Authors: Kate Hopkins
"All right," Chad sighed. "I'll talk to Haley and get back to you."
"Thanks."
"Yeah, sure."
Simon hung up the phone, smirking.
Chapter 3
Sighing heavily, Haley sank down into her chair and slipped her feet out of her high heels. Her legs and her back ached. She yearned to sink into a tub of hot water and soak her aches away. She checked her watch and saw she had another hour left of work. It was going to be a long hour. Sighing once again, she rolled her chair to face the computer monitor. At that moment, the phone rang. She reached for the receiver. "Warner and Meyer's. Haley speaking."
"What are you doing tomorrow night?" Chad asked.
"Not much," she answered. "Why do you ask?"
"Simon's cranky old grandmother is throwing a cocktail party," he explained. "He invited us. Do you want to go?"
The thought of seeing Simon again made her smile. "Yes. I'm shocked you're willing to go though. You hate those types of parties."
"Let's just say I owe Simon a favor and he's cashing in."
"Okay." She fiddled with the appointment book that was open in front of her. "What time were you planning on picking me up?"
"I'll pick you up at a quarter to seven," Chad said. "I've got a meeting in a few minutes, so I have to go. I'll call you later."
Before Haley could say anything, he hung up on her. "Goodbye to you too," she muttered, placing the receiver back in the base. The intercom came on and she heard her boss, Mr. Warner's voice.
"Ms. Denton, will you please bring me the Warren file?"
Haley reluctantly shoved her feet back into her shoes, got to her feet, and turned to the large black file cabinet behind her desk. She pulled out the top drawer and rifled through the files. Removing a folder, she took it in to Mr. Warner. He was sitting at his desk, snacking on M&M's. "Here's the file you requested, sir." She held it out to him and he took it out of her hand.
"Thank you." He adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "I want you to cancel all of my appointment for Monday. My wife has to have surgery and I would like to be there for her."
"Is she going to be all right?" Haley asked concerned.
"She will be fine," he assured her. "I would like you to be here to answer the phone and schedule appointments, but you don't have to come in until ten."
"Yes, sir."
"That's all," he told her.
Haley made her way back to her desk, where she made several calls, canceling and re-scheduling appointments for later in the week. Once she was through with that, she called her sister, Sandra and asked her if she would go with her to pick out a dress and shoes for the cocktail party. Her sister agreed and they made plans to meet at the mall after work.
. . . .
Two hours later found Haley and Sandra looking through a rack of dresses. Draped over Haley's arm were two dresses she planned to try on. One was royal blue and the other was a pale green. Both had short skirts and were sleeveless. She was leaning toward the green, knowing it would make her eyes appear greener. "Thanks for coming along. I know it was short notice, but I-"
"Don't worry about it." Sandra tucked several strands of red hair behind her ear. "I'm glad you called me. It's been a while since we've done this." Her brown eyes twinkled with amusement. "Besides you saved me from Jeffrey and the kids for a few hours."
Haley smiled fondly as she thought of her brother - in - law and two nephews. "They're not that bad, sis. You've got great kids and a wonderful husband."
"I know I do," she said. "So how are things between you and Chad?"
"All right . . . I guess." Haley nibbled on her bottom lip. "The truth is things aren't as good as they used to be. He's changed and it's not a good kind of change. When he's not canceling dates he's late."
Sandra held up a red dress and put it back when Haley shook her head. "Have you asked him what was wrong?"
"Not really," she mumbled. "I did tell him if the relationship wasn't working for him anymore to tell me and we would go our separate ways. He assured me he loved me and that he didn't want to call it off."
"Talk to him, honey," Sandra urged her. "You can't fix what's wrong if you don't know what it is. Communication is important in a relationship."
"You're right." Haley took a white dress off the rack, checked the size, and draped it over her arm with the others. "I'll talk to him tomorrow."
"You'll be glad you did," she said. "If things don't work out for you two it won't be your fault. It'll be the idiots fault."
"Funny, Simon called him an idiot too," Haley said, smirking. "I ran into him last night at O'Connor's. He bought me a drink and we talked."
