Page 64 of An Inconvenient Plan
“No.”
He ground his teeth. “Did he lay a hand on you?”
“No,” she said softly.
“I swear, woman.” He closed his eyes, working on calm. She just had to push his buttons.
She tried to break free of his embrace, but he hung on. “I’ll go.”
He groaned and stroked her back. “Stay, okay?” He scowled. “Stop being so difficult.”
She propped up on his chest, looking at him. “But I’m not tired. You know us twentysomethings are just getting started at—” she peered at the digital clock on the nightstand “—one thirty. You’re thirty-five, practically middle-aged—ah!”
He’d rolled her under him. “Challenge accepted.” Then he showed her in explicit detail the advantages of being with an experienced man.
17
Hailey spent the whole next day with Josh. It was Sunday, she didn’t have any client appointments, and he got someone to cover his morning shift. She told herself that was kind of like a romantic gesture whenever Josh chose her over work. Or maybe she just wanted to believe he was in love with her because she was beginning to think she was in love with him. It was nothing like she’d thought it would be. Not sweet or pretty, it was just there. She felt so much better with him than without him. And when they weren’t fighting, things were great. She’d been a little worried after their morning round of sex they’d have nothing left to do with each other the rest of the day, but it was almost like all the sex mellowed them both out, because they had a lazy Sunday.
Josh made waffles from scratch with scrambled eggs and bacon. They ate breakfast together, went back to her place for a change of clothes, and then she taught him how to make her fudgy brownies that he’d always been crazy about. The secret ingredient was Nutella. After she agreed to let him serve them at Garner’s, he smiled more that afternoon than she’d ever seen from him. He was dazzlingly gorgeous when he smiled.
Now they were back at his place, watching HGTV while he quizzed her on what houses she liked and why. It made her giddy that he cared about her opinion on houses because maybe he was imagining them having a house together. She’d never lived in a house before, always apartments, and the thought of having something so permanent gave her a deep sense of satisfaction. The only bad thing about the whole day was that Mad had texted asking if she knew where Hailey’s mom was because her dad had been gone all weekend and wasn’t answering his phone. Hailey suspected Joe was looking for her mom, but she didn’t know where her mom was. The moment the news got out that her mom had flaked, she knew nothing would ever be the same again with her and the Campbells. They’d cool toward her. She’d always be a reminder of her mom’s betrayal.
She’d turned off her phone, deciding to deal with the mom situation on Monday. Maybe her mom would be back by then. She fervently prayed she’d come to her senses.
That night after a delicious dinner of chicken francese that Josh had walked her through making, Josh got a call from Mad. He was the oldest brother, along with Jake, but he was the one in town, and she knew his younger siblings turned to him in times of crisis. They were all close to their dad, and his being gone all weekend and out of touch (probably looking for Hailey’s mom) would’ve set off an alarm.
She stood and gathered their dishes. “I’ll take care of these.”
He jerked his chin at her and then said into the phone, “What do you mean he’s disappeared?”
Hailey turned the water on low so she could eavesdrop as she rinsed the dishes.
“You went over there?” Josh asked. “Maybe he took an extra shift. Maybe he forgot to charge his phone.” He was quiet for a moment. “Hold on.” He pulled the phone away from his ear. “Hailey, Mad says my dad’s been away all weekend and out of touch. Could you check in with your mom to see if he’s with her?”
“Sure,” she croaked.
He spoke to Mad again. “You have? I’ve been with her all day and her phone didn’t ring. Maybe she left it at her place. I’ll let her know. Yeah, yeah, smartass. I’ll be in touch. I’m sure he’s fine.”
Josh joined her at the sink. “Where’s your phone? Mad says she’s been trying to reach you all day.”
She focused on the dishes. “I turned it off because I didn’t want anything to distract me from our first weekend together.”
“Look at me when you say that.”
She met his eyes. “I didn’t want any distractions.”
His dark eyes burned into hers. “What aren’t you telling me?”
She gulped. “Nothing.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Call your mom. Mad’s worried that something happened to our dad.”
“Sure.” She left the kitchen on shaky legs, her gut churning. This was where it all came to an end. She should’ve known she couldn’t have something lasting with Josh. Nothing in her life had ever lasted long. Everything was always yanked out from under her—her family, her home, and now her chance at love.
She turned on her phone, registering three texts and five missed calls from Mad. She dialed her mom and it went to voicemail. She texted, but she didn’t expect a response. When her mom flaked, she stopped communicating completely. Usually she went on a long drive, as if she could outrun her troubles.
Josh appeared at her side. “Well?”
