Page 82 of Tight Spot

“Probably six of them,” she replied.

He threw his head back and laughed. She tugged me toward the front of the room where I could now see her father watching us from the far end. There were groups of people we had to greet on the way to get to him, many Hailey stopped and did a quick cheek kiss and hello and a “we’ll catch up soon, let me go say hi to Mom” before moving on without missing a step.

Everyone watched her. Everyone smiled at her. Men and women both grinned when she came near them and frowned when she walked away quickly.

Hailey had been downplaying herself. Her store. The fact she knew everyone.

These people might know her because of her parents and their long-standing life in Friendswood, but she’d enamored them all.

A witch. She had to be. She had a town in love with her and a man who had no heart finally feeling his beating while being dragged behind her.

We finally made it through the melee, and she stopped in front of her dad. A woman, much shorter than Hailey, with her darkt-brown hair twisted into curls and pulled back from her face, stood next to Ken.

“Mom, this is Dawson.”

“Dawson.” She flashed me a warm smile and gave me a quick hug. I froze beneath it while she continued, “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Mrs. Parillo.”

“Oh please, call me Sue. Mrs. Parillo sounds so stuffy.”

“All right. Nice to meet you, Sue. You must be proud of Hailey tonight.”

That warm smile grew. “Well, a mother is always proud of all her children, but yes, tonight is definitely Hailey’s night. And you look absolutely lovely, dear.”

“Thanks, Mom.” With her hand still in mine, she gave her mom a one-armed hug and stepped back. “Any reason why the whole family is here?”

“Why wouldn’t we show up to see our sister win something?” The man who spoke stepped out from behind Sue. His hair gelled back and to the side, he had his mother’s coloring and a California tan. “Tate Parillo. Nice to meet you.”

He shoved his hand out before I could say my name, a smile that was anything but similar to his mother’s warm one plastered on his face. I shook his hand and when he squeezed tighter, matched his strength before letting go. Why men tried to out-muscle each other with handshakes, I’d never figure out. Did the man want to take me outside and throw a punch?

I’d let him. I’d deserve it soon enough.

“Tate,” Hailey growled low in her throat.

“It’s all right, Hailey.” I was speaking to her, but I didn’t take my eyes off her brother and his fake smile and extra-whitened teeth.

“If my family is going to be here for my night, then they should at least be kind to my date.” She spoke it to me, but like me, she was glaring at her brother.

Making her point clear, she slipped her hand out of mine and slid it to my lower back. I did the same with my arm and tugged her tight to my side.

“We were worried,” Tate said. “You can’t blame us.”

She scoffed. Behind Tate, her dad Ken wore the same chagrined expression he’d worn the day I put him in place and spewed my baggage all over his tennis shoes in Hailey’s living room.

“I think I’ve already had this conversation with you on the phone and you didn’t need to fly here just to put me in a crappy mood in person.”

“Hailey.”

That came from the brunette in the back with highlighted hair and a sharp jawline. While Tate took after their mom, Hailey and Charlie after their dad, and Holly, the older sister was a perfect blend of both. Hailey’s blue eyes. Her mom’s chocolatey hair, although by the looks of it, Holly’s was professionally colored by an expert hand.

“Hey, sis,” Hailey said, and she didn’t move out of my arm or my hold while Holly came up and kissed her cheeks. Smiling, she flashed both of us a wink. “If it makes you feel better, I’m only here for the free food and drinks.”

I chuckled, unable to hold it back and Holly grinned at me. “And personally, I’m not worried about my sister at all. We might be night and day with our life goals, but she has a good head on her shoulders, something all the men in our family should remember, and frankly, anyone is better than dickless Darrick.”

“Holly,” Hailey scolded her, but she was hiding her own laugh.

“You’re my sister,” Holly stated. “I know how smart you are.”

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