Star Struck(24)
“Keep your day job because your jokes aren’t funny.”
“Ha. Ha.”
Hailey left Garrett in the bed. She went to the bathroom and took a long hot bath. Garrett was fully dressed and downstairs by the time she finished taking a bath. She threw on a jogging suit and was surprised to smell food coming from the kitchen when she headed down the stairs.
“I think I might keep you around,” she said, as she picked up a piece of bacon to taste it.
“Only returning the favor, but I don’t want anything from you.” He winked his eyes.
Hailey pulled up a chair and sat down. “I told you, you need to leave the jokes to the comedians.”
Garrett sat down across from her. “I hope you like the eggs. I didn’t have all of the ingredients to make an omelet, so these will have to do.”
“I just noticed you aren’t wearing that suit.”
“I had some extra clothes in the trunk of my car.”
“I forgot who I was talking to. Playa, playa,” Hailey teased.
“Ex-player,” Garrett corrected her.
“That’s what you say,” Hailey said in between bites.
“It’s what I mean. I’m ready to settle down with one woman.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it. You’ve always had multiple women ever since I’ve known you.”
“That’s because I was waiting on you.”
Hailey almost spit out her juice. “There you go again with the jokes.”
“What if I was serious?” He stopped eating and stared into her eyes.
“I’ll pretend like we didn’t have this conversation. Now pass me the butter. I will have to work out an extra hour to get rid of these calories anyway, so I might as well enjoy myself.”
She chuckled every time she thought about what Garrett said. Garrett, serious. Yeah right.
***
Hailey thought he was joking, but one day she would learn that he was dead serious. His attraction to her was far beyond anything he had ever experienced. It was more than a physical attraction and if she could get over her fantasy of being with Trevon, she would be able to see it.
Once Brenda arrived, he didn’t hang around long. Hailey seemed to be in deep thought and he had a lot to deal with himself. Brenda’s arrival saved him from confessing his other feelings. As he drove away, he turned on his cell phone. He put his Bluetooth in his ear and listened to his fifteen messages. Most of the messages were either from Trevon or Shareeka; both pissed off at him for bringing Hailey.
His phone clicked but he didn’t recognize the number. He answered just in case it was a client. “Man, you dead wrong,” Trevon yelled from the other end.
“You sound like a woman, complaining like you do,” Garrett said.
“You trying to punk me. Man you know how I feel about Hailey. How long has this been going on?”
Garrett laughed.
“I don’t see anything funny. You owe me man. I thought you were my boy.”
“I am. I’m taking Hailey off your hands so you can concentrate on your wife to be.”
“Meet me at the spot. We need to settle this.”
“It’s already settled. What Hailey and I do is my business?”
“You don’t even want her man. You’re just using her like you use the rest of those women.”
“No brother. You get the award for using Hailey.”
He hung up on Trevon because he was tired of hearing him curse him out. He would deal with Trevon later as in tomorrow at the office. He planned on relaxing for the rest of the day. The sight of Shareeka’s car in his driveway put a damper on those plans.
Garrett pulled his car up beside hers and rolled down his window. “You need to go check on your man and leave me alone.”
“You’re an asshole,” she yelled.
“So I’ve been told,” he said, as he opened up his garage door and parked his car next to his SUV.
The garage door almost hit Shareeka on top of the head as she ran to get up under it before it closed.
“I’ve been calling you all morning.”
“I got your messages.” He went inside of his house. She followed.
He walked to the front door and opened it. “If you don’t want me to call your fiancé, I suggest that you leave right now.”
“What is it about her? Am I not pretty enough? Is it because I’m short? What?.”
Garrett felt sorry for her. “Apparently Trevon loves you or he wouldn’t have asked you to marry him. Be satisfied with that and stop comparing yourself to Hailey.”
“So when did it happen?”
Garrett looked at her as if she was crazy. “What are you talking about?”
“When did you fall in love with Hailey too?”