Page 94 of The Business of Love Box Set 1: Books 1 - 4

JACKSON

“ I ’ve heard good things about you and your matchmaking skills, Mr. Smithe,” the woman with the thick southern accent said on the other end of the phone line.

There was a familiar feminine note to her voice that I couldn’t place and I wondered if I’d met her before.

“I’d like to stop by your office this morning and sit down and discuss hiring you to help me fix my love life. Do you have an open appointment?”

The office was coming along nicely but it still wasn’t finished. A last coat of paint needed to go on, followed by installing new baseboards, crown molding, and putting up the light fixtures.

“You can absolutely stop in this morning,” I said. “We’ll sit down and see what we can make happen. What time works for you? I’m flexible.”

“I’m in the area. Five minutes?”

“Sure. Come on by. The office is still in the final stages of some construction so I apologize in advance for the dust and the stench of wet paint.”

“Not to worry, darling. See you soon.”

She hung up.

Darling?

Who was this southern belle? And what was she doing in New York looking for love? I was already brimming over with curiosity by the time someone knocked softly on the front door. I paced down the plastic-covered hallways to protect the new hardwood floors from paint and tugged the door open.

And there, standing on the front step with two coffees in hand, was Hailey.

I blinked.

She grinned like a goof. “Hello, darling,” she cooed with a southern accent that sounded much cheesier face to face than it had over the phone. She handed me one of the coffees. “Are you going to let a girl in, or are you going to leave her standing outside?”

I threw my head back and laughed before stepping aside and letting her in. Hailey hurried inside and wrapped her coffee-free arm around me in a hug.

“What are you doing here?” I asked. “Not that I’m complaining. It’s great to see you. I just didn’t expect—how did you—when did you—”

“Breathe, Jack.” She giggled. “I hopped on a flight at two in the morning after a very enlightening date with Ambrose.”

“You liked him?”

“Well enough.” She shrugged before turning in a slow circle and looking around the office. “This place looks incredible! I love the color. It’s so bright and airy and—”

“Hailey.”

She turned back to me. “Hm?”

“What are you doing here?”

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too. Obviously. But what is this about? How long are you here?”

Hailey’s cheeks turned a little pink. She set her coffee down on what would soon be the front desk of the office.

It was a big white marble-covered slab. On the wall behind the desk was white wall paneling, and soon, it would have artwork up there to showcase local artists in the community.

Paying it forward was good, simple business.

Hailey clasped her hands together. “I did something crazy.”

My heart did a little skip in my chest.

Had she hooked up with Ambrose? Was he here with her? Were they on a spontaneous lovers’ trip to the Big Apple where they would fall head over heels and have a whirlwind romance and then get married before the end of the year and start making babies and—

“Are you okay, Jack?” Hailey asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I gave my head a shake. “Yeah. Yeah. Sorry, just got a little distracted. Work stuff. You did something crazy, you said?”

She nodded. “I packed up all my stuff at my sister’s apartment and she’s putting it on a moving truck for me tomorrow morning.”

“Moving truck?”

She nodded. “You asked me a thousand times to come with you and I said no, but now I’m finally saying yes even though you didn’t ask.”

“Are you pulling my leg?”

She shook her head. “Nope. I’m dead serious.”

All the panicked worry I suddenly had about Ambrose—which I still didn’t quite understand where it had come from—melted away. “Where are you staying?”

She bit her bottom lip. “I hadn’t thought it all the way through. I sort of just jumped without looking back.”

I put my coffee down and took her by the shoulders. “Hailey Marie Brown, you just made my fucking year.”

She giggled. God, I’d missed that sound. And those eyes. And that smile. And the smell of her vanilla body spray.

She let out a relieved sigh and put her hands over mine on her shoulders.

“I’m glad you’re happy because the asshole I sat next to on the plane told me I was crazy for upending my life for a guy who’d already started his new journey in another city and was probably seeing a girl with a New York City edge and long legs and—”

“Hailey,” I said sternly. “Fuck that guy.”

She took a breath and nodded. “You’re right. Fuck that guy. He doesn’t know us.”

“Damn straight. This is the best thing I could have asked for.”

“Really?”

“Really. New York has been great but one thing has been missing since I got here. You.”

She blushed again. “Jack. Don’t sweet talk me.”

“I’m not. I mean it. I’ve missed the hell out of you.” All of a sudden, I knew what I wanted. “Move in with me.”

“What?”

“Move in with me. Take as much time as you need to get settled. It’ll be like old times.

Save some money and start on the right foot here.

” I wanted to give her every opportunity possible to make this work.

I knew Hailey wasn’t flush with cash and I also knew she’d never accept an offer of money to get on her feet, but she might accept free housing.

