In the past few days thatshe’d been working forher full-time, she had learned a lot. Hailey was twenty-seven yearsold, her birthday was in December. She didn’t grow up in FortClover but moved here a couple of years ago, and had been workingas a paralegal, a job she hated. Her parents had wanted her tobecome a lawyer, but it was a profession Hailey hated, so sheworked her ass off at beauty school, and took the law as a sidegig. This seemed to satisfy her parents, but they assumed she’d getbored with beauty school and leave. Instead, she got bored with thelaw.
All she wanted was to own her beauty shop,help create a person’s inner glow, and sell cosmetics, do hair, makeup, nails, thewhole thing. But her parents held her back. They made sure thebanks refused her a loan. It had taken a lot of hard work andconvincing for them to realize she was not going to stop. She alsohad to prove she had the business head to handle it.
Much to Harlow’s surprise, Hailey had notonlystudied beauty andlaw, but she’d also introduced business into her classes as well.The woman was a machine. None of this had come easy to hereither.
Harlow adored her and wanted to doeverything she could to help. Before coming to work herefull-time, she hadalready told Ava she wasn’t going to come back. Her best friend hadhugged her and said she didn’t blame her for doing what sheneeded.
Everything had happened so fast, and shecouldn’t believeit wasFriday night. Finishing up one order, she gathered the details forthe next order.
She didn’t mind packaging deliveries. Thiswasn’t baking, and it wasn’t about being surrounded in thewonderful scents of cookies, chocolates, and bars, but it was whatit was.
Hailey finished working with a client, thewoman paid, and then the shop was clear. There were noother appointments, butthat didn’t stop drop-ins. On a Friday, there were also severalgirls from the local high school that liked to drop in aswell.
“I do love it when Friday comes,” Haileysaid.
Her smile was so infectious. Harlow didn’tknow how she did it.
She clapped her hands and stepped towardher.
“We had a lot of deliveries last night. Idid get started on them this morning,” Hailey said.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got themcovered.” She offered Hailey a smile, which was hard to keep as sheheard the unmistakablesound of bikers.
Hailey let out a gasp and rushed towardthe window. Harlow stayed where she was and focused ongetting the packages ready. Shedidn’t need to look. Her affair with Hunter didn’t stop the clubfrom working. She and Big Dick were not talking. It was the firsttime ever. She and Big Dick had squabbled from time to time, butnothing like this. She hated it, but there was no way she wouldbuild that bridge with the stuff he had said to her. As far as shewas concerned, this was his problem, not hers.
“I don’t know why I always find it amazing,”Hailey said.
“You like men in leather?”
“I don’t know.” Hailey wriggled her nose.“They look so…”
Harlow stayed quiet, even though in theback of her mind, she couldn’t help but think about Hunter.Cool, calm,collected, sexy as fuck.
Shaking her head at her own thoughts, shesaw Hailey sigh. “Soconfident, and so … assured.”
She giggled. “I’m sure they would lovethat.”
“Okay, fine, yes, I think they looksexy.”
“I think I see thatblush underneath your makeup,” Harlowsaid, pointing a finger to her.
“You know them, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. Most people in Fort Clover knowthem.”
“But I’ve heard people talking. The owner ofthe bakery is married to one of them, right?”
“Yeah, Smokey. He’s theprez, who is like the leader of the wholegroup.”
“Wow, that must have been … scary.”
Harlow finished packaging her box and pickedup the final order. Hailey was still glued to the mirror.
“My brother is one of them aswell.”
Hailey jerked backas if the glass had scolded her. “Crap,I’m sorry. I didn’t realize your brother was one.”
She laughed. “Don’t worry about it. Me andmy brotherare not onspeaking terms right now. He is public enemy number one for me.Well, make that two.”