Page 9 of I’d Be Honored

Using Hayley’s coughing fit as a distraction, Maddie directed the conversation back to the upcoming nuptials. It felt like the wrong time to dive into the wreckage of her own love life. She had ended things with Kim, anyway. Mostly.

“So, what’s first on the wedding to-do list?” she asked, smiling sweetly and thinking about how Hayley would handle a group project.

“Well, Gem and I were hoping that you two could start planning the bachelorette party together,” Caitlin ventured, her gaze shifting between Maddie and Hayley. “We want to do a joint one.”

Maddie loved bachelorette parties. She lived for that window of celebration before the knot was tied. The final giddy exhale before watching a couple vow their love to each other in front of all their family and friends.

A grin split Maddie’s face, her words tumbling out before she could catch her breath. “We’d be happy to.”

“I’d be happy to find a venue and handle all of the logistics for the bachelorette, Madison,” Hayley interjected, suddenly finding her words.

Over my dead body, Maddie thought.

“No, we will definitely be planning this together so that it doesn’t turn into a corporate retreat,” Maddie chirped brightly, and then giggled at the deadly glare it earned her.

“This should be good,” Gemma stage-whispered to her fiancée.

Caitlin fought to keep her lips from curving upward in amusement. “We’d like it to be sometime in late August if we could make that work.”

“Cait, I will not let you down,” Maddie said with an enthusiastic salute. “Hayley, why don’t we grab a drink this week and brainstorm some ideas?”

Hayley mumbled something indistinguishable before she stood and began clearing the plates.

You’re not getting off that easily.

Maddie quickly stacked the remaining dinnerware from the table and followed Hayley into the kitchen.

The tiled floor was cold beneath her bare feet, but it offered a welcome distraction from the rush of warmth she felt watching the muscles on Hayley’s back shift and contract beneath her tank top with every scrub of the brush.

“Let me help you with that.” Maddie moved to take the plate from Hayley’s hand.

Their fingers grazed, and a jolt ran through Maddie. She almost pulled away, but instead she froze.

Hayley didn’t let go either as their eyes met. For a brief moment, they just stood there, neither of them breathing.

After a beat, Hayley turned back toward the sink, and Maddie fought to control the thudding in her chest.

“Caitlin didn’t mention you’d be here tonight.” Maddie slid a plate into the bottom rack of the dishwasher.

“Gemma hadn’t warned me either. If she had, I might not have come.” Hayley kept her eyes trained on the pot in her hand.

Looking for a way to regain the upper hand, Maddie leaned closer and whispered, “We never talked about that night.”

Hayley bristled. “Because there is nothing to talk about.”

Maddie propped her hip against the marble countertop and faced Hayley, grateful for the distance created by the dishwasher door hanging open between them. It made her feel bolder. “I’m not sure why you’re acting like I don’t exist when I saw you checking me out earlier.”

Hayley had been putting on a show of being coolly indifferent all evening. As far as Maddie knew, she’d always acted that way, every move a calculated step toward checkmate. And Maddie might have bought it if she hadn’t caught Hayley’s eyes drinking her in earlier. A slip.

Hayley shoved a large scalloped bowl with remnants of mashed potatoes into Maddie’s hands. “I was absolutely not.”

“Sure, sure.” Maddie grinned smugly. “Don’t worry, I was checking you out too.” It wasn’t a lie.

Hayley said nothing as they put away the last few dishes in silence.

When they were finished, Maddie lingered, her palm resting on the counter as she glanced at Hayley.

“Is there something else I can help you with?” Hayley asked, drying her hands on a dishtowel as her eyes cautiously met Maddie’s.