Page 29 of Beneath Your Beautiful

I piled a plate high with spaghetti and grated cheese and sent him a photo of my dinner.

Where are the vegetables?

They’re overrated.

Not even a salad?

I sent a photo of mini carrots and a cucumber, the only vegetables in my fridge.Dessert.

While I ate my dinner, sitting cross-legged on my living room floor, we texted back and forth about nothing important. I guess, for want of a better word, Killian and I were becoming friends.

Chapter Eleven

Eden

“You’re all up in my space, dude,” Zeke teased, as we both reached for the same bottle of tequila. He hip-bumped me out of the way, and I hip-bumped him back, grabbing the bottle before he got the chance.

“I win.”

He winked at me. “Only because I let you.”

“Eden!” someone shouted over the indie rock band’s music. I turned to look at Hailey who had worked her way up to the bar. “Congrats. You got the job.” She leaned in for a high five, a big smile on her face. “How’s it going?”

“Great. I owe you.”

“Flowers are always welcome. Or chocolates.” Hailey grinned to let me know she was joking. “I should get your number. We can hang out sometime.”

I gave it to her, and she punched it into her phone and sent me a text, so I had hers too. “I’ll buy you a coffee. Or chocolates. Or both.”

“Totally not necessary.”

“Did you need a drink?”

“Yeah. I’m with some friends.” She looked over her shoulder then back at me. “They’re watching the band.” She pointed to one of the beers on tap. “Three please.”

I poured the beers and set them in front of Hailey who was watching Zeke flirt with the girls he was serving. As if he sensed her watching him, Zeke looked over, and gave Hailey a big wink and his signature smile. She dragged her gaze away from him and handed me the money.

I rang it up and set the change in front of her. “Thanks,” she said, leaving a tip on the bar. “In case you’re wondering, I already know Zeke’s a player. But I’m in it for the long game. Players have to stop playing sometime, right?”

I gave her a little smile, not convinced. Zeke had confided that he had no interest in settling for one girl anytime soon. “It’s just a matter of how long you’re willing to wait.”

She groaned. “You’re right. I could be old and gray by then.” She tossed her hair and squared her shoulders as if preparing for battle. “In the meantime, I’m going to find someone else.”

“Good luck,” I said, laughing as she gave me a little wave and one last look at Zeke before she disappeared into the crowd.

A little while later, while we were side by side at the beer taps, Zeke asked, “Are you friends with Hailey?”

I told him how we’d met, and that Hailey had tipped me off about the job. “Why do you ask?”

“She seems cool. Sometimes she’ll talk to me and it’s all good. But other times, she’ll totally ignore me.” He scratched his head like this truly puzzled him. I smothered a laugh.

“Interesting.”

“It’s just weird.” He shook his head like this had never happened to him before. It probably hadn’t. “I don’t get where she’s coming from.”

“Maybe she’s not that into you,” I tossed over my shoulder.

Louis chuckled and shook his head. “Reverse psychology. Works every time.”