Page 25 of All Signs Point to Malibu

“Be careful, I asked for extra hot.”

The warning comes a little late and I shoot her an annoyed look. She can’t even pull off a truce gesture without fucking it up.

“Look, even though Liam and I are not together anymore, I still care about him and I’m worried.” She pauses. “Does he seem happy to you?”

I turn to her and lower my sunglasses. “Happier than he’s ever been,” I say pointedly.

Her face twists into this mix of annoyance and a hurtful pout and damn if it isn’t the most adorable expression I’ve ever seen. The thing about Hailey is she doesn’t hide emotion. Happy, sad, frustrated, confident, or pouty, it’s on display. I find it irritatingly refreshing that I always know what she’s thinking, feeling, and where I stand with her at any given moment.

I’ve never experienced that with a woman before.

Not that I see Hailey as a woman in the datable sense. More like a walking red flag of what to avoid, but the transparency is something I wish for with the other women I date. Not having to be a mind reader would make the whole dating scene a lot easier. Although, truthfully, my ego probably couldn’t handle what women were actually thinking of me.

“But isn’t this whole wedding thing a little sudden?” she asks, sounding genuinely concerned.

There’s an ulterior motive.

Sure, when Liam first told me he’d proposed to a woman he’d known less than a year, I was a little nervous, but having met Sonia, I can understand. And they say “you know when you know.” I don’t expect to ever get that kind of clarity, but it’s the catchphrase for all lovesick fools.

“What’s your problem with Sonia?” I ask. Besides the obvious—she’s competition.

“Nothing! She’s amazing,” she says quickly and it sounds like she means it. “But Liam always wanted New York and skyscrapers and to make a difference with his architectural designs limiting environmental impacts—not luxury resorts. His plan was never to stay in California.”

Ah. “You mean his plan was never to stay foryou.”

Hailey pouts again and damn, her mouth looks better in that position than any other. Maybe we should actually kiss and make up...

“This isn’t about me,” she says.

Ha! Since when? “Sure, it is. You thought you were getting a second chance when he came back. The reality is Liam has moved on. Don’t mess this up for him.”

Hailey rolls her eyes and scoffs. “How on earth couldImess this up?”

“I don’t know. It’s just a gift you have,” I say and notice that the team are staring at us from across the field. I can hear their dirty teenage minds at work as they grin and check out Hailey.

I check my watch and call them in. “That’s it for today, guys! It’s hot as hell—go cool off. See you all on Tuesday.”

They all looked thrilled by the practice being cut short and start casually tossing around the football and play tackling one another.

Sure,nowthey’ve got energy.

I turn to Hailey as the teens mess around on the field. “As much as it’s been a pleasure seeing you three times in one week, I gotta go.”

“Who’s the lucky lady about to be left disillusioned and disappointed?”

Ah, there we go. Back to insults. It’s a relief to have the universe’s balance restored. “Actually, I’m meeting the perfect couple for lunch.”

I bend to gather my things and out of the corner of my eye I see it...but I’m too late with a warning.

A football flies through the air, sailing straight toward the side of Hailey’s head. As if in slow motion, I see Marcus run and dive...

He catches the ball just before it hits her but bodychecks her straight off her feet in the process.

Shit.

I move toward her limp, flailed body on the grass. Her coffee cup was luckily launched three feet away otherwise she’d probably have third-degree burns. Her eyes are closed and her face is slack.

“I think she’s dead,” Marcus says, holding the ball under his arm.

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