Page 8 of Forever my Love

ChapterThree

Hailey loved her job. Even though most people would consider taking orders and delivering drinks and pizzas to be boring, she always had fun.

There were people to talk to, kids to entertain, and always stories and gossip to listen to.

She loved Pride. Loved almost every single person in the small town.

Sure, there were a handful of men who tried to flirt with her that she steered clear of. Obnoxious men who couldn’t take no for an answer. The kind that always tried to grab her or, when she told them no, made fun of her by asking if she was a lesbian or a nun.

But after a few months of living in town, she knew how to avoid those types. Plus, Corey and Carter always stood up for her and kicked anyone out who was being too crazed.

Since Nick and Harper were spending the day working on the shower, she was thankful she had work to focus on.

When Nick’s sister, Kate, came in and ordered her standard salad, she chatted with her for a few moments. Out of everyone in town, she considered Kate, Avery, and Hannah to be her closest friends. Whenever one of them came in, she’d take her break and sit with them and catch up.

She had even gone on a few shopping trips to Edgeview with the group.

Kate ran her own dance studio, and Hannah worked as a real estate agent for Hidden Cove neighborhood. And Avery? Well, Avery did it all. She had jobs at the firehouse as an emergency dispatcher, filled in at Baked, Sarah’s Nook, The Brew-Ha-Ha, and the Golden Oar restaurant, and sometimes worked down at city hall.

Everyone in town joked that Avery was a woman-of-all-trades.

Hailey respected Avery a lot. Not because she was unwilling to settle on a job but because she did all of those jobs to help others. The woman was the most selfless woman Hailey knew.

Avery and Hannah were BFFs. Apparently, when Kate moved back into town, the trio were once again reunited and were often seen together.

Hailey had never had any friends growing up besides Harper, so it was wonderful when the trio started including her in their activities. Whenever she’d suggest to Harper that she join in the fun, her sister either had to work or was working on the cabin.

Hailey liked the old place. Really. It was nice. The nicest place they’d ever stayed in their entire lives. Still, it was just a place.

Harper and Hailey both viewed the cabin as home. Even though Hailey liked the place, she knew her sister loved it. The cabin was more Harper’s than Hailey’s.

Her sister spent a lot of time and money fixing the home up. Her sister’s photos, which she’d taken with an old camera she’d found, were hanging on all of the walls.

Hailey didn’t know if she had a style she liked for her living space, but her sister’s style was everywhere you looked in the cabin. The fact that Harper was redoing the bathroom without Hailey’s input didn’t bother her.

“Hey.” She sat across from Kate and set the salad down in front of her friend.

“Hey.” Kate smiled over at her. “So, how was your first match with Reece?”

While Kate ate her salad, Hailey filled her in on her progress. She wanted to tell her friend about the kiss Reece had given her but was too embarrassed and didn’t know if that crossed some kind of friend line.

Instead, she told her how they were meeting again that evening.

They chatted until Hailey’s break was over, and then she got back to work while Kate headed back out in the rain. After two more hours of work, she headed home.

She had a couple hours before she was going to meet Reece for their next session and really wanted to see the progress on the bathroom.

After greeting both dogs, Lucy and Blue, she headed down the hallway and caught the last part of a conversation between Nick and her sister.

“I’m here,” Nick said to Harper. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Hailey froze as the couple sat on the floor in a loving embrace. Hailey didn’t know how her sister could be so casual with sex. Not after…

She straightened and pushed the past behind her.

“Wow, this looks amazing,” Hailey said from the doorway, causing the pair to jump away from one another.

“Thanks, we’re not done yet,” Nick said with a smile. “But at least you can now brush your teeth in your own sinks.” He bent under the sink while she stepped inside. Somehow, the bathroom looked larger than it had before. Instead of one small sink without a countertop, there were two sinks, each with their own drawers, and plenty of countertop space for curling irons, blow dryers, and makeup.