I like being around someone who cares that much about what they create that they could talk about it for half a mile.”
“You have a way of putting things that makes me want to say yes to you. Are you like this with everyone?”
I think about the talk with my father earlier and can’t stop myself from grimacing. He’s going to bust a blood vessel when I finally get to the club tonight, and I’d be willing to bet all my trust fund that he won’t want to say yes to anything I say to him.
“Sadly, no. My charm and persuasive abilities do not work on everyone. I like that they work on you, though. Tomorrow night we can go for another walk again or do anything you want. You name it and we’ll do it.”
“Okay. I’ll text you since I have your number,” she says, giving away that she kept my note.
If she’d thrown it away, I might have to do a lot more persuading, but knowing she decided to keep it, even after running away from me that day, tells me things might be going better than I had thought.
“Text or call me anytime. Until tomorrow night, thanks, Hailey.”
Confusion fills her expression. “For what? All we did was walk and talk a little while.”
“For not thinking I’m like everyone else.”
I can’t tell if her eyes get wide out of fear that she might be wrong and I am like every other guy or fear that’s she right. As long as I have another chance to get to know her even more, I’ll show her just what I am.
And how much I want her.
“Wakey, wakey,” I hear a voice say above me. “Are you going to spend all day in bed?” it taunts.
Am I dreaming, and if I am, why am I dreaming some asshole is waking me up? I need to reconsider what I eat right before I go to bed if this is the quality of dreams I’m having.
Slowly, I open my eyes to see Alex standing at the side of my bed. Covering my eyes with my arm, I groan.
“Go away.”
“We’re supposed to go jet skiing today, remember? Time’s wasting. I’ve got until four to have fun, so get up out of that damn bed and let’s get going.”
I lower my arm and see he’s still here. His hazy figure doesn’t move from where he stands. He’s planning on forcing this issue. I don’t even remember making plans to do anything today. What day is it?
“Give me ten minutes and come back then. Thanks,” I say before rolling over and covering my head with the pillow.
He rips the pillow from my grip and tosses it across the bed out of my reach. “Nope. Time to get up, sleeping beauty.”
With a sigh, I try to not let all the aggression building up inside me out on my best friend, but it’s hard. Very fucking hard.
“You sound like my father. Are you sure you’re not his kid? Because you’re both fucking slave drivers,” I mumble into the bed.
“Come on, Cade. It’s nearly noon, for Christ’s sake. It’s a beautiful day, although you’d never know since you keep this place like a fucking morgue. The sun’s out, the water’s waiting for us, so let’s go.”
I struggle to sit up, still half-asleep and exhausted from getting home after four. “You have no respect for the dead. None whatsoever.”
“Did you work at Club X last night? Your father must kept you there until he locked the doors,” Alex says with a chuckle.
Like any part of that reality is even slightly amusing.
“Fuck off and go jet skiing by yourself, dick.”
From across the bed, he hurls a pillow at me, hitting me in the head and knocking me over. “Get up, man! And you haven’t told me anything that happened with Hailey yet. Did you get anywhere with her?”
“Things went great. I have a date with her tonight. Why are you interrogating me first thing in the morning? Did you at least bring me something to wake up with? Coffee? Energy drink?”
“I’m not your butler, man. Get your own caffeine. So you got a date with her tonight? Good.”
Setting my feet on the floor, I slowly stand from the bed as I gradually come alive. “Yeah, good. She’s going to pick the place and the time. I’m letting her do all the work.”
“Why?” Alex asks, like he’s horrified at the suggestion that I’m not dictating every minute of our time together.
I scrub the