wasn’t until I was married to Mark for a few years that I accepted
it. I thought…” Hailey took a shuddering breath. “If I could just
be with a woman, I could get it out of my system and go on being
what everyone else expected of me. But I was wrong. That first
encounter left me with a hunger that I couldn’t deny no matter
how hard I tried.”
Hailey turned on one heel as a sob escaped her, and she
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headed for the door. This time, I couldn’t let her just walk away. I
grabbed her by the arm and spun her around to face me. Cupping
her face in my hands, I stared long into her eyes before my lips
met hers. I felt a tingle to my toes and almost dizzy when her
body pressed into mine. I pulled away to catch my breath and
rested my forehead against hers. “Just this once, could you try to
do something that makes you happy?”
One hand was pushing me away, and the other clutched my
jacket and pulled me close. “You are the greatest temptation I’ve
ever known in my life,” she whispered. “I’m terrified to let you
in.” “Let’s go upstairs and just talk. I won’t try to kiss you again,
but please, Hailey, talk this out with me.” She let me take her by
the hand and lead her to the elevator. I didn’t let her go as we rode
to the second floor. I was following her into her apartment when
my cell phone rang.
Seeing Kalen’s name on the ID worried me when I realized
how late it was. “Hey, what’s up?” I said as Hailey turned to look
at me.
“Mom just called. Dad is having chest pains, and they’re
going by ambulance to the hospital. I’ve booked us on the first
flight out, but that’s not until five. Can you pick me up at two
thirty?”
After Kalen assured me that she would call the minute she
heard anything, I closed my phone and sank down on Hailey’s
sofa. She sat next to me and draped an arm around my shoulders.
“What’s wrong?”
“My dad is on the way to the hospital with chest pains. I have
to catch a flight first thing in the morning,” I said in a daze.
Hailey put a finger under my chin and turned me to look
at her. “I promise that we’ll talk, but right now, you have more
important things on your mind.”
I nodded, feeling numb.
“Stay with me tonight. I promise I won’t let you oversleep.”
Hailey pulled me into her arms and pressed my head onto her
shoulder. It felt so good, so comforting.
“I have to pack.”
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Hailey stood and pulled me to my feet. “If you’d rather sleep
in your own bed, I’ll understand.”
“I don’t care where I sleep, not that I will, but I’d like you to
be close.”
She smiled and gave me a hug. “Let’s go get your things.”
I was thankful that I had Hailey to help me or I would’ve
made the trip without a change of underwear. I dressed for bed at
her place, and she pulled me into bed with her. Cocooned in her
arms, sleep came to me, though I doubted it would.
“Wake up, Shannon.”
Someone rubbed circles into my back, and someone licked
me in the face. I jerked back from the tongue that took a swipe up
my nose and nearly head-butted Hailey.
“Fuzzy, knock it off.” Hailey switched on a light on her side
of the bed.
It’d been years since I’d had to get up at such an early hour. I
lay there and tried to force my eyes open. Fuzzy got me again on
the side of the cheek. “Fuzzy, please,” I said with a groan.
Hailey ushered the little licker out of the bedroom and came
to sit on the bed beside me. “Look on the bright side,” she said
with a smile. “Your face has already been washed.”
“Is that your secret to looking so young?”
“No, I use face wash.” Hailey gave me a soft nudge. “You
have to get up now, but while you’re in the shower, I’ll fix you
breakfast and make coffee.”
I let her take me by the hand and lead me into the bathroom.
As I brushed my teeth, Hailey brought in the clothes that I’d set
out, then closed the door behind her.
After my shower, I was fully awake, and tension began to pull
at my stomach. Kalen had not called during the night, so I took
that as a positive sign and assumed that Dad had been admitted.
I felt sorry for my mom being there all alone and probably being
eaten up with worry. She was the strongest woman I’ve ever
known aside from Kalen, but I knew having us there with her
would ease her anxiety.
“I made something light because I figured you’d probably be
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Pitifully Ugly
too nervous to eat,” Hailey said as I walked into the kitchen. She’d
toasted and buttered an English muffin and peeled a banana.
“Would you prefer milk or juice?” she asked as she pulled out
my chair.
“Milk would be great, and thank you for taking care of me.”
Hailey set the milk next to my plate and kneaded my shoulders.
“I’m really sorry about your dad. If you get a chance, please text
me and let me know how things are going.”
I managed to choke down half of the muffin and the entire
banana before Hailey pressed a to-go cup of coffee in my hand.
She looked so cute with puffy eyes and sleep-tousled hair. I
wanted to kiss her again. Instead I hugged her tight and whispered
my thanks before heading out the door. She stood in the doorway
watching me as I waited for the elevator.
“I’ll miss you,” Hailey called out softly, then closed the door
before I could respond.
“Where were you last night?” Kalen asked after we’d taken
off. “I called your house a half-dozen times before I tried your
cell.”In lieu of everything going on with Dad, I didn’t want to
argue about the events of the previous evening. “I stepped out to
get something to eat.”
“Alone?”
My right leg started bouncing, which was a classic indicator
that I was being intentionally misleading. My brain started
screaming out in warning. Don’t bounce, she’ll be on to us in a
heartbeat. I crossed my feet at the ankles to still it. “Don’t you
think it’s odd that mom hasn’t called us?”
Kalen shook her head. “She knew we were gonna catch the
first flight. She probably didn’t want to wake us up.”
“How come Toad didn’t come with us?”
“I told Todd,” Kalen glared at me, “to wait and see what we
found out.” She adjusted her neck pillow. “He’s been overloaded
since we came back from vacation. I didn’t want to make it any
more difficult on him.”
It only took a few minutes before Kalen was nestled against
Robin Alexander
my shoulder fast asleep. I figured that she’d been unable to sleep
at all the night before. I stared out the window into the darkness
and said a prayer for Dad, then my thoughts went to Hailey.
The women in past relationships grew on me over time, but
I’d never met a woman who made me want her like Hailey did. I
thought back to my brainstorming session with Fuzzy in the park.
Was it that I thought I could never have her and therein was the