Chapter 35

Hearing Macy call, I tossed my phone aside and yelled, “Coming!” Kicking off my shoes, I slid into my slippers and opened the door. The first thing I saw was Hayden filling several white buckets in the courtyard.

He hoisted the full buckets, his shoulder muscles prominent even through his shirt. Talk about strength! “Why are you getting so much water? Is there a water outage or something?” I asked as I walked over. Macy glanced at my slippers and discreetly rolled her eyes.

Hayden remained silent, so she answered for him, “Just in case.” Then she patted Hayden. “I’m making fish chowder tonight. You two go buy some fish—wild-caught if you can. Also, get some cilantro, garlic sprouts, potatoes, and clams.”

It was obvious she just wanted to get us out of the house to talk. I knew my slippers weren’t the best choice, but going back to change felt awkward.

“Go change your shoes,” Hayden said.

Now it would be even more embarrassing, so I forced a smile. “It’s fine.”

Hayden didn’t argue. He just started walking, and Macy gestured for me to follow, calling after him, “Hayden, wait for Keira.”

I shuffled out the door in my slippers. They might not be the best, but they were comfortable. After a few steps, Hayden stopped abruptly.

“I heard you want to date me?”

I froze. Did Macy phrase it like that? This guy’s blunt.

“So, you don’t want to date?” I asked, taking a moment to really look at him. His features were sharp and defined, with deep-set eyes; his lips were just right, not too thin or too thick. Macy was right; his face was more striking than Jace’s, except for his slightly tanned skin.

We were told not to judge a book by its cover, but who didn’t check out someone’s face first when meeting them? You couldn’t exactly strip them down to see what they were working with.

I’m thirty-one. I served eight years in the army, now I… He started to introduce himself but was interrupted.

“Hayden!” A teenage boy, probably seventeen or eighteen, called out, whistling and checking me out.

“Is that taxi yours?” I asked after the boy wandered off.

“No, it’s a friend’s,” he said, explaining that he worked with a buddy driving the taxi.

“Ever been with a widow?” I asked, cutting to the chase.

Hayden’s eyes darkened a bit. “No.”

“Think you will in the future?” I asked, feeling my own scars and insecurities. I was sensitive and fragile, though no one could tell.

“No,” he answered succinctly.

I smiled a bit. “I’m twenty-four. Just got out of a relationship that almost ended in marriage. My parents are both gone, and I’m not looking to date right now.”

I laid it all out. Macy’s idea of trying things out with Hayden was just me being impulsive. I wasn’t ready for another relationship, especially not a setup with a stranger.

Hayden looked down but didn’t say anything. I figured he got it, so I turned to leave.

“Then how about getting married?” His words froze me in place. I stared at him, stunned.

Hayden straightened up and met my eyes. “How about a marriage license?” he repeated.