Page 25 of Finding Hayes
She’d always been that girl who showed up for everyone.
Until I needed her most.
And I was fine with it, because needing people had never paid off for me. We’d been too close. I preferred keeping most people at a distance.
Life was easier that way.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” River chuckled. “So here’s what I’m suggesting.”
He folded his hands together slowly and leaned back in his chair, as his eyes moved from me to the woman beside me.
Slowly.
What the fuck is he up to?
“I can’t advise you to break the law. I can simply make some suggestions that could help your situation.” His lips turned up in the corners.
“Okay,” she said.
“So you came back to town for a funeral, and you ran into some old friends. One old friend in particular.” River arched a brow, his gaze locking with mine.
Why the fuck is he looking at me like that?
“Sure. It’s been great seeing Ruby and Saylor and Demi.” She smiled.
“I’m not talking about the girls. I’m talking about a certain best friend you haven’t seen in years,” he said.
“This guy?” Savannah flicked her thumb in my direction, and I glared at her. “We can barely stand one another anymore.”
“That’s even better,” River said. “That way, no one gets hurt.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I hissed.
“I’m talking about something that’s easy to believe. Two old friends who everyone in town knew were inseparable back in the day. They haven’t seen one another in years, and now Savvy’s back in town, and they reconnect. They pick up right where they left off. Things progress. A few weeks later, they realize they can’t live without one another, and they tie the knot.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said, as a sarcastic laugh left my mouth. “I can barely get her to let me help her out of a snowbank. There’s no reconnecting going on here.”
“Hey!” She whipped around to look at me. “You have shit taste in women. I’d be a freaking score for you. You should be so lucky to marry me, you grumpy bastard.”
River’s head fell back in laughter, and I flipped him the bird.
“This is what I mean. You already seem like an old married couple,” River said, waggling his brows like the dickhead he was.
“You’re the one who rolled into town acting like I’m the enemy. This is an insane idea. You can’t be seriously considering this?”
“I never said I was considering it. I just didn’t appreciate the way you acted like fake marrying me was so appalling.” She crossed her arms over her chest, and I couldn’t stop staring at her full lips. Did she always have those plump lips?
“Right. You get to be appalled by the idea, but I should be honored?” I shook my head in disbelief. “I’ve got news for you,Shortcake. I’m not the marrying type. Maybe you should consider your Uber driver. You seemed awfully cozy with him yesterday.”
“Were you always a jackass, and I just didn’t see it when we were young?” She arched a brow, the corners of her lips turning up the slightest bit.
“I’ve always been this way. It just took you a while to catch on, I guess,” I said. “But you sure caught on, didn’t you?”
“I’m disengaging from this conversation. It’s a ridiculous idea anyway.” She clapped her hands back and forth twice, letting us know she was washing her hands of the idea.
“Is it? Obviously, as an attorney, I can’t recommend anything that doesn’t fall within the constraints of the law. But I’m just pointing out, as a friend, this arrangement does benefit both of you.”
Of course, that comment got her attention, and she slowly turned toward me, curiosity dancing in her honey-brown eyes. “How does it benefit you?”
