eventually asked, “Have you ever sent or received nude photos?”
“Nope. I’m not that stupid, thankfully. How about you?”
“Definitely not. That’s just asking for trouble.”
“Agreed. What was your worst breakup like?”
I hesitated, not really wanting to answer this one but realizing I didn’t have a choice. This was all about honesty, right? “I’ve never had a breakup.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, Leo was technically my first boyfriend. Before him, I’d only hooked up with two guys.”
Hayle blinked at me. “You’re serious.”
“Yes. I was pretty anti-social during my years in Kansas, and even if I hadn’t been, I wasn’t interested in anyone like that. Then, I moved back to Moss Harbor, and everything changed.”
“I don’t even know what to say to that. I would have figured the boys in your school would have been falling at your feet.”
“Not so much. Tobias always told me that they were too intimidated to make a move, which was fine by me.” Ready to change the subject, I asked, “What about your worst breakup?”
He grimaced. “You already know all about that, since you were on the receiving end of Kelsey’s ire over the whole thing.”
“Even though I kind of hate her, I also feel sorry for her. She was obviously really upset about losing you. Pretty sure she still is.”
He shrugged. “It was never going to last, and I have no doubt she’ll move on, if she hasn’t already. Your turn. What else do you want to know?”
I had to think again. Coming up with questions on the spot was harder than it sounded. “What’s something no one knows about you?”
“Promise you won’t tell my brothers?”
I crossed my heart with my pointer finger. “You can trust me.”
He released a loud sigh. “I like the color pink.”
Narrowing my eyes on him, I asked, “Is that a joke?”
“Not at all, and I’m not saying that just because it’s your favorite color. I genuinely like pink, particularly darker shades.” His brows knitted together, as though he was thinking hard. “That’s it,” he said suddenly. “Like the color of the dress you wore to the charity ball.”
Ah, yes. My beautiful mermaid gown that was ruined when I got hit by a car while wearing it. Just like Cinderella…not.
Returning my thoughts to what we were talking about, I couldn’t help but smile a little at the thought of Hayle wearing a pink shirt. Or maybe a scarf. He would look good. Maybe I’d buy him one and see what happened.
“So, we have something in common.”
The lines around his mouth tightened. “Did you think we didn’t have anything in common?”
“No, but sometimes I feel like I’m out of my depth with you. I’m a pretty simple girl, Hayle, and you’re very much not simple.”
“Simple? You?” He laughed, though there was nothing derisive in the sound. More like he was surprised. “You’re anything but simple, Thea Gale.”
Hayle. Gale. How had I never realized that our names rhymed? I kind of liked it.
See? Simple.
“I am. I like to draw and ride my bike and watch TV shows starring hot guys. There’s not much more to me.”
Hayle scowled. “That’s ridiculous, and we both know it. You can like simple things without being simple. You have an incredible mind and an even more extraordinary heart.” His scowl softened into a glimmer of a smile. “How else do you imagine you managed to get three hopeless guys to fall for you?”
I turned my head away, feeling my cheeks heat, and not because of the steam wafting off the water. “Okay, stop. I get it.”
“Good. Now you have to tell me something no one knows about you.”
“I love rainbows,” I admitted, still not looking at him.
“Because you want to find a pot of gold?”
“I wouldn’t complain about that, but no. It’s probably silly, because I know rainbows are easily explained by science. But every time I see one, it feels like proof that magic exists.” I finally turned my head to find him watching me with affection. “And they just make me smile.”
“None of that is silly. I’m pro anything that makes you smile.”
“Same here.”
We kept going back and forth, posing some typical and some random questions. It wasn’t until Hayle asked me about my biggest regret that I had to sit back and seriously think about my answer. There were plenty of little things, but narrowing it down to a single regret was challenging.
“I guess it would be how I acted during my years in Kansas.”