Chapter 17

Hal

“Goodnight,” Hal said as he held Jesse down from the passenger’s seat. “I really had a good afternoon.”

“So did I,” she said, smiling up at him. Hal couldn’t help smiling back.

“Should I escort you directly to your door?” Hal asked, raising his eyebrow and tinting his tone with humor. He was rewarded with a laugh and couldn’t help the feeling of satisfaction that it gave him.

“No,” she shook her head. “I think I’ll be alright getting upstairs.”

“Alright,” Hal said, feeling a rush of warmth in his chest.

“Well,” Jesse muttered, shifting back and forth on the sidewalk. “Goodnight then.”

“Goodnight Jesse,” Hal said. He smiled at the blush that spread across her cheeks and watched as she quickly scurried away into the lobby of her apartments.

Hal shook his head with a chuckle and got back into his car. He headed back in the direction of his building and allowed his thoughts to run free for a while. There was something about this woman that intrigued him.

She plagued his thoughts all through his drive home, and even as he parked his car, he could not entirely rid his thoughts of her. He was so deep in thought, in fact, that he barely noticed Adam standing immediately in the doorway of the building.

“Well, look who it is,” Hal heard his friend say.

“See?” Hal shrugged, tossing the man the keys to the Range Rover. “Safe and sound, just like I promised.”

“And the girl?” Adam asked, his tone still rough.

“She’s fine,” Hal informed him. “Dropped her off right outside her apartments and made sure she got inside safely.”

“Good,” Adam groused. “That’s the least she deserves after having to spend the whole day with you.”

“Hey!” Adam laughed and held up his hands innocently. “Some people think I’m great company!”

“Only because you pay them to,” Adam quipped with a smirk.

“Remind me to dock your pay,” Hal said with a wink, already removing his tie as he walked toward his room.

“Very funny,” Adam grumbled as he followed Hal down the hall. “What did you two do all day anyway?”

“Oh, the usual.” Hal shrugged as he took off his jacket. “Found a nice roach motel and had hot sex until she couldn’t walk.”

“That’s not funny,” Adam growled.

“Oh, you used to have such a lovely sense of humor.” Hal sighed wistfully. “If you must know, we spent the afternoon at her apartment watching B-rated romantic comedy.”

“Disgusting,” Adam said, scrunching up his face. “I’d almost rather the motel.”

“Well ...” Hal shrugged. “I left it up to her choice.”

“Oh well,” Adam pondered, “maybe she was just testing your patience.”

“If she was, I failed.” Hal laughed lightly. “I talked through the whole thing. You know, she doesn’t own a single one of my movies.”

“Wow.” Adam blinked. “That must have been a pretty heavy blow to your pride.”

Hal scoffed and rolled his eyes, though he had to admit that a part of him really was a bit wounded by the fact.

“I’ll have to buy all of them and give them to her,” Hal said flippantly. “Maybe for Christmas or her birthday. Whichever comes first.”

Adam chuckled and Hal saw him shake his head from the corner of his eye.

“What’s so funny?” Hal asked as he put on a fresh T-shirt.

“Nothing.” Adam shook his head. “It’s just you seem to be really interested in this girl.”

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Hal shrugged. “Do you think I’m too good for her?”

“Trust me; that’s not the problem at all,” Adam said derisively, and Hal couldn’t help smiling. “But if you’re serious, I will remind you that she is a reporter.”

“So?” Hal asked. “We can’t judge people purely by their profession. That’s not right.”

“Well, right or not,” Adam crossed his arms. “I would caution you to guard what you say, or it may or may not end up in an article in The Edge.”

Hal frowned as he took off his belt and hung it up in his closet. As much as he wanted to dismiss his friend’s concerns, he knew that he had a point.

“Well, I’ll be careful,” Hal said decisively.

“Good,” Adam grunted out. “But on the other hand, I like her too.”

Hal scoffed and laughed.

“You like her?” Hal looked over his shoulder at his friend. “You’ve hardly said two words to her.”

“You’re right,” Adam mused, stroking his chin. “Maybe I’ll ask her on a date myself. Take her somewhere real nice and say a few more words.”

Hal laughed but couldn’t ignore the slight anger that rose up within him at the mere suggestion. For some reason, he already felt a strange sense of possession over Jesse, and the idea of anyone else taking her out bothered him more than he liked to admit.

“Geez boss,” Adam murmured. “Nothing to say?”

“Why should I have something say?” Hal snapped. “If you want to take her on a date, who am I to stop you?”

Hal noticed that his words had turned to a low growl as he spoke them.

Adam released a low whistle and a chuckle. “No need to get so huffy,” Adam approached and put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry; I won’t ask her out. I would hate to steal her away from you.”

Hal took a deep breath, forced himself to relax and clear his head. He really had no reason to be getting mad at his friend for what was clearly a joke.

“Sorry,” he murmured. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

“True love,” Adam said with a smirk. “Clearly.”

Hal shook his head and chuckled.

“So are we going to work out or not?” Hal asked roughly, turning to look expectantly at his friend.

“Whatever you want.” Adam chuckled, moving to follow Hal down the hallway.

As they headed toward his gym, Hal frowned as he tried to understand his own feelings about Jesse Clarke.