“I hate how lonely my place feels and I want to share it with my best friend.”

“You’re sure?”

“I am absolutely fucking certain, Hails. I am so certain that I’m going to close and lock this door, and you and I are going to go shopping for new furniture for your room.

Call your sister and tell her not to bother sending the dresser and the bed.

She can keep it for her spare room. We’ll set you up with some new stuff. ”

“Jackson, you don’t have to.”

“I want to.”

Her eyes searched mine. “At least let me buy lunch?”

“Deal.”

Hailey looked anxiously around the furniture store as I threw myself face first onto the fully made display bed. The duvet puffed up, and the pillows fell over, as I rolled onto my back to clasp my hands behind my head and grin at her.

“Don’t be such a goody two shoes,” I teased. “Come on. Test it out.”

“Jackson. These aren’t for rolling around in. They’re for looking at.”

“We’re going to spend money here. Who cares?”

“ I care.”

I groaned. “Party pooper.”

Hailey stood on high alert as I climbed out of the bed. As soon as my feet hit the floor, she was tugging at the edges of the duvet, straightening the pillows, fluffing them up, and folding the top of the duvet down just like it had been before I unceremoniously fucked it up.

I linked an elbow through hers and pulled her forcefully away from the still somewhat messy looking bed.

“You need to relax, Hails. These folks work on commission and we’re going to give them a wicked payday.

I assure you they won’t mind if they have to make a bed when we leave.

A little bit of fun never hurt anybody.”

“They shouldn’t have to clean up after us.”

I rolled my eyes. She was missing the point. I didn’t think they should have to clean up after us either, but I planned on finding a good consultant we could goof off with while we shopped, give them a killer sale and a tip, and leave them in a better mood than they were when we arrived.

“You’ll get it by the end of the transaction,” I said confidently.

We found a salesman named Hugo. He wore a fanny pack for his insulin and apologized mid-sale when he had to step off the floor and inject himself.

Hailey told him we didn’t mind at all and he didn’t have to leave, but he explained it was store policy.

Neither of us liked that very much and Hugo waved off our concerns, explaining it wasn’t a big deal and every job he’d ever had had been like this.

Hailey stood with her arms folded as we waited for him to come back. “We’re going to buy from him, right?”

“Definitely,” I said. “Don’t hold back. If you see it and you want, let’s get it. That includes artwork.”

“I don’t need the sky, the moon, and the stars, Jackson. I just need the essentials.”

“Nope.” I shook my head. “You get it all. Let’s make this feel like home.”

She flashed me one of her charming smiles before twirling around and taking a seat on a blue-velvet chaise lounge. She ran her fingers over the soft fabric and leaned back before kicking up her heels and stretching her legs out on it. “Fine then. I want this.”

“Consider it yours.”

“And a matching overhead lamp so I can sit by the window and read.”

“There aren’t any windows in your bedroom.”

She sat up straight. “What? No windows?”

“I didn’t tell you? Your room is more of a linen closet than an actual room. Rent in New York isn’t cheap, Hails. Don’t be ungrateful.”

Dimples pressed into her cheeks as she grinned and shook her head at me. “I am reconsidering all of my choices.”

I laughed. “I kid. Of course, you can have the lamp. And the chaise. What else do you want? Plants? Candles? A rug?”

“All of those things.”

Hugo returned with a pep in his step and nodded at the chaise. “Nice, huh? We just had it delivered this morning. Haven’t sold any of them yet.”

“You just did, man,” I said. “We’ll take it. Hey, do you have any of those electric scanner things couples use for wedding-gift registries?”

Hugo arched an eyebrow. “Uh. Yes, but I hardly think your guests will want to buy you a six-thousand-dollar chair.”

Hailey popped out of the chair like it was on fire. “Six-thousand dollars?”

Hugo nodded.

I chuckled at the pair of them. “No, we’re not getting married. We’re outfitting her new room with everything she wants and I figured it might be faster if we just scan it all and then give you the list.”

Hugo looked like he might need another shot of insulin. “Are you for real, sir?”

“Yes.”

Hugo scratched the back of his neck. “Okay. Let me see if I can find one for you folks. Sit tight.”

Hailey giggled and plopped back down in the chaise. “I think you blew his mind a little. How much is this all going to cost, Jackson?”

I offered her a hand to pull her back up on her feet. “It costs what it costs. No time to dilly dally, my lady. We have shopping to do.”

She squealed with delight, interlinked her fingers with mine, and gave them a squeeze as we made our way down the winding aisle of the store to seek out the pieces that belonged in her dream bedroom.

Naturally, I found the most hideous things possible and tried to convince her they were her style.