Page 24 of California Wild

Like they were two people who didn’t have history.

Like they didn’t have a past full of bad choices and tangled sheets and her eventually walking away because Jesse Navarro wasn’t capable of being anything but a goddamn hurricane.

Hayley chewed her lip. He couldn’t have changed that much. At his core, Jesse was still the same asshole—noncommittal, reckless, great in bed, but a disaster everywhere else. Right? Her fingers hovered over the screen.

She could ignore it. Pretend last night didn’t happen. Instead—she typed quickly.

Hayley: Thanks. Survived. We can chat later.

No emojis. No extra words. No unnecessary opening for him to slip back into her life.

She hit send and dropped her phone into her bag, pulling her focus back to the chaos around her.

Landing a last-minute opening spot for a world tour wasn’t just about packing a suitcase and hopping on a plane. It was logistics, planning, and weeks’ worth of work shoved into five days.

Hayley moved toward Zoe and Caiden, who were both hunched over a pile of boxes, merch crates, and a half-filled tour itinerary.

She cleared her throat. “Okay, where are we at?”

Caiden barely looked up. “About to tackle gear packing. Techs are handling most of it, but we need to check everything before it gets shipped.”

Zoe, still on the phone, pointed at a clipboard resting on one of the boxes. Hayley grabbed it, scanning the list. Flights booked. Visas confirmed. Press junkets locked in. Gear manifests still in progress.

Hayley exhaled. This was it. The moment where things got real.

She should stay.

She should help.

Instead—

“I’m actually not gonna stick around,” she said, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “I’ve got a few things to figure out.”

That got Caiden’s attention. He lifted an eyebrow. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” Hayley nodded. “I just need a second before we’re locked in. You guys can handle things here, right?”

Caiden smirked, tossing the Sharpie onto a crate. “Do you even have to ask?”

Hayley rolled her eyes, taking a few steps backward. “Alright, try not to burn this place down.”

Then she left.

First stop—the vocal studio where she worked as a subcontractor.

She slipped into a quiet corner of a café, phone pressed to her ear as she got patched through to Lena, the studio manager.

“Hey, it’s Hayley.”

Lena’s voice was warm. “Hey, girl! I saw the news. Australia! Congrats.”

Hayley smiled, tucking her leg under her chair. “Yeah, thanks. It’s all happening crazy fast. That’s why I’m calling—I need someone to cover my clients while I’m gone.”

Lena hummed. “How long are we talking?”

“Months.” Hayley chewed her lip. “We don’t have a return date yet.”

A beat. Then Lena exhaled. “I’ll make it work. I’ll let your regulars know.”

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