ONE #3
Jesus, Hayley. It’s not her.
“Will you come over for dinner on Saturday?” Gemma asked, and Hayley was grateful for the change in subject. If her friend had noticed Hayley’s inner turmoil, she let it slide.
Hayley carefully set the porcelain coffee mug onto the table with a clink. “I may have plans.”
Gemma narrowed her eyes. “Well, do you?”
“Fine,” Hayley grunted. She didn’t have plans, but she didn’t want to admit that to Gemma. “I’ll be there, but don’t expect me to stay all night.”
“Dinner’s at seven.” Gemma winked, finishing the last sip of her coffee before rising from the table. She pecked Hayley’s cheek in a quick goodbye and vanished from the café.
HAYLEY HAD SPENT THE REST OF the week on the move, juggling client meetings in Manhattan and overseeing staging at the Brooklyn building to ensure it met her exacting standards.
After another long day, Hayley sat in the back of a yellow taxi, debating whether or not to bail on her dinner plans with Gemma and Caitlin.
They were her best friends, and she knew she should go, but spending an evening as a third wheel sounded exhausting.
Going home to a glass of wine or scotch in total solitude was far more appealing.
But for whatever reason, at a quarter after seven, she found herself knocking on Gemma’s front door.
“Hay, you made it!” Gemma pulled her inside, squeezing Hayley’s bicep as she reached up to peck her cheek. “I’m glad we didn’t get bumped for some big Saturday night plan,” she teased.
Hayley handed Gemma a bottle of her favorite red wine. Her father had taught her to never show up as a guest empty-handed. Even if she didn’t want to be there.
“We both know you would have hunted me down if I hadn’t shown,” she retorted.
Hayley followed Gemma into the dining room, where laughter mingled with the smell of fresh spices, melted butter, and rose petals—the latter coming from a Diptyque candle burning in the center of the table.
“Hey Hayley, glad you’re here.” Caitlin stepped forward and embraced her. “You remember Maddie, right?” She pointed across the table.
Fuck.
Hayley gave a shallow, noncommittal nod, her voice suddenly caught in her throat. She knew Caitlin had asked Maddie to be her maid of honor, but Gemma conveniently left out the part that Maddie would be there tonight.
She hadn’t seen Maddie since the night of the Academy Awards back in March, where they had inadvertently spent the evening together after Gemma and Caitlin had slipped away with their golden statues to celebrate privately.
Hayley shot a look at Gemma, whose eyebrows knitted together into a sharp line, warning Hayley to play nice. She held up her palms in defense, just visible enough for Gemma to see.
Maddie stood and began to move around the table as Hayley’s eyes involuntarily scanned her body. Her tanned California skin and sharp abs were on full display below a cropped pink T-shirt. Blue jean shorts barely reached her mid-thigh, revealing her toned legs. And those lips…
Stop it, Hayley.
To her annoyance, she’d forgotten the way Maddie often left her feeling unsettled. She’d be careful not to make that mistake again.
“It’s so great to see you, Hayley.” Maddie wrapped her arms around Hayley’s waist, a strand of blonde hair falling forward.
Hayley tried to ignore how warm Maddie felt.
“Madison,” she droned, patting Maddie’s shoulder once in a cold, obligatory gesture.
When Maddie pulled back, she punctuated the embrace with a wink that only Hayley could see.
Hayley wanted to crawl inside her skin. She forced her eyes toward the table and took a seat next to Gemma, as far from Maddie as possible.
Gemma began serving them filet mignon, broccolini, and mashed potatoes. “Caitlin made everything herself.”
Hayley glanced sideways at Caitlin, her skepticism clear.
“You may not believe me,” Gemma started, reading Hayley’s mind, “but she did. My devoted fiancée has been taking cooking lessons for the last year to surprise me.”
A soft pink crept up Caitlin’s neck. “I just wanted to make sure that I’m taking care of my soon-to-be wife.”
“Damn, I’m impressed.” Maddie looked over at Caitlin. “You couldn’t even make instant mac and cheese without almost burning down our apartment.”
The two of them laughed over a shared memory, leaving Hayley to roll her eyes just before she felt a sharp kick to her shin. She turned to find Gemma glaring at her with a forced smile.
“So,” Gemma began, filling the brief silence, “Caitlin and I are happy you both could be here. We thought we should dive into this wedding planning stuff as soon as possible.”
“First of all, I just want to say how thrilled I am to be here,” Maddie gushed. She reached for their hosts’ hands before continuing, “Caitlin, Gemma, you deserve this next chapter more than anyone I know. It’s going to be so beautiful.” There were tears gleaming in Maddie’s blue eyes.
Hayley felt a pang in her chest, suddenly needing air.
Four months of wedding planning. Four months of Maddie.
Hayley wasn’t sure which one would break her first.