Page 83 of The Art Of Starting Over

“I’ll need to shower,” she told him. “I stink like beer and whatever else there is around here.”

He nodded. “I’ll wait on your porch like a proper gentleman.”

“I need to see if Crow doesn’t mind watching Maren.”

“Already taken care of. Maren is coming over to my parents’ house tonight, with your dad, for game night.”

“Oh.” Devorah looked flustered.

“Do you really think I’d ask you out with such little notice if I hadn’t taken care of everything?”

Devy met his gaze and then shook her head. “No, you wouldn’t. Okay. One hour and then home to clean up.”

“I’ll be here,” he said, sipping his beer.

After a few minutes, Laila sat on the barstool next to Hayden. “Do you just come in to flirt with her?”

He laughed. “I’ve been flirting with her for over a month, and nothing works. She’s got a wall up.”

“Do you blame her? Between you and Chad? My girl is not taking any chances.”

“Not in the slightest ... wait, what? Me?”

Laila nodded and tapped his hand with hers while offering him a kind yet “Mess with my bestie, and I’ll slay you” look. “Do you remember high school?”

“Yes, we’re not that old, Laila.”

“Right, but do youremembereverything?”

Hayden shrugged and then nodded.

Laila sighed. “Dev was in love with you. Like, madly in love, but you ...” Laila pointed at him. “You kept her hidden. You never made her your girlfriend, and that’s all she ever wanted from you.”

Hayden opened his mouth to speak, but she held her hand up and shook her head. “I know you were afraid of Colt and Crow, but we’re all adults now. Do not sneak around with her. If you want to be with her, put her front and center. Shower her with the love and attention she deserves from you. If someone asks if she’s your girl, you stand up proudly and declare your love for her because I know you love her, Hayden McKenna. It’s about damn time you start showing it.”

“I’m trying, Laila.”

“She’s trying too.”

“Is she?” He chanced a look at Laila out of the corner of his eye, needing to hear it from Devy’s best friend. Was she trying with him?Did she think he wanted to keep things secret between them? Where had that gotten them before?

“She asked me yesterday if there was a right time to move on. I told her each relationship was different, and, being as she had no intentions of taking Chad back, she could probably dip her toes into the dating pool.”

“I really hope I’m the only pool she’s considering. I don’t know how I’d feel if she dated others around here. This schoolboy crush is giving me sleepless nights.”

“Ah, that’s sort of romantic.”

“Speaking of romance, how’s the she shed Link built you last weekend? He told us all about it.”

Her eyes widened with excitement. “You should see it. He built custom bookshelves, ran electricity, and bought me a new desk. It’ll be perfect for a small meeting or if me and a few friends want to escape the guys while they’re watching a game. He really does love me.”

“He does,” Hayden said. “Link said leaving you was the worst mistake of his life, and finding you again was like winning the lottery.”

Laila put her hand over her heart. “I think I need to head home and show Link just how much I love him.”

“TMI, Laila.”

She set her hand on his shoulder. “Be good to our girl.”

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