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“Simon Gaines is a pretty hot guy,” she said, handing me a covered tray. “But you know, you can’t have two hot guys swooning all over you at the same time. It’s really unfair, now that I think about it. You’re pretty, but you’re not that pretty.”
“What the hell are you talking about, Sarah?”
“Nothing.” She smiled. “I’m just enjoying how I get to spend my weekend getting a custom lunch order for my boss and his best friend. It’s not like I have a life of my own.”
“You can have the rest of the day off.” Hayden looked up at her. “Thank you for complaining about your easy-ass job as always.”
“My pleasure, Mr. Hunter.” She rushed out of the room.
“You really need to fire her,” “I really need to fire her,” we said in unison, laughing.
As I was picking up a fork, my phone buzzed against the sofa.
Without thinking, I stood up and rushed over to see who it was. Simon, again.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Hey there, gorgeous.” There was a smile in his voice. “Are you still recovering from your hangover?”
“Maybe.”
He laughed. “Well, in that case, I’m calling to beg you for a second date.”
“Really?” Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. “When?”
“Tomorrow, if you can,” he said. “I’m hosting a second welcome party in the Hamptons. Would you be able to make it?”
“Um …” I looked over at Hayden. “Hold on a second, let me check something.”
“Sure.”
I made sure to hit the mute button. “He wants to take me on a second date in the Hamptons tomorrow. What should I say?”
“That normal people have jobs and can’t party with their blast from the past every night.”
“You know that’s super hypocritical coming from you, Mr. Untamed Playboy of Manhattan, right?”
He leaned back in his chair and laughed. “You should go with him. Tell him yes.”
I un-muted the call. “Sorry about that. I can come.”
“Great. I’d offer to pick you up, but I already promised my guys I would drive. Can I arrange for a town car to pick you up instead?”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll have Hayden bring me.”
“Hmmm.” He paused. “Okay, then. I’ll text you the address and start time.”
“I had a great time with you on the yacht,” I said, hoping that his “Hmmm” wasn’t bound to lead down a familiar road I didn’t want to travel.
“Me too,” he said. “Although, I have to warn you. Once word gets out that my firm is completely here, you may see a few photogs trailing us here or there. I mean, if you’re still going out on dates with me, that is.”
“They won’t bother me at all.” I bit my tongue before I said, ‘I’m used to photogs with Hayden.’ “Trust me.”
“Tell me why your last relationship didn’t work,” he said suddenly, catching me off guard.
“What?”
“Your last relationship,” he repeated. “I’m curious as to why any sane guy would ever let you go.”
“It’s complicated,” I said, blushing. “It’s also a long story.”
“I have all day.”
I blushed again. “He just wasn’t right for me. We dated six months and he was harboring resentment over something stupid the entire time. Something that he knew about from the beginning.”
“You mean, the fact that your best male friend is a super successful CEO with a bad-boy reputation?”
“Yes.” I smiled. “That.”
“Well, so you know, that doesn’t bother me in the slightest.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Most of my friends fell off once I started getting obsessed with my work, and it was hard to find new ones. I think it’s good to have a loyal friend like that in your life.”
“I think my obsession with skating cost me the chance of making a lot of friends, too. I don’t regret it in the slightest, though.”
“You shouldn’t,” he said. “You accomplished almost everything you wanted from your career, right?”
Just like at the yacht party, one simple question evolved into an hours-long conversation about everything and nothing all at once. I wasn’t second-guessing my answers or putting up boundaries like I usually did when I was pursuing someone new.
It was all natural and easy, smooth and sweet.
I didn’t even care that Hayden ate my lunch and literally lifted me up mid-convo to carry me back into the guest suite so he could focus.
In the middle of Simon telling me about his favorite places to eat in Florida, his assistant interrupted.
“Can I call you back within the hour?” he asked. “This will be quick, I promise.”
“Absolutely.” I ended the call and returned to the kitchen, stopping when I saw Hayden dressed in nothing but a pair of black briefs.
He was standing in front of the stove, letting droplets of water trickle down from his freshly showered hair and onto his perfectly chiseled chest.
“Yes?” He flipped a pancake before looking at me. “Are you finally done talking to Simon about your favorite Disney movies, or is there a part two for that riveting topic of discussion?”
