Page 27 of Scrooge

“Looks like you might be investing in toys…” He drops the words, and my blood runs cold. Why he would know who Haylee is, I’m not sure. But the fact is, he knows, and I don’t like it.

“Jackson Enterprises invests in a lot of places,” I say, not giving anything away, and Sebastian smirks.

“She looks like a pocket rocket. I’d say a good investment for you.” Slapping my arm, he gives me a grin as he steps away. I relax a little before I look back at Haylee and watch her chatting animatedly with Maddison, the two of them smiling as they dissect the artwork.

I take a sip of the champagne in my hand as I watch the two women, as most in the room is, before I feel someone come up to my side.

“Alexander,” a female voice purrs, and I turn to see a woman I dated briefly last year. Jennifer something or other.

“Evening,” I say, nodding and stepping away slightly. I am all too familiar with the media and how they set up their shots. And a few of them are circling.

“It’s been a long time. I haven’t seen you out in a while. How have you been?” She looks me up and down, licking her lips slightly, which I’m sure she thinks is attractive.

“Alex. You need to come and look at this piece,” Haylee says, walking up to me, her smile wide and eyes glistening. She slides her body in between me and Jennifer, and I open my arm up, accepting her into my side where she is starting to fit too comfortably. Jennifer's face sours immediately at the interruption.

“Oh, hi. I don’t think we have met. I’m Haylee.” She smiles as I run my hand around her waist and pull her into my side a little tighter. The move feels better each time. Jennifer’s scrunched expression looks like she smells something off as she stares at Haylee’s hand before giving it a lifeless shake.

“Jennifer… I’m a friend of Alexander’s.”

I squeeze Haylee’s waist, keeping her close. Scared she is going to make a run for it already. It is no secret I am a bit of a playboy, so meeting my past partners was always in the cards. But while I haven’t cared before, now that Haylee is with me, I feel slight remorse.

“Great. It is so nice to finally meet Alex’s friends,” Haylee says sweetly, and I bite the inside of my cheek so I don’t grin my ass off. It is clear Haylee is marking her territory, and I’m enjoying the crackling atmosphere. “But if you will excuse us for a moment, I really want him to see this piece of art over here.” Having staked her claim, Haylee starts to walk away, holding my hand as I walk alongside her.

I nod a goodbye to Jennifer, not understanding what I ever saw in her.

“Good move, Sunflower,” I murmur to Haylee as we maneuver through the crowd to the next wall over.

“Well, I could see that might be an issue. Besides, I really did want to show you a piece over here. Come look.” Her grin is genuine as she pulls me along until we come to a stop, right near a piece that appears to be a mix of abstract, pop art, and graffiti.

“What do you think?” she asks as I take in the enormous amount of color in front of me.

“It’s bright,” I admit, wanting to take my time to see it how she sees it. My initial thoughts are that it is too much. I can’t see the appeal, but I try to refocus my eyes and look at the image rather than the brightness that pops out at me. Something like this would look amazing in my Hamptons house.

“And?” She wiggles my hand for more feedback, and I take a breath as I concentrate. I haven’t had this much fun on a date ever, and I like how she makes me think and look at things in a different light.

“And… unusual…” I see it then. It is a collage of toys. From a small teddy bear, a doll, a train set, and what looks to be a jack-in-the-box. “Toys,” I say, looking at the detail work, my eyes squinting slightly, wanting to capture the entirety of it. It is very clever. On first look, it just appears a mess of things, but when you really admire it, and see the way they all mash together, a whole world comes to life.

“Toys,” she says with a giddy nod. I feel like I passed a test. “Isn’t it great? So clever.”

“You like it?” I ask her, knowing by the look in her eyes she does.

“I love it. I mean, toys have been my life since I was born. Plus, it is just so fun in all these bright colors.” Leaning down to look at the price, the color drains from her face.

I see one of the staff members nearby with a tablet and catch her eye, nodding once, just before Haylee comes back to my side.

“Wow. Maybe I really should be selling my paintings at the market on a weekend. It’s like fifty thousand dollars,” she whispers to me as the staff member comes over and places a red dot on the artwork, indicating it’s sold.

“Oh, well, at least someone gets to enjoy it.” She shrugs, smiling up at me, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I’m feeling all too good as my lips curl up.

12

HAYLEE

As I hide behind the racing car shelves, I wonder what the hell I’ve done. My phone rings, and I get a spike of anxiety at seeing Jaryd’s name on my screen, my heart rate increasing. It has been months since I left him, although he does call from time to time, all which I ignore. This one is no exception as I quickly decline the call, pushing him to the back of my mind, not needing to think about him right now.

“This is a bit much…” Jillian says, her eyes flicking everywhere as we think about how to control the situation.

My first date with Alex went well. Better than expected. We stayed together all night, walking through the various art exhibits, and he let me ramble about my thoughts on each of them. I met Maddison Miller, who was even more beautiful in real life, and when she said she wanted to see my art, I almost fainted on the spot. Thank God Alex was holding my hand; otherwise, I might have. I think back to the conversation, the way Alex stood at my side and proudly told her I was an artist. He has only seen the mural here, none of my other work, yet he pushed me forward, instilling confidence in me at a time and on a topic where I have very little for myself. It was a new feeling, a hard one to digest, but I am taking it for what it was, a nice gesture and a friendly offering of support.

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