ONE #2
Hayley huffed a small laugh. Gemma was an actress, after all. Drama suited her.
“We’re doing great, actually. I’m in the process of staging those condos in Brooklyn that my dad and brother just finished developing. You should come by and check them out. They’re right on the water.”
Hayley’s portfolio of high-end clients spoke for itself, but when you added in the fact that the Maddox men built the prestigious residences and commercial buildings that she then sold, the family name was a force to be reckoned with in New York City.
Feeling watched, Hayley flicked her dark eyes over Gemma’s shoulder.
She spotted a familiar man staring at her from the corner while he waited for his coffee.
She smirked at him, remembering a brief encounter with the other agent where she had corrected his pitch right in front of her buyer.
He’d scurried from the room in embarrassment, leaving Hayley to close the sale herself.
It wasn’t my fault that he didn’t know the difference between marble and quartzite. She offered a faint tilt of her chin, utterly unbothered by his glaring.
The man quickly looked away.
Hayley might never be “one of the boys,” but she could easily outdo them all.
“You’ll sell them in a heartbeat,” Gemma said matter-of-factly. “We’ll come by the open house.”
Hayley smiled softly. “How is your other half? Caitlin’s still here, I hope?”
Gemma sighed. “She’s not going to just disappear, Hay.”
“How do you know?” Hayley pressed, only half joking. “It wouldn’t be the first time.” Or the second. Gemma’s fiancée didn’t have the best track record, and Hayley had never been particularly shy about her opinions on Caitlin.
“I’m willing to take that risk. She’s worth it.” Gemma’s eyes softened, a slight blush rising to her cheeks.
Hayley tilted her head, looking closely for any sign that her best friend was lying to her. She gave a slight nod of acceptance. “Look, I know you’ve loved each other since you were fifteen and all that, but you’ll tell me if she screws up again, right?”
Gemma let out a loving, exasperated huff.
“I promise that you will be the first person I call if Caitlin needs to be reminded of the incredible second chance she has been given.” She sat back in her seat, wrapping her fingers around the handle of her cup.
“Speaking of, we finally picked a wedding date. October fourth.”
“Gem…” Hayley straightened slowly, her nervous system on high alert. “I mean, I know you’re the type of person who prefers to pack an hour before your flight, but four months to pull together a wedding? Don’t you think that’s a little soon? You’ve literally had two years to plan this.”
“That’s what I have you for. You have connections all over the city, and you’re a better event planner than anyone I know.” Gemma sipped her coffee, already lost in thoughts of wedding planning. She didn’t seem to realize that she’d just dropped a bomb on Hayley’s perfectly planned Monday.
Hayley stiffened in her chair, picturing the framed photograph that still hung above her parents’ mantel from their own wedding day.
Her heart raced when she imagined the way they’d smiled at each other, helpless devotion gleaming in their eyes.
She hadn’t seen her dad smile like that in sixteen years.
“Exciting.” She tried to hide the panic in her voice at the thought of marriage. “I’m hoping you two have already secured a venue, at least?”
“A friend of Caitlin’s has kindly offered up her apartment,” Gemma said breezily as Hayley’s mind spiraled.
“She has a beautiful penthouse on the Upper West Side with an incredible rooftop terrace, so we’ll have the ceremony and reception out there.
There’s even enough space for a small dance floor if we don’t invite too many people.
It’s perfect. Wait until you see the views,” she finished triumphantly.
At least I don’t have to find a venue. The thought did little to ease the knot forming in Hayley’s stomach.
Hayley reached across the table and laid her hand on top of Gemma’s, meeting her dark eyes with her own. “That sounds beautiful, Gem, truly. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks, Hay. You know I can’t do it without you, right?”
She tried to hide a grimace. “And you know I wouldn’t miss it.”
Gemma’s eyes welled. “I feel like this is obvious, but… will you be my maid of honor?”
Hayley couldn’t hide her wince this time.
“Um,” she faltered as her heart rate quickened. Her mind raced, trying to imagine four months of wedding planning. Nausea rolled inside, but as she watched Gemma’s face start to fall, Hayley rushed to recover. “I’d be honored, Gem.”
And it was true. Gemma was like a sister to Hayley, and she would be proud to stand beside her. It was just everything else that made Hayley hesitate.
Gemma’s face brightened as she jumped up from her seat and embraced Hayley, squeezing hard.
“I’m telling you now,” Hayley warned before Gemma could pull back. “I will not deal with a bridezilla.”
Gemma laughed. “Me? I think we both know that’ll be Caitlin’s job.” She paused. “Which reminds me. Caitlin plans on asking Maddie to be her maid of honor, so you two will have to play nice.”
This wasn’t a shock, but Hayley closed her eyes to control her annoyance before responding. “I’ll be nothing but delightful.” Unlike Gemma, she wasn’t a very convincing actress.
Gemma shook her head. “What happened between you two after the Oscars, anyway? You’ve never told me.”
Hayley’s mind drifted back to the moment Maddie had walked out in a fiery red Hugo Boss suit, her lipstick the exact same shade.
“Nothing,” she said flatly.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a lithe blonde and snapped a double-take as a sharp tightness gripped her chest.