Page 66 of Furever Loyal
“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” she said, brushing aside the concerns. “I just had something come up.”
There was a pause. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Haley, but, uh, youneverhave anything come up. Not even sickness. Are you sure it’s okay?”
She smiled at the outspokenness. “I appreciate your concern, but I promise you, I’m okay.”
“Alright.” Danielle didn’t sound like she believed a word Haley was saying. “What do you need then?”
Now it was Haley’s turn to hesitate, to answer with an uncertainty that wasn’t typical to her. “I need to...to talk to you. About what’s come up.” She paused briefly, then continued in a rush. “Is that okay? If you’re busy I can totally call back, it’s no big deal really, I don’t want to interrupt whatever you’re doing, so just tell me if you’re not able to talk. I—”
“Haley.”
“Yes?” she replied, feeling sheepish. She’d been babbling, and it was obvious.
“What do you need to talk about?” Danielle had lowered her voice, talking to her like they were conspirators of some sort of plot. “Is it…a boy?”
“Maybe?”
There was some sort of frantic muffled squealing from the other end, then Danielle cleared her voice. “Give me one moment, I’m going to transfer to your office.”
The line beeped to indicate she’d been put on hold and Haley sagged into the couch. What the hell was she supposed to say next?
“Okay!” Danielle came back a hot second later. “Tell me everything!”
“Did you just run to my office?” Haley asked, listening to the mild shortness of breath through the receiver.
“No time for that. Details. I’ve been waiting for this day for—what’s it been, four years since you hired me?” Danielle said, ignoring the question.
“Are you serious?”
“Oh, my God, yes! And I’m excited you’re finally opening up. So, who is it? Pleeeasseee tell me it’s the hottie you brought into the office the other morning? Please.”
“Um.” The enthusiasm and instant ability to act like they were friends had blindsided Haley. She’d been prepared for some small talk and a slow burn sort of conversation. Instead, Danielle was leaping in head-first, like she’d been waiting for this to happen.
Which apparently she has.
“That’s a yes. So, what is it you need to talk about?”
There didn’t seem any point in denying the truth to Danielle. “It’s him, yes,” Haley said. “I’m…I’m a little overwhelmed,” she admitted. “Things are moving quickly. Really quickly.”
“Are you forcing them?” Danielle asked, her tone calming as she recognized that this wasn’t a call for sharing, but for help and advice.
“No. That’s the scary part,” she admitted. “It just feels…natural. But there’s more. A lot more. Most of it I can’t tell you, because it’s not my place. But it’s complicated, Danielle.”
“Dani.”
“What?”
“Just call me Dani, it’s fine.”
“Thanks Dani,” Haley said, and she meant it. “I just don’t know what to do.”
“Do you care about him?”
Haley didn’t reply right away. An answer was ready instantly, but she took her time, thinking it over, analyzing it from every side to make sure it wasn’t a fake, that there wasn’t some sort of lie to it.
“Yes,” she said at last. “I do. Which is what terrifies me, because I’ve only known him for a few days, and things are…complicated doesn’t evenbeginto explain it, Dani. Not even close. I can’t really say why, but there’s a lot of evidence that points at him being a criminal. I’ve been assigned by Kaelyn to try and prove his innocence.”
“Isn’t that a job for the police?” Dani asked cautiously.
