Page 45 of Behind the Cascades
Hayes chuckles and extends his hand. "Nice to meet you. Levi was it?"
Levi grins back and shakes his hand. "Yep. That's Luke and Madelyn, and I'm sure you know Dan and Liv."
I watch as Hayes tries to greet Luke and Madelyn, but Madelyn looks caught in a daze as she stares at Hayes. Luke nudges her with his elbow, snapping her out of it and she smiles coyly. "Nice to meet you too.”
Hayes clears his throat, breaking the awkward silence. "So, this place is pretty cool. Can't believe y'all are friends with Ethan Flacco."
Dan nods. "Big Vikings fan?"
Hayes shakes his head. "Nah, but a guy I worked with was. He's going to lose his shit when he finds out I'm at his restaurant."
Olivia starts smiling from her little corner and I know I'm about to be in trouble.
"Don't you even go there, Olivia Turner." I warn.
"Go where?" Hayes looks between the two of us.
Dan smiles as big as Olivia does, clearly knowing what we are both thinking. "Charlie thought we hired Ethan as a stripper for her birthday."
My face heats up to an embarrassing shade of red.Asshole.
"You thought they hired one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history to strip for you?"
"No! I didn't know who he was and I was a little drunk when he knocked on Olivia's door."
Maddy giggles. "In her defense, there was a lot of alcohol, and well, he looks like that." She says this while gesturing behind us toward the football god.
I turn to see Ethan walking to our table, and the embarrassment only intensifies.
"Hey, everyone! Thanks for coming." He looks to Hayes and extends his hand, "Ethan Flacco."
Hayes smirks, "Hayes Carrington. Heard you're the one to call if we need a stripper."
"Hayes!" I smack him in the chest, only causing him to laugh harder."
Ethan's eyes go slightly wide and then he's laughing with everyone else. "I'll admit, no one has ever opened the door and immediately thought I was an exotic dancer before. But I took it as a compliment." Thankfully, I’ve spent enough time with Ethan that this story isn’t as embarrassing as it once was.
Deciding to just roll with it, I slide into the seat next to Levi. “Well, at least we know if this fancy restaurant doesn’t make it, you can audition for Magic Mike.”
Hayes grins and sits next to me. “This place is awesome. You did a good job here. Charlie told me y’all renovated the whole building.”
Ethan nods, his entire face lighting up. “Thanks, man. Yeah, my dad and brothers own a construction company so I used them for a lot of free labor.”
“I agree. Ethan, this place is exactly what Three Sisters needed. You outdid yourself.” Dan raised his glass for a toast.
Olivia’s eyes go a little misty but she holds up her glass too. “We’re so glad you’re back.”
Ethan’s face turns three shades of red but he grins back. “Happy to be home.”
Our server comes over and we both order a drink and some food. When she excuses herself to go put the order in, Luke and Levi both start grilling Hayes. Slightly surprising, considering Dan is usually the one who’s always in Lieutenant mode.
Levi starts off, “You planning on stayin’ here for a while?”
I reach down and place my hand on Hayes thigh, hoping I can give some reassurance.
Hayes takes all the questions with ease. “As long as Charlie will let me. I’m a handful of terms away from finishing my bachelor's degree—business management. I have a meeting with OSU Cascades to see what will transfer from what I was doing online while overseas.”
Luke nods his head. “You sure you’re not looking for a job at the department? Someone with your skills and history could be an asset.”
