Page 91 of The Business of Love Box Set 1: Books 1 - 4

HAILEY

S team floated out of my coffee cup. It was a dry March morning in Nashville but the air had a bit of a chill to it, so I held my coffee in both hands and blew on it while the others I was with ordered their breakfast from the server standing beside our table on a usually sunny patio.

Kim had invited me and my sister out for breakfast with her and Vanessa and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I assumed she’d talked to Jackson recently and maybe he’d mentioned how he and I hadn’t spoken since he moved away.

I hoped he also hadn’t mentioned that we’d slept together before he left because I didn’t think I could take the humiliation. It had been nothing but a big fat mistake, and nothing made that more obvious than the fact that I still hadn’t heard from him.

For Jack, it was just a hookup.

For me, it had been something more and I was kicking myself for getting caught up in feelings I really had no right to feel. Jackson wasn’t settling down anytime soon—especially not with me. I was his best friend. Not his girlfriend.

How had I gotten my wires so crossed?

The waitress smiled at me. “And you, hun? What can I get for you?”

I ordered a veggie omelette with a fruit salad side before the waitress collected our menus and moved to the table next to us to take their order.

I sipped my coffee and tried not to think about Jackson as the girls chatted.

Hannah dropped a sugar cube into her tea and stirred it around. “So how are things with you and this hunk of yours, Kimberly?”

Kim grinned. “Rick? It’s great. Really great. I mean, you all know I was a little wary when things hit the fan and all of a sudden everyone in Nashville knew who I was. But we’ve pushed past that part and I’m happy. We’re happy.”

“Do you hear wedding bells in your future?” Hannah asked.

“Yes, I do.” Kim blushed and turned to Vanessa. “But the only wedding bells in our immediate future are for Vanessa and Rhys. How is wedding planning going?”

Vanessa ran her fingers through her hair and pulled her olive-green knit cardigan a little tighter around herself as a gentle breeze picked up.

“To be honest, everything is kind of on the backburner. With the little one, all our time is spent burping and feeding and doing laundry. The laundry. You guys, it’s unreal.

I’ve never experienced anything like it. ”

Vanessa and Rhys had welcomed their new baby girl, Lily, into the world just a couple short months ago. I hadn’t seen much of Vanessa since she gave birth, which was reasonable, and it was nice to see her out and about and enjoying some girl time.

“How are you feeling?” I asked her.

Vanessa nodded. “I feel pretty good, all things considered. Everyone always made me think childbirth would be the worst part, but ladies, let me tell you. Recovery is no cakewalk. I still feel like this body isn’t mine and my doctor said that it’s normal to experience a bit of detachment and stuff.

But it’s still weird. And sometimes a little unsettling.

Like I look in the mirror and I can’t believe I grew Lily all by myself and made this perfect, glorious, beautiful little thing.

But I also can’t believe that person is me. Does that make sense?”

Kim, my sister, and I all nodded, even though none of us had ever experienced such a thing.

Vanessa chuckled to herself. “Anyway, I don’t want to talk about baby stuff. Rhys has her for the morning and this is my girl time. So talk to me about what you guys have going on. Hailey, how have things been since Jackson moved to New York?”

I’d been preparing for the question all morning but it still caught me off guard when she asked. “Oh. Um. Fine. It’s been fine.”

“Is he settled into his new place yet?” Vanessa asked.

“I think so,” I said.

Kim frowned. “I talked to him the other night. He likes the new digs. And he made a pit stop at his sister’s resort to visit her for a couple of nights. Said they had a great time together. When did you talk to him last, Hailey?”

I swallowed. “Um. Actually, we haven’t spoken since he left.”

“What?” Kim and Vanessa asked in unison.

My sister rolled her eyes. “See, Hailey? I told you it was fucking weird that you and Jackson just stopped talking cold turkey.”

“You don’t have the full story,” I grumbled.

“Then tell us,” Vanessa said. “Did something happen?”

My cheeks burned and I wished I’d turned down the invite to join them for breakfast. But I also knew I wouldn’t be able to keep this under wraps forever, and it might be nice to have others know what had happened.

I felt like I’d been trapped in my own head with my thoughts for two whole weeks and that wasn’t a very nice place to be.

Other voices and opinions might help straighten me out.

I lifted my chin and looked around at them. “Jackson and I said goodbye the night before he left in a sort of… intimate way.”

Kim gripped the edge of the table and leaned forward. “Did you two fuck?”

“ Shut. Up. ” Vanessa’s eyes went wide and she looked back and forth between me and Kim. Finally, her attention settled on me. “Tell us everything. I’m so glad I got out of the house today.”