"Now that's one fine man," Sandra stated. "If I wasn't married I would-"
"Well you are," she cut in. "I think I have enough dresses to try on. Come help me decide which one looks the best on me."
"Only if you feed me afterwards."
"It's a deal."
It was after seven when Simon unlocked the door and let himself into the house. Reaching out, he flipped on the switch, flooding the foyer with light. He placed his briefcase and keys on the table and then deactivated the alarm via the keypad on the wall. Simon walked through the large foyer, living room, and into the spacious granite and stainless steel kitchen. He moved to the refrigerator and opened the freezer door. Taking out a frozen TV dinner, he tossed it in the microwave and jabbed the start button.
A few minutes later, Simon sat down, on a stool at the island, with his dinner and a beer.
"Hey, little brother," Daniel said, strolling into the kitchen. At thirty-seven, he was four years older than his brother was. His hair was a light brown and his eyes were blue. "What's for dinner?"
"What ever you can find," Simon informed him. "I'm not in the mood to cook." He forked a piece of broccoli and popped it into his mouth, chewing and swallowing. "What time did you come home last night?"
"I didn't get home until around two this morning." Daniel made a beeline for the refrigerator and took out a TV dinner. He placed it in the microwave and then turned to face Simon. "A new club opened up over on Benton St. Me and some friends wanted to check it out." He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. "You need to loosen up. You should come with us some time."
"I can't be out all hours of the night." Simon grabbed his beer and took a drink. "I have to work."
"That's all you do, man," Daniel pointed out. "You work, eat and sleep. You never have any fun."
Simon stared at him, taking in the bloodshot eyes and several days worth of stubble. His brother looked like he hadn't gotten a good night of sleep in days. "You have enough fun for the both of us. Just be careful when you're out partying. I don't want to get a call from some stranger telling me you're dead. Tell me. How did you get home? You didn't drive, did you?"
"I'm not stupid, bro," he growled. "I called for a cab."
"Did you come home alone?"
"Yes. What is this? Twenty questions."
Simon rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, it's just that I don't want you bringing strange women into the house."
"I told you I wouldn't do that." Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "So drop it."
"All right." Simon cut into his Salisbury steak with his fork. "Are you going out again tonight?"
"That's the plan." The microwave beeped, signaling that time was up. Daniel turned around and took his dinner out. "I've got a date with someone I met at the club." He got a beer from the fridge and took a seat at the island. "Speaking of clubs, you'll never guess who I saw there last night. Chad. He was there with some leggy blond. I didn't know he and Haley broke up."
"They didn't," Simon said through clenched teeth.
"Uh-oh. The way he and the blond were all over each other made me think other wise."
His appetite suddenly gone, Simon dropped his fork and pushed the food away. Anger flared up inside of him. The urge to beat Chad until he was a bloody pulp came over him. He took a deep breath and willed himself to calm down. His thoughts turned toward Haley and his heart squeezed painfully in his chest. When she found out what Chad was doing, she would be devastated.
"Are you going to tell Haley?" Daniel inquired. "You should, man. She has a right to know. If I was in a relationship with some chick and she was cheating on me I'd want to know."
"It's going to hurt her."
"Not knowing is hurting her, bro. She needs to hear it from someone who cares about her and not some stranger."
Simon knew he was right. Haley needed to know what was going on. Like it or not he had to be the one to tell her.
"It looks like she's going to be free soon." Daniel smirked. "I know you've always had a thing for her. Now-"
"I won't make a play for her when she's vulnerable." Simon pushed back his chair and got to his feet.
"Where are you going?"
"To see Haley." With a mixture of sadness and anger in his eyes, Simon left the kitchen.
Chapter 4
Simon turned off the ignition, opened the car door, and stepped out. He made his way up the driveway toward the door. With each step he took his anger toward Chad grew. Because of his selfish actions Haley was going to suffer. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he paused and knocked on her door. While he waited he took his cell phone out of his pants pocket and turned it off. He did not want any interruptions while they were talking.
The door opened, a minute later. When Haley saw it was Simon her eyes lit up and she smiled. "Well hello, Mr. Wilcox. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"
"May I come in?" he asked quietly.