place to herself for a few weeks.” After having her grandmother staying with her for the past six months, maybe they would both benefit from some distance. When Hayley had rented the place, she hadn’t done so with a long-term guest in mind.
“She’s still going to come to the wedding?”
Hayley shrugged. “That’s what she says. But I’ve learned not to count on anything until it actually occurs.” Ever since Vivian had come to stay with her, she’d changed her mind about doing something she’d said she would at least a half-dozen times. “Vivian’s a law unto herself.” In that, Hayley’s father’s assessment of his mother was spot-on. “Considering the brick wall my dad and Uncle David have put up to the idea of seeing her, I’m really not sure why she hasn’t gone home to Pittsburgh by now.”
“She likes your company?” Jane’s voice was amused.
“Or else she just likes having someone around to bug about their love life. Yesterday she actually told me I’d be better off finding a real date for your wedding since I wasn’t getting any younger.”
“What’d you tell her?”
Hayley made a face. “That I didn’t think I was in danger of drying up into an old prune just because there’s no man of interest around.”
But even as she said the words, she knew they weren’t true.
There was a man of interest.
Seth Banyon.
A man with whom she’d had a one-night stand three months ago.
A one-night stand she couldn’t even remember.
“You threw a great bachelorette party, Hayley.” J. D. Forrest gave Hayley a hug before throwing her slender arm around Jane, who was standing beside her. “Are you sure you want to marry my little brother? He’s kind of a pain in the patoot.”
Jane’s eyes glinted with humor. “Pretty sure. He has a few good points.”
J.D. grinned. “Yeah, but I’m his sister, and I definitely do not want to know what they are.” She finished wrapping a lightweight scarf around her neck and leaned forward to kiss Jane’s cheek. “Seriously, you’ve made him one happy camper, which makes those of us who love the guy happy, too.” Moving with her typical quickness, she started for the door of Colbys, where the party had been held. “And we’re all hoping you can do something about his wardrobe. He wears the ugliest shirts any of us have ever seen!” Still smiling, she pushed through the door into the evening.
The moment her future sister-in-law was gone, Jane plopped down onto the nearest chair and covered a yawn with her hand. “Getting married is exhausting.”
Hayley started gathering up the glasses scattered around on the tables. “It’s not the getting married part that’s exhausting. It’s the wedding itself and all of the busyness leading up to it.” She shook her head when Jane started to push to her feet. “No, no, no, my friend. The only reason I agreed to have your bachelorette party here was because you promised to pretend you didn’t own the place and agreed to let your employees be guests, not workers. You’re not helping me clean up.”
Jane collapsed back into her chair. “I could overrule you, you know. I am the bride as well as the owner of this establishment.”
“You could.” Hayley stacked the glasses on a tray and carefully carried them behind the bar, rattling them only a little as she went. “But why? This is one time in your life when you can let your friends do things for you. So let us.”
“There is no us,” Jane pointed out. “There’s only you, since you refused all the people who offered to hang around and help clean up.”
Hayley set down the tray and flipped off the country music that had been playing over the sound system all night. The sudden quiet was welcome. “Sam would have stayed to help if she hadn’t gotten called in for duty.” Hayley had seen Jane operate the dishwasher behind the bar often enough that she figured she could manage it herself. She began loading glasses onto one of the racks. “Casey’s going to be here to pick you up in a few minutes anyway.”
“But if you need help, you can check—”
“—with Jerry,” Hayley finished, glancing across to the open doorway that led to the restaurant side of the bar and grill, where Jane’s cook was still at it. Even though it was past closing time for the grill, the lights were still on over there and with the music turned off in the bar, she could hear the rattle of dishes and murmur of voices from his late-night customers.
“Okay, so maybe I am a bit of a control freak,” Jane admitted. At the sound of the door opening, she turned and looked over her shoulder.
“Did I actually hear the words ‘control freak’ come out of your lips?” Casey asked as he entered.
Hayley didn’t bother trying to hide her smile as she bent over to slide the rack into the dishwasher.
“You heard nothing of the sort,” Jane countered blithely. “The brightness of your neon orange shirt has affected your hearing. Speaking of... Your sister wants me to do something about your shirts.”
“Admit it.” Casey leaned over his fiancée and kissed her before pulling her to her feet. “The only thing you want to do about my shirts is get me out of them.”
“Save it for the honeymoon,” Hayley told them. “My innocent ears can’t take any more.”
“Please.” Jane rolled her eyes and ducked under Casey’s arm to come around the bar. “Are you sure you don’t want—?”
“Get out of here.” Hayley gave her a hug and a push. “The party is over, so go home. I’ll make sure everything’s locked up.”
“I know. I just—” Jane closed her mouth when Hayley pointedly looked at Casey for help. “Fine. Fine!” Her friend tossed up her hands and went back around the bar. She took the costume tiara that Sam had mockingly insisted she wear during the party and fit it back on her head before joining Casey.
“Think it suits me?”
“Well, you’re already the queen of my heart,” he drawled, nearly frog-stepping her to the door.
“Oh, brother.” Jane sent Hayley a look as they left, but Hayley knew just how deeply in love the two were and once the door finally closed behind them, she couldn’t help but sigh a little.
Not with envy. She wasn’t envious of her friend’s happiness.
But she couldn’t help being even more acutely aware of her own solitary life in the face of all of that happiness.
Blowing out a breath, she peeled off her high-heeled boots and wiggled her stocking-clad toes as she went around to each of the tables, picking up paper plates and crumpled napkins and dumping them in a trash bag.
“Looks like you got left holding the bag.”
She startled, jerking around at the sound of the deep voice, and somehow managed to spill the trash she’d just collected. She spotted Seth standing in the doorway to the grill. “What are you doing here?”
He held up his plate and fork as if it should have been obvious. “Jerry’s got good pecan pie. And I was hungry after working a double.”
She hadn’t seen him since she’d tried to chase after him at the wedding shower the week before, and she felt as foolish now as she always seemed to feel around him. “Well, the restaurant might have stayed open to serve you, but the bar’s closed.”
“I gathered that from the girly-looking Closed for Private Function sign taped on the wall.” He took a few steps closer anyway. “Didn’t know that Colbys was fancy enough