They both turned towards the sound of Teela’s apartment door opening as a shaggy old dog trotted in, followed by Haydn Delany looking like a GQ magazine spread on how to succeed at not trying to look hot, rich and Hollywood bankable, but doing it anyway.
“Hey,” he said, making his way to Teela, pulling her into gently into his arms and kissing her lips in a display that was every Valentine’s Day card in the world rolled into one sweet, possessive lip smack. It made Evie’s heart double tap. She wanted kisses like that and if she didn’t fuck things up, she could have them.
She gestured with a satay stick. “Does he just let himself in to your place now?”
Teela pulled out of the kiss. “He does.”
Evie nearly stabbed herself in the eye with the stick. “He moved in with you?” How did she miss that critical news update?
“Only while his place—”
“Our place,” Hayden said.
“Is being renovated,” Teela finished.
“I’m interrupting,” Haydn said, eyeing the food. “How are you, Evie?”
“I’m killing it,” she said. They had a place. “Not interrupting.” She’d bought plenty. She wanted to hear about the moving-in decision.
“Yes,” Teela said, handing Haydn a satay stick. “You’re interrupting.”
“I’m not at all confused,” Haydn said. He took a bite of the chicken and hummed his approval in a rich, hot, bankable way.
Evie let the dog, another of Haydn’s rescues, this one called Jimmy, sniff her boots while Teela got plates out, forks and serving spoons, and said to Haydn, “If you were Evie and you could be a famous singer, would you go for it?”
“Songwriter, not singer,” Evie corrected.
“Singer songwriter,” Teela said. “You should hear her voice.”
“Ah,” Evie said, ready to stick a skewer in that idea again.
“I didn’t ask you,” Teela said, handing her a helping of their favorite spicy beef, Crying Tiger, on a plate.
“I think Evie knows the answer to that,” Haydn said. He really was growing on her.
“No, she does not.” Teela said. “Her family are a lot and she’s got a huge talent and so far she’s chosen not to use it.”
“Teela.” Evie said. “That’s not fair.” Could I have one, just one person completely on my side.
“You don’t. Seriously. You had so many options but then you got your heart broken and gave making music up.”
Haydn spooned fragrant jasmine rice onto their plates. “Do you still have a broken heart?”
“It’s all good now.” Healed with barely a trace of the scar. She needed to walk around in the fresh-made skin of that for a while and see if it itched. And she need to go kiss a man till they both forgot they’d ever damaged each other.
She ate her Crying Tiger while Jimmy licked his balls and Haydn and Teela mind-melded or some crap, looking at each other as if they’d found a way to narrate stories without language and fall further in love with each blink.
It made her feel homesick and home was with Jay. “I have to go.” She wanted to be at the hotel when he got back.
“So soon,” Teela said. “We haven’t finished interrogating you.”
“Precisely.” She grabbed for her bag and helmet and looked at Haydn. “You move in with her when you could’ve lived anywhere in the world with anyone you chose.”
Haydn’s, “Precisely,” chased her out the door, made her whoop in happiness for her best friend and ride through city traffic without once getting irritated at red lights.
At the hotel, she had time for a sheet mask and a soak in the bath before she could expect Jay. He’d only messaged once earlier in the day to tell her their sound check problems had resolved.
She was answering emails when he walked in.