Hannah knuckled me in the upper arm. “How come you didn’t tell me this?”

I rubbed at my sore arm. “Ow. I don’t know. I just… I’ve been trying to make sense of what happened in my own head. I don’t really know how it happened. I stopped by his place. We had pizza. And then one thing led to another and we were kissing and our clothes were off and… well, you know.”

“No. We don’t. We need details, girl. Details!” Kim snapped her fingers.

“I’m not giving you a play by play on how good Jackson was in bed,” I said.

Kim gave me a suspicious look. “So he is good?”

I rolled my eyes. “Stop it. The sex was good. Great actually. But I let it get in my head and I convinced myself that maybe it was good enough for him to stay. But he still got in his car the next morning and left, and I stood there like an idiot staring after him, realizing I’d made a terrible mistake.

Sex makes things complicated. Now it feels like he took part of me with him when we could have had a clean friendship break and not made things so messy.

” I buried my face in my hands and groaned. “I fucked up, guys.”

“No, you didn’t.” Hannah pulled my hands away from my face.

Kim nudged my shin under the table with the toe of her sneaker. “Don’t beat yourself up. I have a confession to make. We’ve been waiting for you and Jackson to finally do the dirty.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Do the dirty? Who are you?”

“Shut up.” Kim scowled. “You know what I mean. There’s always been this underlying thing between you and Jackson.

Why don’t you go to New York? He asked you five thousand times.

And listen, Jackson isn’t the type of guy to jeopardize a friendship as important to him as yours if he doesn’t think he wants something more.

Maybe he just hasn’t reached out because he’s unsure where you stand. ”

“I can’t,” I said simply. “My life is here. My job.”

“Fuck your job,” Kim said harshly. “You don’t like it anyway! If they can transfer you, great. If not, who cares? You’ll find something better. You have a lot more to offer than settling for a place like that. If there is really something between you and Jackson, you should pursue it.”

I licked my lips. “That sounds like a lot of ’ifs.”

Kim stared flatly at Hannah. “Your sister is impossible, you know that?”

Hannah sighed. “Tell me about it.”

I was spared having to retort when our plates of food arrived.

My omelette oozed cheese, green peppers, mushrooms, and onions, and I jabbed my fork into it a dozen times to let the heat out so I could eat.

The others poured maple syrup over French toast or ketchup over hash browns and passed the pepper shaker around.

I stared at my food as the others started eating, and suddenly, my appetite was gone.

My thoughts were caught up in Jackson and I wondered if there was any truth to what Kim was saying.

Jackson wasn’t an ass. He was my best friend.

Maybe he was avoiding me because he didn’t know where I stood and he was afraid to make the first move.

Just like I was.

“Fuck it.” I reached behind me and pulled my phone out of my purse. Jackson was the first number on my speed dial. I dialed and lifted the phone to my ear.

Kim’s cheeks were full of French toast. “Are you calling him?”

I nodded.

All three of them fixed their attention on me like I was holding a piece of cheese and they were Labradors.

Jackson answered on the third ring. “Hails!” His voice was warm and light. It sounded like he was happy I had called. “How are you? I miss the shit out of you already.”

I smiled involuntarily and poked at my omelette with my fork. “I’m okay. I miss you too, Jack. How’s New York? I saw your show the other night. You looked good. Very professional.”

“Thanks, Boo. Hold on one sec.”

I waited as the line filled with background noise. People were laughing. Someone was talking. I heard Jackson’s voice as he told someone he’d be right back. It got significantly quieter and I assumed he’d stepped outside to finish our call.

“I can call later if this isn’t a good time,” I said.

“No, it’s fine. I wanted to talk to you about something actually.”

“Oh?” Did he want to talk about our last night together? Did he want to get back on the same page? “What’s up?”

Kim’s eyes were glued to me. I could feel the heat of my sister and Vanessa staring, too.

“I think I found a client that would be perfect for you,” Jackson said.

“Sorry?”

“A client. I picked up a new guy two and a half weeks ago or so, and I’ve been doing some qualifying stuff with him. You know, the usual questions and what not. And I think he’d be a good fit for you.”

“For me?”

“Of course for you!” Jackson said. “It’s the guy I was talking about on Sunny’s show. I didn’t mention it but he’s handsome, too.”

I swallowed and looked down at my lap. “Nice. Is he in Nashville?”

“Of course he’s in Nashville, you ninny.” Jackson’s laugh filled the line. “Where else would he be?”

New York. I sighed. “Nowhere.”