Tangle (Dogwood Lane 2)

“Go in,” he says. “Lock the door. Then I’ll go.”

I start to argue for the sake of arguing. But it turns out my voice won’t work.

It’s probably for the best.

I go inside and lock up and then peek through the window. He pulls away down the road, and I grin the entire time.

See you later, sexiest-friend-I’ve-ever-had-whom-I-can’t-touch-and-it-makes-me-crazy-but-I-need-to-be-a-responsible-adult.

I lean against the wall. “I got the job.” I grin even harder. “And I had dinner with Trevor Kelly. Not bad for a random day. Not bad at all.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

HALEY

You did great, Mia!” I shout.

The handful of students still in Aerial’s gym cheer as Mia lands her gymnastics trick. Neely watches from her office, a satisfied look on her face. I know Neely thinks she hit the jackpot by getting Mia as her soon-to-be stepdaughter. Mia loves gymnastics as much as Neely—a collegiate gymnast back in the day—always has.

My little buddy runs across the mats, her ponytail swishing back and forth, and wraps her arms around my waist. “I’ve been working on that forever. I was starting to give up.”

“No,” I gush. “You don’t give up. It’s not what we do.”

“I know. I remembered that and it’s why I didn’t.”

I give her another squeeze before she pulls away.

“Hey, Mia,” Keyarah calls out. “Wanna go home with Madison and me and watch a movie?”

“Can I?” she asks Neely as she approaches.

“If it’s okay with Susan.”

Their mom gives Neely a thumbs-up. The trio of girls grab their things and skip outside, and just like that, the bustling gym is eerily silent.

“It’s funny how quickly it gets quiet,” I note.

“It goes from a hundred to one in an instant.” She walks onto the mats and starts picking up towels. “Thanks for helping me out today. The girls wanted to practice their routines, and I couldn’t be out here and in the office working on competition paperwork at the same time.”

“I didn’t do too bad,” I joke, helping her pick up. “I mean, I’ve never tumbled a day in my life. But I was slightly impressive with my ‘Point your toes!’ comments here and there.”

Neely laughs. “You’ve been a gym mom for years. You should’ve picked up something by now.”

I hand Neely a couple of towels. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“I’ve always had a fear that some woman would come into Dane’s life and kick me out. You’ve been so lovely to me, and I really appreciate that.”

“Oh, please,” she says. “You are as important to that little girl as I ever will be. She loves you, Hay.”

I rest my head on her shoulder. “Yeah, well, she can stop growing up and wanting to spend all her free time with her friends. I’m relegated to spending my time with Claire now if I want to see a friend, and Claire’s probably going to get me arrested one day.”

Neely laughs, patting me awkwardly on the head. “Maybe there’ll be another little one for you to—”

“Oh, my God,” I squeal, jerking my head off her shoulder. “Are you pregnant?”

“No,” she says with a full-bellied laugh. “Could you have asked that any louder?”

“Yeah, I could’ve. You just scared the crap out of me.”

She looks at the floor, her face a rosy color. “I hope to scare the crap out of you for real, soon. I mean, we aren’t married yet or anything, and I’d like to do things in order if I can.”

“I can plan a wedding over a weekend. I swear. And,” I say, dragging out the word, “I just got a job at Buds and Branches. So I have the flowers covered.”

“You did? Haley. That’s wonderful.”

“I know. I’m so excited. I can’t wait to jump in and make beautiful arrangements and bouquets.” I sway back and forth. “This is gonna be fantastic.”

She laughs, tossing the towels in a bin. “It’s really the perfect thing for you.”

“I know . . .” My voice trails off as I glance at my watch. It’s way later than I realized. “Hey, Neely. I gotta go.”

“Oooh. Do you have a date?”

I laugh, heading for the door. “No. More like an appointment.”

“You’re smiling pretty smugly for a dental visit, girlfriend.”

“It’s not a dental visit, girlfriend,” I say, mocking her. “You about done here?”

“Yup. I’ll be locked up and gone within ten minutes. Go on. I’ll be fine.”

“Perfect. Bye.”

“See ya.”

The streetlights are just flickering on as I venture outside the gym. Pulling my hoodie tighter around me, I jog down the street and take a right. Blue, an old hound dog that’s lived here longer than me, lies in the middle of the road. That he hasn’t gotten hit is a testament to the drivers who traverse this road every day.

“Hey, bud,” I say as I jog by on the sidewalk.

He lifts his head and then rests it on the ground again.

I jog up the little incline and, when I reach the top, see Trevor’s truck. He’s early tonight.