Huh? She shook her head, realization dawning. Empathy welled up in her chest. He really was waiting for someone. But not her. She leaned in. “I’m not.”
Hailey wasn’t sure what she expected, but it wasn’t to have him cross his arms over his wide chest and look pointedly at her beverage. “Then explain your cup.”
Her emotions were giving her whiplash. His tone sent her right back to irritated. “What about my cup?” She turned the white container slowly, saying the letters as they appeared. “H-a-y … wait.” The not-so-capable barista had printed “Hayden” on her cup. Damn.
She sent a side glare to the barista, who obviously took no notice, then looked back at Mr. Grumpy. “My name isn’t Hayden.”
He continued to stare, so she did the same despite the number of people milling about them.
“You don’t have to lie. Just say you don’t like what you saw and go.”
Her gaze widened even as her heart pinched. She didn’t even think about her next move. With her treat and cup in one hand, she put the other on his arm and guided them to the side, out of the way.
She needed to get back to the store but she didn’t want him to think something like that.
“Listen, I don’t know who you were meeting and I know my cup says Hayden, but I’m not her. Whoever stood you up is rude and an idiot.”
He still looked like he was having trouble believing her. At that moment, she was grateful she’d given up dating. Who needed this kind of blow to the confidence? If a guy like this was getting ghosted, the dating world was a sad place.
“You’re not Hayden but you’re taking her cup?”
She wasn’t sure if it was amusement or doubt in his tone.
“I’m not her but I’ll be anybody for one of these lattes.” She stepped back. “Good luck.”
He huffed out a sardonic laugh. “Luck has nothing to do with it.” He gave her one more glance then stalked away like she’d actually done something wrong.
Hurrying back to the shop, she was both relieved and disappointed no one was waiting at the door. After letting herself in, she set her cup down on the counter, then attacked the first scone. It never stood a chance.
“What a jerk.” Sure, he’d been stood up, but it was like he’d been waiting for disappointment. Not her fault or her problem. But she wondered if his date would actually show.
Midway through the second scone, she reached for her cup. She picked it up, grabbed a sharpie, and scribbled out the wrong name, wrote her own. And she damn well spelled it properly.
2
The good thing about the jerk next door—hmm, that could be a rom-com title—was it stopped her from going back for seconds. Could she call it seconds if she’d had three?
As she texted her cousin, Piper, the only person she really knew in San Verde, her irritation dissipated.
Piper
What an asshole
Hailey winced. He’d been a bit of a jerk but clearly there were reasons.
Hailey
I guess if he really thought I was blowing him off, that I was really lying about my name, it makes sense.
Piper
You always do this. You’re such a softy.
Hailey grinned.
It’s all the scones. I need to eat more of what I’m selling.
Piper
Shut up! That’s not what I meant and you know it. Seriously, you ok?
Hailey
I am. See you soon? “Book” club Wednesday, right?
Piper
Absolutely!
As she pocketed her phone, intending to double-check some prices for produce suppliers, the little bell over the door jingled. It was Hailey’s new favorite sound.
Two women walked through the door, chatting back and forth—a blonde who was a few inches taller than the brunette, but that might have just been the heels. The brunette wore adorable pink Converse. While they were both very pretty, the blonde looked like an advertisement for the state of California with her sun-kissed skin and oversized sunglasses. She shifted them into her hair.
Hailey smiled while trying to tamp down the excitement she felt when people came in. “Hi. Welcome to By the Cup.”
“Thanks. We were heading to the bakery next door but saw the sign. I forgot a new shop was opening.”
Whether it was the dessert cup or the San Verde Sunshine Cup, she was grateful for that sign. Maybe she should have had a grand opening like Piper suggested. But parties made her nervous. She’d attended so many Hollywood ones at this point that anything she could pull off felt like too little.
“I’ve been open a couple weeks now,” she said.
“It’s a great area,” the brunette said, her voice low. “Your shop is adorable. It’s like a blend of vintage and modern.”
