THREE #3
Michael made a show of rubbing the stubble on his chin as if he were deep in thought. “This just got very interesting.”
“And why is that?” Hayley asked, unnerved.
“Well, Madison,” he drawled, pronouncing the woman’s name with extra flourish, “is clearly on a date, and the way you just stiffened when she sat down next to that other woman tells me that you don’t like it.”
Hayley let out a sharp huff of air. “That’s ridiculous.”
Michael just grinned as if he were declaring checkmate.
Hayley straightened her back and shook her head. “You’re wrong on this one. I can’t stand that woman.”
A bright peal of laughter suddenly rang out from across the room. Hayley gritted her teeth as Michael twisted his head to look. Maddie was beaming at something her date had said, Maddie’s hand lying on the woman’s forearm.
For some reason, it pissed Hayley off.
“Okay, Bridget Jones. Let’s get you out of here.” Michael handed the server cash, told her to keep the change, and the two snuck out.
“You know, it’s okay to admit you have a heart. It doesn’t always have to just be sex.” Michael hugged Hayley once they were safely outside, holding on a little longer than usual. “Call me anytime. I love you, you know.”
“You too,” she murmured, smiling wistfully at Michael’s back until he disappeared down the sidewalk.
Then she flagged down a cab. As the dark city flew by her window on the ride home, Hayley gazed out at the illuminated towers of the Brooklyn Bridge reflecting across the river in ripples.
Seeing Maddie on a date had stirred something unfamiliar in her chest, something she didn’t particularly like.
Maybe it was just guilt, left over from the way she had stormed out the night before.
I just need to apologize to Gemma.
THE FOLLOWING DAY AT WORK WAS hectic for Hayley. She had spent the entire morning helping one of her junior agents navigate a closing that almost went terribly wrong. By the afternoon, she realized she hadn’t spared a single thought for the bubbly blonde or the wedding frenzy.
Look, she thought to herself, already on the mend. Easy.
She stepped out of her glass office and headed to her next meeting. The one appointment on her calendar that had been unsettling her.
A short taxi ride later, Hayley came face-to-face with her best friend as soon as she opened the door to the bespoke tailor shop in Manhattan’s fashion district.
For a moment, neither spoke as they searched the other’s face.
Then, Gemma broke the silence, closing the distance and throwing her arms around Hayley.
“I’m sorry.” Gemma kept her voice low as she squeezed Hayley tight.
“Why are you sorry? I’m the one who had a meltdown and ignored you for almost two days,” Hayley countered, cringing.
“I’ve been so wrapped up in all this wedding stuff that I hadn’t stopped to consider how it might make you feel.”
It was such a Gemma thing to say. Her best friend was always willing to set her own happiness aside if it meant easing Hayley’s feelings, and it only made Hayley feel worse.
“Gem, I should be the one apologizing.” Hayley sighed, struggling to find the right words.
She’d always hated conversations that left her feeling exposed, and this one was no exception.
“I shouldn’t have let my own issues about marriage get in the way of yours.
I really am happy for you, and I want to be by your side for all of it. ”
Gemma reached for Hayley’s hand and gave it a soft squeeze. “I know you do. Just next time, talk to me if it gets to be too much. You know I’m always here for you.”
She left it at that, and Hayley was grateful Gemma hadn’t pressed her to unpack every tangled thought swirling through her mind.
The two went to work on the racks, pulling jackets, pants, vests, and shirts to curate Gemma’s dream look for her wedding. She wanted something uniquely hers for the big day, and Hayley was more than happy to browse the high-end silks alongside her, offering opinions as they went.
When Gemma finally settled on a simple, timeless ivory three-piece suit that redefined classic elegance, Hayley felt a genuine swell of happiness.
They combined a pair of mid-waist, straight-leg pants in off-white with a slightly cropped, three-button vest that sat right above her waistband.
A single-button blazer would be tailored to just skim the top of her thigh.
After a little encouragement, Gemma chose to forgo a shirt entirely, adding a bold, confident edge to the outfit that fit her perfectly.
The result was undeniably stylish, and they both agreed Caitlin would love it.
Gemma had stood by Hayley throughout countless highs and lows over the years, and now it was Hayley’s turn to show up.
She swore to herself that she would do whatever Gemma needed her to do to make this wedding go smoothly, even if that meant extending an olive branch to Caitlin’s maid of honor.
If that didn’t prove how much Hayley cared about her best friend, then she didn’t know what would.