Page 33 of The Art Of Starting Over

“I’ll drive.”

Hayden opened the car door for her and waited until she was fully in before shutting it. He jogged to the other side, giving Dev a few seconds to stare at him. He was so freaking hot. She couldn’t stand it half the time. She definitely couldn’t stand it when one of the Fleming sisters flirted with him. He was hers.

Well, she wanted him to be. And Devorah thought he would be if it wasn’t for her brother. Colt needed to butt out of her life.

Hayden slipped behind the steering wheel. He smiled at her and then started his car. Instead of turning around and heading to the beach, he drove them out of town.

“What beach are we going to?”

“Jamestown Cove,” he told her. It was a place where they were unlikely to run into anyone. A place where they could act like they were the only two people in the world.

As soon as they were out of Oyster Bay, her hand went to the back of his neck, where she played with the ends of his hair. She wished she knew how to make him fall in love with her.

The words “I love you” or “I’m falling in love with you” played on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to tell him, to put her heart out there and tell him he didn’t have to worry about Colt or her father. That she could handle them.

A horn honked, grabbing her attention.

Devorah tore her gaze away from Hayden and looked out the front window. Colt hung from the window of his truck, hollering at Hayden. Devorah dropped her hand and faced forward, fighting back a wave of tears that threatened to unleash. Life was unfair.

Even before Hayden said the words, she knew they were turning around and following her brother and their friends. She thought about telling him to drop her off at home, but any time with Hayden was time she craved.

Someday, Hayden McKenna would be hers.

She blinked and pushed the memory of their high school days away from her thoughts. Now, when she looked at Hayden, she saw nothing but friendship in his eyes, or least that was what she told herself it was. It was better thinking he wanted to be her friend than to play along in her self-pity game. He knew she was depressed, and he didn’t seem to care.

“That would be lovely,” she told him. “I know Maren would like to see more of where we’re staying.”

“Staying?”

Devorah nodded. “We have a life in Chicago. I have a business and ...” She trailed off. “Oyster Bay is temporary. It always has been.”

Hayden nodded, and his lips pressed into a thin line. “Well, it’s a date then,” Hayden said and then blanched. “Not like a real date, but one of those ‘I’ll put it in the calendar’ sort of things.”

“I know,” Devy said as she forced a smile.

“Great. I’ll pick you up first, and then we’ll get the kids from school. Does that work?”

She nodded. “Are you leaving now?”

“I can stay,” he told her. “Even if you don’t want to talk.”

“That would be nice, Hayden.” She wanted him to stay, at least until Colt or her father came home. She didn’t like the idea of being alone, even though Maren was upstairs sleeping. There was a certain sense of security that came when a man was in the house, at least for her.

Ten

Hayden

On Friday, Hayden parked in front of Sheriff Crow’s house, left his truck running, and jogged up the steps. He knocked twice on the wooden screen door and stepped back, giving Devorah space to open the door and step out. He heard her walking toward him. The house creaked from old age or, as people in New England would say, “wicked old age.” Hayden pulled the metal handle on the screen door and held it open. He smiled as soon as Devy came into view.

“Are you ready to shop?”

She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. He hated that he couldn’t fix her problems. Not that he could fix his own, but his were much more straightforward to deal with.

“I’m ready,” she said as she pulled the door shut behind her and tested the knob to make sure it was locked. He remembered a time when they didn’t lock doors or worry about being robbed. Those days were long gone. Even at the ranch in Wyoming, they locked the doors.

When they reached the truck, Hayden held the passenger-side door open for her, waited for her to get in, and then shut it. He jogged around to the driver’s side and hopped in, fastened his seat belt, and headed toward the school.

“How were the past couple of days?” he asked.

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