“Well, it sounds to me like Maybelle and Maude and all their equally nosy cohorts in this town should mind their own business,” Hailey grumbled.
“I was just tellin’ you what I heard,” Barbra held up her hands. “To hear Billy Wayne tell it, you ain’t exactly Blondie’s biggest fan, so why you gettin’ so defensive?”
“He has a name,” Hailey rolled her eyes.
“Grant,” Misty said in a swoon.
Hailey shoved Misty away. “Besides, Barbra, nothing against your brother, but he’s never been the most perceptive person I know.”
“So you are a big fan then?” Misty grinned.
“No!” Hailey snapped. “That is not what I meant to imply.”
Barbra handed Hailey her change and moved back to her stool. “Sheriff Jordan was in here earlier, and I overheard him and Doc Mason saying that Grant wouldn’t even be on the team if your daddy hadn’t always been sweet on Nora Miller.”
“And have either of them ever seen Grant play?” Hailey shrugged.
“I don’t reckon so,” Barbra shook her head. “But Billy Wayne calls him a ball hog.”
“On the other hand, any time Billy Wayne gets his hands on the ball, he can’t get rid of it soon enough,” Hailey scoffed. “God forbid he actually takes a shot every now and then.”
“Hails, are you done taking swipes at your friends yet?” Misty sighed. “First me and Paul and now poor Billy Wayne.”
“I’ll stick to Paul if you prefer,” Hailey rolled her eyes. “Heaven knows Billy Wayne didn’t come up with his opinion of Grant all on his own.”
Misty stood in front of the gas station door, blocking Hailey’s exit. “Barbra brought up a good point,” she nodded. “Why have you suddenly taken on the role of Grant Cohen’s public defender?”
“Last time I checked, it wasn’t a crime for people to dislike you,” Hailey rolled her eyes as she squeezed past Misty.
“Is it possible that in a matter of days, you have acquired his love of sarcasm?” Misty blurted as she chased after Hailey.
Hailey thought out loud as she felt Misty tugging on her shoulder. “He feels like nobody understands him,” she sighed, “and most people don’t, but I have to try, Misty.”
Again, Misty turned Hailey, so they were eye-to-eye. “Don’t do it…don’t fall for him, Hails…nobody likes him, and there has to be a reason why, don’t you think?”
“Maybe,” Hailey shrugged.
“That’s a rather nonchalant reply,” Misty sighed.
“To a rather lousy conclusion,” Hailey nodded as she walked on, leaving Misty behind, stunned. “Maybe none of you like him because none of you know him.”
“How well do you really know him?” Misty fired back.
Hailey’s eyes flashed anger as she turned back toward her friend. “What has come over you? You seemed to like Grant just fine the day you met him. Now, no doubt, after a little badmouthing by your boyfriend, you’ve done a total one-eighty.”
Misty hurried to catch up. “He’s gorgeous, and he comes off as mysterious and charming, I know that, but I also know that he could be gone in a moment, and you would never hear from him again. Does that scenario ring any bells?”
“I don’t care,” Hailey insisted. “He could leave today, and that would be fine.”
“Really?” Misty prodded.
“What Grant and I had was a perfect two weeks,” Hailey shrugged. “It’s over! My defense of him has everything to do with what is right and what is wrong and nothing at all to do with any old feelings I might have once had for him.”
“Well, okay then” Misty conceded.
“How could I have been so wrong about him this summer?” Hailey said, remembering the way things had been.
Misty put her arm around Hailey. “It was just a summer romance. Obviously it meant more to you than it did to him. He made that pretty clear when he never replied to any of your e-mails.”
“Maybe he never got them?” Hailey suggested. “I mean I don’t know too much about computers, and I had to go into town just to create an account on a library computer. Maybe I didn’t do it right, and he never got to read my letters.”
“You don’t really believe that,” Misty sighed. Then, her face contorted. “Have you and Grant not talked about the summer yet?”
“No,” Hailey gulped. “We have managed to avoid the subject completely.”
“Well, maybe you have forgotten how totally and completely Grant Cohen destroyed you when he took off last summer and never looked back,” Misty pled, “but I haven’t forgotten. I haven’t forgotten how much you cried, how devastated you were that the guy you had cast in the role of hero turned out to be the biggest mistake of your life. He hurt you. He tore your heart into a million little pieces, and I had to be the one to do damage control. You were a wreck, Hailey, and this guy you keep defending is the reason why.”
Hailey took a long sip from her straw, remembering everything about the boy she had met over the summer. “This summer, he was so sweet and funny and fun to be around. We had an instant connection. He held doors. He held my hand. He was the perfect gentleman in every way. He had an opinion on everything, so we were never lost for conversation, but he genuinely seemed happiest listening to me talk about myself. I think I’m pretty boring because there just isn’t all that much to tell, but he didn’t seem to think so. He could make me laugh with nothing more than a look. He didn’t go around trying to impress me; he just did. I remember being struck by the way his brown eyes seemed to be in stark contrast to his blond hair and how perfectly that juxtaposition seemed to fit him.”
“Is that some fancy word he taught you?” Misty rolled her eyes. “People from Hope Hull don’t talk that way, Hails. You don’t talk that way!”
“Why can’t we just walk back to your house, laughing and consuming copious amounts of Dr. Pepper like we always do?” Hailey begged.
“Okay, seriously, Hailey, I’m limiting you to one word of the day type slips of the tongue that only serve to remind me that you and Mr. Smarty-pants are hanging out way more than you and I are these days,” Misty laughed.
“This all got started because I was trying to make a point,” Hailey argued. “He is this walking contradiction in every way. He’s a blond genius! When you see that blond hair, you expect to see bright blue eyes shining out from underneath, but, instead, he has complex, mysterious brown eyes that leave you with more questions than answers. He uses harsh words as a defense, but, when you get down to it, he can be really genuine and very sweet. He has great big muscles, but…”
“He’s nice to look at; nobody is gonna argue that point with you,” Misty smiled, “but just because he’s easy on the eyes, doesn’t mean he is good enough for my best friend!”
