“Am I the mean old man in the house who hoses kids off his lawn? Is that how they see me?”
“No, Cole. It’s just the hair.”
“But I’m not hairy.”
Chuckling, she ignited a flame under the pot of water.
He loved seeing her relaxed and smiling. “What?” He rubbed his arm to make a point. “I’m not.”
“You remember Darren, right?”
“Of course.” His friend had a head of coarse, wiry, red hair, so he’d kept it buzzed.
“Remember when we’d go to the lake? And he’d be shirtless?”
He went back there…back a whole decade to when he hadn’t fucked up someone’s life, to when he had a bunch of different friend groups—his hockey buddies, the kids of actors his dad had worked with over the years, and the foursome of him, Darren, Lindsay, and Hailey.
To when he’d had a hardcore crush on a girl who didn’t look or act like anyone he’d ever known.
He remembered taking the four of them out on his dad’s boat, stopping in a cove, and spending the day on a private beach. Mostly, he remembered wanting to get Hailey’s attention. Wanting it so badly he acted like a fool.
And that’s when he remembered Darren’s pale body. He grinned. “He had no hair. Like a hairless cat.”
“Exactly. So, compared to their dad, you’re Wild Man Jack.”
She was right, so he turned around, held out his arms, and roared. “I’m Wild Man Jack, and I eat little girls with empty bellies.”
They squealed and ran away from him, darting back and forth as he pretended to grab at them. He rarely spent time around kids. Sometimes, when his teammates got together, he’d meet their families and see the kids running around. But he kept his distance. Just wasn’t his thing.
But seeing the sheer delight in the eyes of Darren’s girls? It filled him with satisfaction. Like maybe they’d be all right. And it fueled him to makesurethey’d land right where they should. Eventually, they each grabbed one of Hailey’s legs, hiding behind her, and he stopped messing with them.
While she served neon orange mac and cheese and buttered green beans, Cole closed all the Harley and Lu containers and stuck them in the fridge. As the three of them sat at the table, chatting and eating, he brought his plate to the counter, leaned his back against it, and ate the rest of his dinner. Between bites, he shot off a few texts to his teammates, who were anxious about tomorrow’s game without him.
Cole: We got this. We’re on fire.
Hailey’s laughter drew his attention to the table. He liked looking at her. There was intelligence in her eyes, mischief in her smile, and an innate sexiness in how she moved her body. He could tell she was a sexual woman.
But it was more than that, of course. It was her ballsy nature. Her confidence. She’d never been shy. In fact, from the moment she’d arrived on campus, she’d strutted down the halls like she’d grown up in Calamity. She’d even started a fashion design club. That was another thing he liked about her. She’d always known what she wanted, and she’d gone after it.
His phone vibrated, and he saw a text from his dad.
Aging Movie Star: How’s it going with the kids? You never called back.
Cole: Sorry. It’s been mayhem, but the girls seem okay. Thankfully, the co-guardian’s here and handling it way better than I ever could.
He glanced at her again. Her green bean was talking to Paisley’s, and Evvie was cracking up.
Cole: You’ll never believe who it is.
Aging Movie Star: Hit me
Cole: Hailey Casselton
Aging Movie Star: Get out of town. You serious? Does she still hate you?
Cole grinned. He loved his dad.
Cole: You’re supposed to be my greatest supporter, the shoulder I cry on, my warrior against a harsh cruel world.