“Thank you.” Her happiness meter soared. It was a great area and she’d been lucky to lease the place. “That’s exactly what I was going for. What can I get you ladies today?”
“Evs?” the blonde asked. Something about her voice was familiar.
“You go first. You’re better at decisions,” “Evs” answered.
The other woman looked up at the menu board. It didn’t make sense for the butterflies to wake up in Hailey’s stomach but at the moment, everything depended on word of mouth and repeat customers. Not only was it the most effective marketing tool, it was the cheapest.
“They all look so good. Are your dressings homemade?”
Hailey nodded, stuck for a minute on the distinct sound of the woman’s voice. “Yes, sorry, your voice sounds so familiar.”
The two women exchanged a glance then the blonde beamed at Hailey. “I’m a DJ for 96.2 Sun.”
Hailey snapped her fingers. “That’s totally it. You’ve got an excellent voice.” She loved that station. It was fun, engaging, and played great music.
“Unless she’s singing,” the other woman said quietly.
The blonde—damn, what’s her name, she’s on billboards … Stacey!—sent a mock glare to her friend. “That worked out pretty well for you in the end.”
Unsure what they were talking about, Hailey worked to keep her cool. A radio station DJ in her shop. How cool was that? Seeing as she’d run a Craft Food Truck on movie and television sets in her previous life, one would think she’d be more chill. But since moving to San Verde, Hailey had listened to the station almost every day. They played cool games, did giveaways, and generally made listening to the radio enjoyable. A forgotten media art form.
No pressure but this salad needs to be fantastic. Do what you do—make a salad to knock her gorgeous high heels off.
“I love your station. I’m thrilled you decided to check out my shop,” Hailey said. Okay, so she wasn’t great at being chill. She’d had to teach herself not to openly fangirl when on set. They were all there to do a job. Her ex, an actor who got enough work to feed his ego but not make him a star, had constantly told her how childish she seemed when she gushed over meeting someone she admired. Once they’d gotten together, he’d told her not to embarrass him. It made her self-conscious, but what was the harm in telling her she liked the station?
“I’m excited you’re open. I need something to counteract the brownies Tara makes,” the woman said. She gestured toward the wall By the Cup shared with Baked. “Tara’s our friend, she owns the bakery. I’m Stacey. This is Everly, my bestie and producer for my show.”
“It’s really a pleasure to meet you both. I’m Hailey. Whatever you’d like, it’s on the house.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Everly said.
“I want to. Honestly, I’m a big fan. What would you like?”
They ordered a San Verde Supreme, a Citrus Chicken Cup, and a Mexi Cup to go. Hailey chatted with them about the neighborhood and what it was like to be on the radio. Everly didn’t say much at all but she was one of those people who made it obvious with eye contact and body language that she was listening.
“Thanks for the salads and welcome to San Verde. You’ll love it here,” Stacey said.
“Thanks for coming in,” Hailey said, watching them go with a mixture of hope and disappointment. It would have been great if they’d eaten in, enjoyed the shop. Maybe live-Tweeted or TikTok’d it or something. She really did need to get some music in here.
How had she thought that would go? That the tall DJ would take a bite and swear an oath to promo the hell out of Hailey’s shop? A girl could dream.
She texted Piper. Regardless of anything else, it was pretty cool to have a radio personality visit the store.
Piper
That’s awesome! Give it time. Wait until they try it. You’ll see.
Hailey had had enough of waiting for things to come to fruition. When she’d made the decision to leave L.A. and open up a shop of her own, she’d left behind her “wait and see” attitude. If she didn’t do it for herself, no one else was going to jump at the chance.
Hailey
I guess. I want more scones.
Piper
Don’t mask your feelings with food, Hails.
Hailey rolled her gaze. Piper had a degree in psychology and was working on her master’s degree so she could do counseling. She used Hailey, frequently, as a test subject.
Hailey
My feelings are: you’re a dork but I love you.
She stared at the three bubbles.