Page 59 of A Deal with the Devil

“You know, they’d never have worked out,” he says. “He needs more than her.”

My head jerks upward. What a shitty thing to say about his own wife, even if it’s true.

“I’m not saying Ella is lacking anything,” he continues. “She’s perfect for me. But Hayes—he needs a firecracker, someone as strong as he is, as smart as he is, an equal. And whether he’d ever admit it or not, she never was.”

I raise my chin. “What an unusual thing to say about your own wife.”

He runs a hand through his hair. It’s far cuter when Hayes does it. “I know. And you’re possibly the only woman at this party with the balls to call me on it, so you just might work.”

If any of this was real, I’d suspect…he might be right. Even based on our limited interaction, I know someone like Ella could never be enough for Hayes, could never challenge him and keep him on his toes the way I would. But me? I could make him happy, and I’d take care of him. For the briefest moment I am staggered by my desire to do exactly that.

Hayes walks in the French doors and stiffens at the sight of us, his eyes going dark.

“I was just telling Tali here what a nice couple you are,” his father says, swishing the ice in his empty glass. “She’s perfect for you.”

Hayes’s arm wraps around my waist, pulling me tight to his body. “Glad you approve, Dad.” His voice is dry as the Sahara and he stares his father down, as if this moment is about something more. It’s only when his father walks away that he turns me toward him. His hand slides to my hip, even though we’re the only ones in here. “What was that about?”

“He asked me to have a drink with him later tonight, once everyone’s gone.” I wait just long enough for his jaw to drop before I laugh. “Kidding. He told me it was for the best that you and Ella never worked out because she isn’t your equal.”

“You’re shitting me.”

I shake my head. In retrospect, it’s all pretty appalling. “You won’t be surprised to learn I made my disapproval clear.”

He laughs, looking younger and freer than he has looked even once, during all the time I’ve known him. “Of course you did. You about ready to go?”

I nod, though I’m not really ready for all this to end. He takes my hand, and we walk back outside to say goodbye to everyone. Ella hugs us both, barely touching me while she lingers with Hayes, pressed up against him. Everyone watches it happen, and I’m furious all over again with his father. What a horrible situation to put your son in for the rest of his life. I don’t care if he did Hayes a favor. He’s a garbage human being, and he got the wife he deserves.

* * *

I sink into the sun-warmed leather seat of his BMW with a relieved sigh, realizing only now how much my feet ache.

“If we happen to pass any bonfires on the way back to my apartment, pull over so I can throw these shoes in.”

He glances over at me as we wait for the gates to open. “That you managed to wear them all day was above and beyond the call of duty.”

“For real,” I agree. “And now that I’ve done a favor for you, I need you to do something for me.”

He smirks. “You’re not in much of a bargaining position now that the afternoon is over, but proceed.”

I bite my lip. “Take next weekend off. I never filled it in.”

We discussed the idea weeks ago. It’s possible I simply ignored him when he said he wasn’t interested.

His nostrils flare. “Tell me you’re joking.”

“Come on,” I wheedle. “What’s two days?”

He sighs heavily. “Do I really have to tell you how much money I can make?”

I throw out my hands. “Think of how much you have, Hayes! For God’s sake, what are you working so hard for if you can’t even enjoy it?”

He turns up the music as if the conversation is over. “Fill in the days.”

“You’re just scared,” I say, turning the music down again. “You’re scared of what happens when there’s nothing to do. You fill every free moment with work. That’s no way to live.”

“I seem to be filling an increasing number of moments with shrill nagging from my assistant,” he replies. “I’m not scared of time off. I just don’t need it.”

“Then prove it,” I insist. “Take two whole days off and show me you’re not scared. I found a little house you can rent, right on the beach. Swim and nap and read. What could be better?”