he’d talked to Jake or some of his more enlightened guy friends and finally got the message.
As soon as she got Rose back inside, Hailey set the roses on the coffee table and plucked the card out of its plastic holder. Slowly, she opened the envelope, a shiver of excitement running through her.
For a lovely woman,
Sorry things got out of hand last night.
Phillip
Nothing from Josh. Her eyes got hot. She shook her head at herself, scooped up the flowers and arranged them in a vase, setting them on her small kitchen table. Phillip had never visited her home, but she had pointed it out just off Main Street on one of their walks through town. The flowers were a thoughtful gesture. She pushed Josh from her mind, got ready for her day, and went to her morning appointment at Ludbury House. She often took weekend morning appointments for potential clients.
She returned home that afternoon, made herself lunch, and ate it in front of her beautiful roses. She read the card again.For a lovely woman. An apology too. It only served to make her angry at Josh. Where was his apology? He acted like he owned her. He didn’t even want to dance with her; he just didn’t want Phillip to dance with her. Where was he? It was Sunday afternoon, so he was probably home.
She’d walk there. The twenty-minute walk would give Rose exercise and help Hailey clear her head for a rational conversation.
By the time she got there, she knew exactly what she wanted to say. She rang the bell on the outdoor intercom system. He buzzed her in a minute later.
She arrived in the foyer, and he stood casually in the open doorway of his apartment, barefoot in jeans and a black T-shirt, dark hair rumpled like he’d just rolled out of bed, stubble pronounced on his square jaw. Why she found his unkempt appearance sexy was beyond her. He didn’t step back to invite her in, and she could feel the tension radiating off him despite his casual stance. His jaw was tight, his expression hard.
“Where’d you go last night?” he asked with a casualness that didn’t fool her for a minute.
“I got an apology from Phillip for his behavior with you last night.”And where’s your apology?
“Good. He was an ass.”
She pressed her lips tightly together, really trying to hold onto her temper. “The two of you looked like a peacock fight about to happen.”
“Cock fight.”
She waved that away. “Whatever.” She wouldn’t let him distract her with sex again. “The point is, you both behaved badly, which was why I left early with Mad. It was embarrassing.” She looked at him expectantly.
His eyelids lowered, his expression neutral, which meant he was hiding something. “If you’re looking for an apology, you won’t find it here. I told you it was him or me. I also told you he wanted you; otherwise, why would he tangle with me? Why would he keep showing up with flimsy excuses to see you?”
She marched over to him, furious that he was acting like this was on her. Again! And he didn’t even have the decency to invite her in! “You instigated that fight. You were dying to go after him.”
“Not true. I protect what’s mine.”
She saw red. “First of all, I’m not yours. Second of all, there’s nothing to protect me from. Phillip is a friend.”
“Then what’re we?”
“I don’t know!”
“Let me know when you figure it out.” He shut the door in her face.
She smacked the door. “Cad!” she hollered. Rose barked ferociously too.
She turned on her heel and left. Jealous yet he offered her nothing. Not common decency, not an apology. Nothing.
