Page 66 of The Lost and the Found

Hayden

I hadan overnight bag stashed in Logan’s car, and I had been counting down the minutes until I could get off of work and see him again.

After breakfast, I spent a good hour or two doing nothing but snuggling with Logan on his huge couch, watching TV.

It was time spent in leisure, and I’d almost forgotten how good it felt to do just that. Then Logan drove me home so I could get ready for work and pack for another night at his.

I was excited.My apartment had never felt like home, and when we arrived a little after three o’clock in the afternoon, it felt more like a stranger’s apartment than my own. The pipes creaked when I turned the water on, and it was a good five minutes before the hot water kicked in. The heater was on, but it was still cold. I was good at ignoring all of these things about my apartment before, but after spending a night at Logan’s fancy place… well, I was ruined.

Logan waited for me in the living room, and I got ready for work quickly. He dropped me off at work with a hot kiss on my lips that left me breathless and waited for me to get inside before he drove off.

I worked with a smile on my face that even Isabel’s preppy face couldn’t erase. I saw her boyfriend come in and seat himself in her section. John and I were manning the bar at the time while Dave was in his office. Briefly, I wondered what he would do if he were to walk out and saw Isabel’s boyfriend groping her as she walked past.

“Nauseating, isn’t it?” John asked, when he saw where my attention was.

I gave him a small smile and shook my head. “What they do shouldn’t concern us.”

John smiled. “But what if I’m forced to take in the image of them eating each other’s face off?”

I laughed. “Close your eyes?”

“Funny. She made a play at me a month back, did you know?”

I shook my head, a little shocked—everyone here knew John had been happily married to his high school sweetheart for almost ten years now—though I guess I shouldn’t have been that surprised.

“She didn’t take the rejection very well. She’s been giving me the cold shoulder since, thank God.”

“Hayden, I need two shots of whiskey, pronto,” Isabel’s squeaky voice rang out from the side of the bar top.

“I wish she would ignore me, too,” I muttered loud enough so that only John could hear. He smirked and went back to cleaning the glasses while I made her drinks. She took them as soon as I had them set down, with not so much as a thank you, before walking off and handing them to her boyfriend.

The rest of the night dragged on slowly. I checked the clock for what must have been the ten thousandth time, tapping my fingers across the surface of the table impatiently.

“Hot date, tonight?” John asked.

“What?”

“You’ve been checking the clock all night. Do you have a date after work or something?”

“Or something.”

He gave me a genuine smile. “Good. For as long as I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you go out and have fun with friends. I’m glad to see you’re doing something for yourself for once.”

Considering my only friend was Dave, my options for a night out with friends were pretty limited. But I smiled back, thankful at least someone seemed happy for me.

“What are you doing after work?” I asked.

“Going home to my beautiful and very pregnant wife.”

I smiled. “When is Kayla due?”

“Early May.”

“Are you happy?” I asked.

He seemed taken aback with my question. I didn’t realize how forward it sounded until he reacted. But before I could take the words back, his eyes softened, and he let out a sigh. “I am, Hayden. Thank you.”

I nodded and went back to work.

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