Reaching across the table, I swat him with the back of my hand. “Jerk,” I mutter, but I’m grinning back at him.
This time when Hayes reaches across the table, our hands clasp and my heart skips a beat.
“I promise I’ll help,” he murmurs, his eyes locking with mine. “Whatever I can do and however I can help, I’ll do it for you . . . for Riverside. You have my word, dove.”
My heart goes splat.
3
HAYES
Dinner out with the guys is a casual affair, and usually one I look forward to. But something feels off about tonight.
To be honest, I don’t want to be here. My guess is it’s because I haven’t been able to get Maren off my mind, but it could also be because my so-called friends forced me into taking some time off last week, and I’m still feeling guilty about it.
Cheeseburgers and beers from McGil’s solve most problems, though, so things are beginning to look up. Our server delivers our food, along with a stack of extra napkins we didn’t ask for but are certain to need.
After setting down the plates, she lingers at our table a moment too long. I’m sure she sees three successful, attractive bachelors when she looks at us, and she’s not wrong. But guys’ night is sacred, and even Connor knows better than to go hunting for pussy during guys’ night at McGil’s.
“We’re all set, thanks,” Wolfie tells her, flashing an annoyed glance her way, and she scurries off.
Connor shakes his head at him. “She seems nice.”
I watch their interaction with a distant sort of detachment, knowing I need to snap out of whatever this is. I’m distracted and edgy, and it’s only a matter of time until Wolfie notices. The dude picks up on everything, and it’s almost impossible to hide something from him.
“You good?” Wolfie asks, appraising me from across the table with a creased brow.
“Yeah.”
“Come on, Hayes. We know you better than that. What’s going on with you?” Wolfie levels me with a serious glare.
Knowing better than to blow him off, I rub a hand over the stubble on my jaw and decide to go with the answer that doesn’t reveal that I’ve been thinking about what his sister would look like naked. “Um, shit went sideways last week with Samantha. It’s not a big deal.”
“Samantha? She was your flavor of the month, right?” Connor chuckles into his beer. “What the hell happened this time?”
I groan out a sound that my friends interpret correctly.
“That bad, huh?” Connor gives me a mocking look.
I grab a couple of napkins and dig into my meal. I’ve had longer relationships with one of these burgers than he’s had with a woman. The dude’s allergic to monogamy. A total playboy. He and I don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, but he’s been a friend since college and is one of my business partners, so I do my best to play nice.
Because Connor’s a perpetual bachelor, I don’t expect him to understand my need for companionship. But I’ve always been this way; it’s just how I’m wired. I feel more like myself when I’m part of a duo. But I must be doing something wrong, must be the world’s worst boyfriend to always end up in this same position after a few weeks or months.
Wolfie glares at me. “Tell us, Hayes.”
God, would it kill the guy to smile every once in a while?
“She wanted commitment, and I wasn’t ready,” I say around a bite of my burger.
Connor smirks. “So the usual then.”
“Fuck off.” I grin at him and toss a fry at his face.
Wolfie shakes his head. “Behave, children.”
If I’m the Casanova of the group, constantly searching for my other half, and Connor’s known for his revolving bedroom door, Wolfie’s kind of like the dad of our crew. With his stern reputation and that perpetual scowl on his face, I’d say that solidifies it. I constantly feel like I’m disappointing him and can never say no, which is one of the reasons I’m always checking in on his sister when he asks. It’s the least I can do. Especially because I know how much shit he and Maren went through growing up.
“Knowing you, you’ve probably already moved on to the next unfortunate soul,” Connor adds before shoving two fries into his mouth.
I give my head a firm shake. “Nope. Not this time. I need a break, man. I’m giving up dating.”
Wolfie meets my eyes and nods. “That’s probably wise.”
I nod back, but my feelings about this topic are anything but settled. Part of me worries I won’t be able to do it. Another part is worried I’ll never find a good woman to settle down with. And still another part of me wonders why my relationships never seem to work out.
The conversation moves on to business, which is no surprise, and I find myself nodding and grunting at the appropriate times. I offer my opinion when needed or asked for, but my mind wanders.
More specifically, it wanders straight to Maren.
When she opened up during our breakfast together about her struggles at work, the somber look on her face gutted me. She has the weight of the world on her shoulders, and there’s no way I couldn’t offer to help. Riverside is more than just a job to her—it’s the safe place she went after school. It’s where she spent her afternoons visiting with her grandfather before he passed. It’s part of what makes her Maren.
No longer hungry, I push my half-empty plate away. A quick glance at Wolfie confirms that he can’t read my thoughts, and thank God for that, because they’re not always so pure when it comes to his little sister.
As much as I try to keep myself from thinking about Maren as anything other than Wolfie’s
