Page 91 of Hard Hat Hottie

“I don’t think so. She’s had a really tough week. That’s why we came here. I’d heard great things and thought it would cheer her up.” Shay looks at me with such empathy. “And she’s not Harry’s girl anymore,” she blurts out.

“Shay!” I snap and slowly turn back to face Charlene. Why am I so embarrassed by this conversation? Might as well just put it all out there so we can move on from this mortifying start to a spa day. “I don’t think I waseverhis girl.”

“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong.” Charlene reaches for my hand. “Please? Come back in and sit down. I’m going to make some drinks, and then we’re going to clear the air.”

She leads Shay and I to a couple of comfortable cushioned chairs in the back of the salon. Looking about, the place has a quirky vibe. Kind of like Charlene. Of course Harrison would like her. I pull at the collar of my T-shirt, envy making me hot and stuffy in this otherwise cool and comfy retreat.

“You all right, Harlow? We don’t have to stay if you’re that uncomfortable. I honestly had no idea she worked here.”

Why would she? I think Shay saw her for the same brief time I had in the emergency room that day.

“What’s your pleasure? I have Mimosas, Bellini’s, and Bloody Mary’s,” Charlene announces as she places a pretty vintage silver serving tray down on the round tufted ottoman. There’s two of each cocktail. Does she think we’ll need all of this?

Shay reaches for a Bellini and nods to the Bloody Mary beside it. “It’s got your name on it, Harlow,” she sings.

Picking up the spicy cocktail, I decide it could only help at this point. I take a small sip and can’t contain my sigh. Wow, Charlene knows how to make a mean Bloody Mary.

“Good?”

“Yes. Very,” I admit.

She pulls a chair over, sits down, pulls her legs up to her chest, and drops her chin to her knees. And just watches me.Taking another sip, my eyes flick over to Shay, wondering what the heck is happening. “Sorry. I just needed to wrap my head around this. It’s fate, I tell you.”

“What is?”

“You’re my new best friend.”

I splutter tomato juice, Shay swiftly patting my back to clear my airway. Is this girl nuts? WhatTwilight Zonehave we entered?

Charlene hands me a clean hand towel from a stack near one of the hair washing stations. “Sorry. You’ll learn to get me.” She snorts. “Harrison has become my best friend over the last few years. Which means, now you’ll be mine by association.”

Shay leans in and whispers sarcastically, “I think you missed the part where they’re not together anymore.”

“No, I know. But I’m hoping you’ll give him another chance. He’s not great at relationships. Has avoided them like the plague. But then you came along.” She shakes her head, the blonde tresses bouncing in front of her unable to mask the pretty grin on her face. “Harrison hasn’t had it easy. I think he tries to keep his cards close to the vest, but there was no hiding how he felt about you. And not just you, but your boys.”

Putting my drink down before I do something else ridiculous, I wipe my hands on the gray towel. “He told you about my boys?”

“Did he?” Charlene claps her hands together. “He said they reminded him of when he and Matthew were young. Honestly, I’d hoped he would take a chance with you. God, he wanted to. But he’s got such a damn big chip on his shoulder.”

I stare at her blankly. “I don’t understand.”

“Harrison and Matthew were adopted. He was born not far from here, while his brother Matthew was adopted from Russia. Not long after his little brother was home, their dad decided he wasn’t interested in being a father. So, he left. And never came back.”

My head falls forward. I knew after the short conversation I’d had with him about the Magic 8 ball, something to this affect had happened. He just never went into further detail.

“I think both boys struggled with questions about their past once they reached their teen years. Why had their birth parents not wanted them? Why would their dad go through all of the hoops necessary to adopt them, just to leave?”

My eyes are glued to this woman, hanging on her every word.

“I think Matthew was able to make peace with it all. But Harry stayed focused on how abandoned he felt. His only real relationship with a woman ended when she stormed out of his life because he wouldn’t put his mother in a facility.”

My shoulders tighten at the realization people like this exist. While I’m angry I wasn’t enough for him, no one deserves that.

“Heck, even his brother high tailed it out of state the minute he turned eighteen. He thinks everyone he cares about will leave him. I think it’s part of why he was so focused on his mother. Not only was he grateful that she gave him a sense of identity, but he could also use her illness as a crutch to avoid getting into another failed relationship.”

I nervously grab my drink. My heart hurts for him. But it doesn’t change how betrayed I feel. How disappointed I am he couldn’t have tried harder.

“And now that she’s gone, he’s spiraling.”

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