Page 106 of Missing Pieces (Men of Manhattan 3)

For some reason I thought Hailey would have told everyone about me. That she'd be excited about us. I shook away the thought. We hadn't discussed labels or anything. Yes, I viewed Hailey as my girlfriend, but I never actually asked her to be. I'd make sure I asked her that tonight. I wanted to tell the world. I wanted her to officially be mine. "I'm a friend," I clarified. I was definitely tired of referring to her as that. Hailey was everything to me. "I was actually trying to surprise her."

"Oh, it's nice that you came by. Did you want me to take those?" She reached out for the flowers.

For the first time I realized that there were flowers all around the bar. On the tables, on the bar counter, in the corners of the room. I didn't remember it looking like that. "No, that's okay. I'd like to give her them in person."

She smiled. "Okay, hon. She's in her dad's office down the hall to the right. But," she grabbed my arm. "She's not feeling very well today. Hopefully seeing an old friend will cheer her up. Maybe you're just what she needs." She looked hopeful.

"Yeah." I hope I'm still what she needs. "Why isn't she feeling well?"

The woman winked at me. "That's the spirit. With that attitude, you'll have her back out here in no time."

What? "Mhm," I said awkwardly. "So, down the hall to the right?"

She nodded.

I walked around the bar and toward the back hall. There was a door marked with "Jeffrey Shaw," on the right side. I knocked on it.

There was no answer.

I knocked again and slowly opened it. Hailey was sitting at the computer typing furiously. She didn't look up from the computer.

"Anna, I told you I was fine, you don't have to keep checking on me. I'm not good at coding, it's going to take me a while to get the website up. But I have to get this done." She nodded to herself. "I just need to get this done," she said under her breath as she continued typing.

She looked skinnier. Her cheeks almost looked hollow. She was still breathtakingly beautiful, but she did look like she wasn't feeling well. That's what the woman behind the bar had said. Was she sick?

"Hails, it's me."

She stood up, causing the chair to squeak against the floor. She ran her fingers through her hair and then immediately shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. It was almost like she looked scared of me.

"God, it's so good to see you." I took a step toward her, but she immediately took a step back, even though the desk was already separating us.

"What are you doing here, Tyler?"

"I came to see you." I held the flowers out for her. When she didn't take them, I set them down on the desk. I thought she might look excited to see me. I hadn't spoken to her in over a week. I missed her like crazy.

But she didn't look happy to see me at all. She glanced back down at the computer screen. "I'm a little busy right now. I have a whole bunch of stuff I need to finish. I can't do this right now."

Do what? I laughed. "What are you talking about? I just drove twelve hours straight to come see you."

"Twelve hours?" She wrapped her arms a little tighter around herself. "Were you in New York?"

I remembered our discussion about NYC being t

welve hours away from here. This wasn't how I wanted to tell her my news, but it seemed like now was as good a time as any. "Yeah, it's been a crazy week. I..."

"Did you see her? Is that why you were there?"

"That's not why I was there." This conversation was not going how I planned it. "But yes, I saw Penny."

She nodded and then immediately shook her head. "Look, Tyler, I had a lot of fun on our little road trip. But I think we both know what that really was. And I really am busy right now."

"It was the best week of my life."

She laughed. But it wasn't her real laugh. Not the one I loved so much.

"Well, I highly doubt that. We both needed a little escape from our real lives. Which was great, but that's all it was. Now I need to get back to my real life. And you need to get back to yours. Whatever the hell that is. Because it certainly has nothing to do with the marines."

"Not now. I..."

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