“Watch and learn.” Hailey sat straighter in her chair and clasped her hands on her lap in a mimic of how Delinda often sat. “Hailey, dear, let’s pamper ourselves tomorrow.” She wasn’t one to pat herself on the back, but she was nailing her Delinda impression. “We’ll get our nails done, our hair done. I even know a designer. You’d look stunning in anything from his line. What do you say? Will you indulge an old woman? A very, very old woman?”
Delinda nodded a few times slowly, but she was smiling. “I’m not sure you’ve mastered polite, either.”
“We’re all a work in progress,” Hailey said, feeling more lighthearted than she had in a long time.
Hailey’s phone beeped again, not because a new message had come in, but as a reminder that she had one waiting. “Do you mind if I step outside for a moment?”
“Not at all. I have a few phone calls to make for our day tomorrow. Should I plan for Skye to join us? There’s no reason she couldn’t do her lessons and get her nails done.”
She’s asking? Now there is progress. “I’ll speak to Mrs. Holihen. She might be able to fit the lessons around what we have planned.”
“Considering what I pay her . . . if she balks at all—”
“Delinda—”
“It’s just to make sure we get exactly what we want.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“That’s how I came into the world, and it’s likely the way I’ll depart it. Now go, answer your friend. Don’t say yes to seeing him tomorrow, though. Make him wait until the weekend.”
“I have Skye on the weekend.”
“I’m sure Mrs. Holihen will come by if I ask her to, or I could watch her myself.”
“I’ll ask Mrs. Holihen. If I decide to go anywhere.”
“Whatever you wish. Go on, now. I’m tired. Being nice is exhausting.”
Spencer was back in his office, looking down at his phone like a high school boy waiting for an answer from his crush. He’d made it a lifelong practice to not chase women. There were enough vying for his attention that worrying about which woman he’d end the night with was unnecessary.
Hailey is different.
He’d spent a pathetic amount of time crafting his text to her. It had to be warm without making it seem like he wasn’t willing to honor his promise to go slowly.
He’d written: Today was nice.
When no response came back, he regretted not saying more.
It’s Spencer.
As soon as he sent it, he groaned. She knows it’s me. I blew my two-line limit on stupid shit. Three unanswered texts spells desperate. All I can do now is fucking wait.
He sat at his desk and placed his phone in front of him. She’s at work. She might not even know she has a message.
“What are you doing?” Jordan asked, taking a seat in front of his desk.
Spencer would have put his phone away, but he didn’t want to miss her response if she wrote back. “Nothing much. Does this mean you’re back?”
“Yeah. I tried to get some stuff done at home, but I ended up watching every season of Dr. Who and a disturbing number of reality shows. I was knee-deep in half-empty pizza boxes, and I started to wonder why there were no beer cans. Why would someone like me not wallow in alcohol when he’s unhappy? Then I remembered that ass kicking you gave me our junior year when I got drunk instead of working on the coding you’d asked me for, and I started to miss you. You’re an asshole, but you’re still my best friend.”
Spencer pretended to dab away tears. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“Whatever. You don’t look hungover today, which robs me of the opportunity of kicking your ass back toward sobriety.”
He hadn’t thought much about it, but Jordan was right—he hadn’t looked at another woman or had a drink since he’d met up with Hailey again. He wanted better than the life he’d fallen into.
“So you really liked my album simulator?” Jordan asked.
“I told you, it’s fucking genius. There’s nothing on the market that can compete. The way it isolates and creates specific 3-D holograms from merged video is mind-blowing. It’s a game changer.”
“Thank you. And the volleyball-babe simulator?”
“No.”
Jordan laughed. “It was worth a shot. You’re probably right about it being a slippery slope to porn. Not that I wouldn’t buy the program if someone else made it, but it’s not what I want to be remembered for.”
“See, sometimes I’m right.” Spencer glanced down at his phone.
“Waiting on a call?”
“No.”
“Fucking liar.”
It was Spencer’s turn to laugh. “I had lunch with Hailey today.”
“And?”
“And it was good to see her. Really good.”
“Tell her I said hello.”
“I will. When she answers me.”
Jordan sat forward and grabbed Spencer’s phone. “That’s what you’re doing? Sitting here waiting for her to answer a text?”
Spencer was on his feet and around the table in a heartbeat. “Give me the fucking phone.”
Jordan read aloud: “Today was nice. It’s Spencer.” He laughed. “Wow, I thought you had more game than that.”
Spencer grabbed his phone back and pocketed it. “She’s going through a rough time right now. We’re starting off as friends.”
“Ouch.”
“It’s not like that.”
“I’ve been friends with plenty of women, so I’d argue that it’s exactly like that.”
“Fuck you.”
“Everything okay?” Brett asked as he strolled in.
“Where’s Lisa? I thought I had a secretary who would at least slow the revolving door down.”
“He’s in a mood,” Jordan said as he walked over to shake Brett’s hand.
“That’s nothing new,” Brett said cheerfully.
Jordan returned to his seat and put his feet up on the corner of Spencer’s desk. “A woman he likes just kicked him to the friend zone.”
Brett grimaced in sympathy. “That’s rough.”
“She didn’t kick me anywhere. I told you, she has a lot on her plate, so we’re taking it slowly.”
“Is she married?” Brett asked.
“No,” Spencer said impatiently.
“He’s not even sure she’ll answer his text. That’s as slow as it gets.”
“You know who misses you, Jordan? Your office. You should go see it,” Spencer spit out.
“Is this a party someone forgot to invite me to?” Nicolette asked as she entered the room. “I didn’t see Lisa at her desk, so I figured it was okay to come right in.” She nodded at her brother. “Brett.” She smiled when she saw Jordan. “Hi, Jordan.”
Jordan dropped his feet to the floor as he stood, looking flustered. “Nicolette.”
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Nicolette said, gauging their expressions.
“No, everyone was just leaving,” Spencer said.
“I wasn’t going anywhere,” Jordan said.
“I just got here,” Brett supplied.
Spencer slapped his forehead before going over to hug Nicolette in greeting. “Or they were staying. I’ve lost control of my office.”
“I’m so sorry,” Lisa said breathlessly from the doorway. “I stepped away for a moment to use the ladies’ room.”
“It’s fine,” Spencer growled.
Jordan nodded at Lisa. “Hey, Lisa, what do you tell a guy when you don’t want to date him, but you know he likes you?”
Lisa went three shades of red. “That I just want to be his friend?”
Spencer threw up his hands. “You need to leave. All of you. Now. Some of us actually work.”
“By ‘work’ he means he wants to sit at his desk and stare at his phone until she answers his text.”