Page 6
Story: Not On the Agenda
There was a gentle nudge at my elbow, and I turned my attention to Cameron. She lifted her brows in question, but I played dumb.
“What?” I mouthed to her, watching the tick of annoyance in her left eye.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, why?”
“You seem,” she paused, looking for the right word, “out of it.”
“You and Vinny are both mother hens.” I chuckled quietly, looking back at Alex. But she’d gone silent, her attention on me. Taylor’s and Reid’s as well. “What?”
“Cam is right,” Alex said, her expression mirroring Cameron’s. “You’re not as loud as you usually are.”
“Uh, ouch?”
“You know what I mean,” Alex said, and I did. But I didn’t have any words for what I felt. I was just… off.
“It’s just this business deal that has me a little frazzled,” I lied, reaching for the glass of iced water in front of me. “Derek and his sharks are on my back about signing off but I’m a little hesitant. There’s a lot riding on this contract and I don’t want anything to slip through the cracks.”
“There’s more to it than that,” Cameron said, eyeing me closely. “Is everything okay with Vincent?”
A laugh slipped through my teeth.
“Vinny is fine,” I said flippantly. “He’s just fun; strictly casual.”
“We tell you this all the time, but Hayden, you’re really not this kind of person.” Taylor frowned. “Messing around with some guy who’s twenty years younger than you? Is it really making you happy?”
“Jesus, guys, you really want to get deep this early in the morning?” I chuckled, forcing some mirth into my voice. “I haven’t even thought about drinking yet but you’re obviously a few shots ahead of me.”
“We’re not kidding,” Reid said quietly, her hand squeezing my forearm supportively. But I didn’t want to hear it. Not again.
“Look, I’m just hung up on this deal, okay?” I insisted, heat sitting in my throat. I hated lying to my friends, but I’d already heard their opinions on my dating life. I didn’t want to think about it. “I could really use a distraction right now.”
There was a beat of silence around the table before Cameron spoke. “You only need a distraction when you’ve been spooked, Hayden.”
And, God damn it, she was right. As usual.
“Fine!” I conceded, my heart squeezing painfully. “Fine, okay? I- ugh, I met someone last night.”
“And?” Cameron pushed, her eyes hopeful.
“She was funny and beautiful and nothing,” I said. “She was in a tight spot and I helped her out of it. But it’s nothing more than that.”
“Hayden,” Cameron deadpanned, “it obviously is a lot more than that. What’s her name?”
“Frankie.”
“Does Frankie not have a last name?” Taylor pressed.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure she does, but I didn’t ask.” I scowled. “It’s not like I’m going to see her again.”
“But you want to.”
I glared at Cameron, at her knowing grin and the familiarity twinkling in her dark eyes.
“Yes, Cameron, I want to see her again,” I admitted, my chest aching at the confession. “But I’m not going to, and even if I did, it would mean nothing. I don’t do serious relationships. I am strictly casual.”
“She could be casual, too,” Reid pointed out and I scoffed, just a little salty.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6 (Reading here)
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127