wouldn’t diminish that.”
“I look forward to spending time with you tonight.”
“Me too,” Hailey said, sounding suddenly shy. “See you
soon.”
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Pitifully Ugly
Chapter 30
Steak, crab and ahhh…
In hindsight, it was good to spend time with Mom and Kalen.
Their playful banter and being dragged from store to store made
the day pass quickly. Otherwise, I would’ve sat home and waited
impatiently for the hours to tick by. I returned home to relax for a
while and launder my new outfit.
Now as I stood in the mirror, I was actually happy that Mom
and Kalen were so insistent on dressing me for the occasion.
The black slacks and the lightweight burgundy sweater showed
off the figure that I’d worked for. It wasn’t so dressy that I felt
uncomfortable, yet the ensemble looked a lot dressier than jeans.
I slipped into the matching blazer and wished for a second that
Marvin had been around to do my hair and makeup.
I rode the elevator down to Hailey’s floor with a grin. My
arms were full with flowers for Hailey and a gift bag for Fuzzy
since her chicken-hunting stunt provided the perfect segue for me
to ask Hailey out.
“Wow, you look amazing,” Hailey said when she opened
her door. I wanted to return the compliment, but it froze on my
tongue when I took in the black cocktail dress she’d chosen for the
evening. It hugged every delicious curve and left me breathless.
“Is it too much?” Hailey asked when I stood there gawking.
“No…I…Oh, my God, you’re beautiful.” I felt as awkward
as a schoolboy as I presented the flowers. “These are for you. A
small show of gratitude for taking care of me when I was sick and
a thank you for agreeing to accompany me tonight.”
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Robin Alexander
Hailey sniffed at the one red rose in the center of the bouquet.
“And this dinner, is this some sort of show of gratitude?
“No,” I said, looking deep into her eyes. “This is just about
wanting to spend time with you.”
Hailey sighed as she looked at me, a small smile pulled at the
corner of her mouth. “I’ll put these in water.”
“This is for you.” I looked down at Fuzzy. I opened the gift
bag covered in tiny dog prints and pulled out High School Musical
2, a chew bone with a chicken-flavored center, and a stuffed lamb.
“I figured that this might make you happy while I steal your mom
away for a while.”
Fuzzy did a dance as I handed her the lamb.
“I’m going to get my coat,” Hailey said. “If you’ll unwrap the
bone and put in the movie, I think Fuzzy will be grateful.”
I watched Hailey walk from the room and looked down at
Fuzzy, who seemed to say, Open the bone, fool. She took it and
lay down next to her lamb in front of the TV and waited as I put
in the movie.
“Thank you for that,” Hailey said as she came back into the
room and nodded toward her pooch that was happily gnawing the
bone and eyeing the TV. “Are we ready?”
“Yes.” I walked over to the door and prepared to open it for
her. Hailey put her hand atop mine and stopped me. She tugged
on the lapel of my blazer until we were scarcely an inch apart. “I
want to willingly give you this,” she said before her lips met mine.
The kiss was gentle and sweet at first. I heard her purse drop
to the floor as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and
pulled me tight against her. All thoughts of dinner fled my mind
as her tongue slipped into my mouth. Her teeth grazed my bottom
lip as she broke the kiss that left me shaken and breathless. “Yes,
I think we’re ready now,” Hailey said with a coy smile.
“I’ll get your purse,” I said dumbly as I knelt in front of her.
I felt Hailey’s hand weave into my hair and tug me back up to
her. “I was wrong, we’re not quite ready.” She pushed me against
the door and kissed me again. My hands roamed over the backless
dress, and I moaned at the feel of her warm skin. She pressed
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Pitifully Ugly
harder into me, straddling my thigh. The sound of our breathing
drowned out the intro music to the movie. When she pulled away
from me this time, she looked as unhinged as I felt. “Okay, we’re
ready now.” Hailey took an unsteady step back.
I bit my lip to keep from asking, ready for what? I wasn’t
sure we were talking about dinner anymore. I felt like we skipped
straight to dessert.
Hailey wiped her lipstick from my lips with the pad of her
thumb. “I’m sorry. I think I kissed away your lipstick and mine.”
“You’ll hear no complaints from me.”
Hailey slipped the toe of her shoe under the strap of her purse
and lifted it high enough for me to grab. After she plucked it from
my trembling fingers, she opened the door. “Let’s go,” she said
with a pleased smile.
I knew my face was flushed when we stepped into the elevator.
I smiled at two tenants I didn’t know very well and wondered if
they could sense the sexual tension flowing off of Hailey and me
in waves. No one said anything as we rode to the ground floor.
They followed us into the courtyard, and when I glanced over at
Hailey, she was grinning from ear to ear. “What’s so funny?” I
asked when we were alone.
Hailey took a tissue from her purse and wiped around my
lips. “I didn’t do a very good job of cleaning away the lipstick.
I think it was fairly obvious to our neighbors that we’d been
making out.”
I kissed her again, making her repeat the process with a
laugh. We were still standing on the step when the cabbie I’d
called honked the horn.
“Is that for us?” Hailey asked as I tugged her hand.
“Uh-huh, we’d spend all night looking for a place to park.”
I opened the door and watched Hailey’s legs as she slid across
the seat. We didn’t talk much on the half-dozen-block ride, but
Hailey entwined her fingers with mine and looked at me with an
unguarded intimacy that I’d not yet seen in her before.
“Do you feel like everyone is watching us?” I asked, hiding
behind my menu.
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Robin Alexander
Hailey’s eyes twinkled as she took a sip of her wine. “They’re
all looking at my gorgeous date.”
“I could argue that point.”
Hailey shook her head as she set her glass on the table. “Did
you ever notice how we always seemed to run into each other at
the apartment especially after we first met?”
I shrugged. “I always thought it was cosmic timing.”
“I can see the street from my window. I used to sit in front of
it and watch for you, then Fuzzy and I would make a mad dash
down the stairs.”
I sat back stunned by the revelation.
Hailey made a face. “I realize now that I’ve said it that I sound
like a stalker.”
“Not at all. It’s a sweet surprise.”
“Ladies, have we decided?” the waiter asked as he came to
our table.
Hailey winked at me. “You go first.”