Sin City Baby

“Still doesn't mean you don't have a broken heart,” she said.

“I don't. Trust me,” I said.

My hands started shaking as unwanted memories of my time with Leo flooded my mind. The picture of his face, rising unbidden in my mind, filled me with a dark anger and an even darker feeling of dread. I gritted my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut, doing everything in my power to block everything out until I was able to calm myself down.

Jenn, sensing that something wasn't right, reached out and took my hands in hers, giving them a reassuring squeeze. I was so caught up in my own head that when I felt her hands on mine, I jumped, knocking my coffee all over the table and myself. Thankfully it wasn't scalding hot, but it was warm and wet – and my jeans were now soaked as I jumped up from the chair.

“Jesus Christ, Hailey, what's going on with you?” Jenn asked me, her eyes wide with surprise.

I stared back at my best friend, and felt my cheeks flush when I saw the expression of concern on her face. We both reached for the napkins on the table at the same time, our hands getting tangled up with one another.

“I'm so sor –”

I started to speak and then cut myself off when I caught sight of a familiar face coming through the front the door of the coffee house. Great. Just what I needed when I was as flustered and frustrated as I felt in that moment.

“Crap,” I groaned. “It's Cason.”

“Where?” she asked, dropping her napkins and turning to look at the door. When she spotted the tall, good looking man coming in, an approving grin spread across her face.

“Ah, so it is,” she said and then started waving at him like a loon. “Hey, Cason!”

I slapped her hand down as she waved at him and tried to shush her, not wanting to draw attention to the coffee soaked table – or my pants, which were also drenched. But it was too late, Cason saw us, smiled, waved, and headed our way. I quickly sat down, hiding my legs underneath the table as I wiped up my mess, trying to avoid eye contact with him. My jeans were wet and clung to me uncomfortably. I took a shallow breath and realized that I smelled like a coffee pot. “Hailey, Jenn, how's it going?” he asked.

“Good, good,” Jenn said, talking as if they were old friends. “Care to join us?”

I was still busying myself, avoiding Cason's eyes by wiping down the table as best I could with the dinky little napkins the coffee house provided. But when she spoke, I sat straight up, a jolt of adrenaline shooting through me. With my heart pounding so hard I was sure they could both hear it, I shot Jenn a warning look.

“I'm sure he's gotta head into work –” I started to say.

“Actually, I'm off today,” Cason said, pulling up a chair and sitting down beside me. “It's totally rare, but it happens now and then.”

Jenn, with a gleam in her eye, gave me a mischievous look before turning back to Cason with a big smile on her face. I had no idea what she was up to, but the knots in my stomach told me that it probably wasn't going to be good.

“Speaking of which,” she said, “you guys left pretty quickly after the bonfire last night. I didn't even see you there.”

“What can I say? We were beat,” he said.

I noticed he was staring right at me. His golden-brown eyes were solely on me, as if there was nobody else in the room, even though he was speaking to Jenn. And as our eyes met, the look he gave me made the swarm of butterflies in my stomach start to batter my insides. I scolded myself, mentally, for even feeling that way. I wasn't ready to think that way about anyone, no matter how handsome he was. “So Hailey, what are you doing this evening?” Cason asked.

“Well, I think Jenn and I might be –”

“No, I can't,” Jenn said before I could finish.

I looked at her with eyes wide and my mouth hanging open. I couldn't believe she was hanging me out to dry like that. She just shrugged and gave me an “aw shucks” kind of smile.

“Sorry,” she said and rolled her eyes dramatically like she was a total airhead or something. “I totally forgot that Martin has a business dinner with some clients, and I have to stay home with the kids. I was going to tell you”

“I'll help,” I said. “I know you have your hands full.”

“I think I can handle my kids on my own,” she laughed. “I've managed it for this long. But thanks for the offer.”

“Great. Sounds like you're free then,” Cason said as he pulled his phone from his pocket. “There's a new restaurant over in Shoreview I've been dying to try out. I was thinking that maybe we could check it out together tonight?”

“Uhh –”

I racked my brain and was having trouble coming up with an excuse on the fly. Given that Jenn had just thrown me under the bus, I had to try and to come up with something that sounded plausible and not rude. Jenn sat back in her seat, a little grin upon her lips as she stared at me while I fluttered and flailed, trying to come up with something.

Finally, with both of them looking at me, I knew I had to say something – unless I wanted to sit there, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, looking like a complete moron.