Page 13 of The Art Of Starting Over

“Hey,” he said as casually as possible.

“She thinks you’re a funny guy.”

“Funny?”

Laila shrugged. “Yep.” She walked away, leaving Hayden speechless. He waited for her to turn around and come back with more information, but she continued down the hall without another word or a glance over her shoulder.

“I’m funny?”

A hand slapped down on his shoulder, jolting him. “A laugh a minute,” Colt said as he grabbed his book from their shared locker.

“Funny?” he mumbled to himself in disbelief. He closed the metal door and followed Colt down the hall, shaking his head. What had he done to make her laugh?

Hayden smiled at the memory of when he thought he’d test the waters and ask Laila if Devorah liked him.

Hayden drove. He headed out of town, passed her father’s house, and continued past the boutiques, banks, and other businesses. She said nothing. He pulled into the parking lot of the pier and parked at the water’s edge. The only people who would be able to see them would be anyone who parked next to him. Leaning over, he opened the glove box, pulled out a box of tissues, and handed it to her.

Devorah coughed out a sob and took the box from Hayden. He tried not to watch her, to keep his eyes forward. If it hadn’t been raining, fishing boats would’ve been coming and going. They would at least give him something to watch.

Except, he wanted to keep his eyes on her. It was clear that Chad or whoever it was had hurt her. Hayden didn’t know how or why, or even who. But someone had.

“How long are you in town for?” he asked.

“I don’t know. If Crow has anything to say about it, not long.”

Hayden chuckled. Every kid in town was afraid of Colt and Devorah’s father. With a nickname like “Crow,” it was hard for them not to be. He saw and heard everything and held a grudge like there was no tomorrow. Once you were on his bad side, you’d never make it to the good one.

“Where do you live these days?”

“Chicago,” she said quietly.

Hayden nodded. “Never thought about visiting there.”

Devorah fiddled with the tissue in her hands. “Do you not know why I’m here?”

“Nope,” he said. “I arrived in town a few days ago. I haven’t even seen your brother yet.”

“He cheated.”

He knew it. She didn’t have to specify who she was talking about.

“Chad?”

She nodded. “With my best friend.”

Stupid fucker.

“I found out because she posted a video about it on one of those popular vlogging apps.” Devorah looked out the window. “I was getting a pedicure and thought I’d pass the time by watching some funny videos, and there she was, confessing it all.”

“Wait, what?”

“I’m thinking, ‘There’s no way my best friend is having an affair with my husband.’ I mean, Chad and I don’t fight, and I think we have a really great marriage. Besides, she’s my best friend, and her daughter and my daughter are best friends. We’re close. We vacation together. There’s no way. Except when I drive over to Chad’s work, he’s not there and he’s not answering his work or cell phone. The only logical thing is to drive over to her house and ...” She inhaled deeply. “I guess I don’t know what I thought I would find.”

Hayden didn’t ask for details. The fact she was telling him and reliving all this was enough. Devorah could’ve left it at “He cheated,” and that would’ve been enough for him.

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

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