Page 19 of I’d Be Honored

“Work,” Hayley said, her tone clipped, before she hesitated and elaborated. “I have a private showing here in an hour. My last one finished early, so I had some time to kill, and this is the best view in the city.”

Maddie fought to keep her jaw from dropping. Those were the most pleasant words Hayley had ever spoken to her, and she didn’t want them to stop. She had to keep the conversation going.

“This is a great spot, you’re right. It’s shockingly peaceful for a city this loud.” Maddie eased her sunglasses down her nose, just far enough to meet Hayley’s eyes. “Though I have to admit, the view got a whole lot better just a few minutes ago,” she finished with a wink.

Hayley’s long, smooth legs uncrossed and crossed again.

Maddie grinned, sliding her shades back into place.

“Do you always do that?” Hayley asked after a tense silence.

“Do what?”

“You know—flirt. With everyone around you.” Hayley tilted her head, giving her a knowing look.

“Not everyone.” Maddie bit the inside of her cheek, trying to keep her lips from turning up.

Hayley scoffed. “Not from what I’ve seen.”

Maddie turned to fully look at her, but Hayley’s gaze was trained intently toward the water again.

“Oh?” Maddie’s brow arched, wondering if Hayley had meant to say that last part out loud. “And what have you seen?”

Hayley stiffened and seemed to debate whether to backtrack or double down on her comment.

“I saw you out last week, on your date.” Her pride seemed to win out. “I was trying to eat dinner, but I ended up being subjected to watching as you flirted with that woman, the bartender, and the server. It almost made me lose my appetite.”

Maddie leaned in slightly, her voice dropping into a playful hum. “Are you spying on me?”

“Of course not,” Hayley shot back.

Maddie opened her mouth to retort, but Hayley waved her hand dismissively before she could get a word out. Maddie laughed as Hayley awkwardly tucked her hand back into her lap, visibly flustered.

“So, watching me while out with someone else?” Maddie pressed, wondering what hid behind Hayley’s large sunglasses.

“You just happened to be in my line of sight.”

“Where?” Maddie asked. She was having a tough time believing that Hayley had been in the same room without her noticing.

“Have you been on more than one date this week?” Hayley’s eyebrows knitted together, her gaze intense. Her voice had dropped an octave when she said the word date again, weighed down by a heaviness that Maddie didn’t understand.

“Yes, actually. Four.” Maddie shrugged casually as Hayley recoiled, almost unnoticeably.

A buzz vibrated along the wooden planks of the bench, and they both looked down at Maddie’s phone as the screen lit up with a new message.

Kim.

Maddie blushed, not from the text, but at the thought of what had actually pushed her over the edge the night before.

Hayley rolled her eyes and looked away.

Silence hung between them, broken only by the hum of distant traffic.

Then, with a sharp intake of breath, Hayley pushed herself up from the bench in one smooth, decisive motion. She strode away without a word, cutting a path across the bright green lawn.

Maddie grabbed her phone and coffee, which was now mostly melted ice, and rushed to follow Hayley.

“Not even a see ya later?” Maddie asked, falling into step alongside Hayley.