“Go practice smiling. Get your girl.”
“Yeah, okay.”
We say goodbye and hang up.
Is Carter right? Will winning over Hazel be as simple as a smile and a few kind words?
Deep down, I know it won’t be, but that doesn’t stop me from hoping as I get ready for bed.
I fall asleep, slipping into my favorite dream where Hazel is grinning up at me, my arms wrapped around her, and my ring on her finger.
THREE
Hazel
I’m havingthe best dream. Hudson is in bed with me, his hands on my body. I twist in the sheets as his lips finally curve into a smile and he kisses his way down my body. My eyes fly open, and I see the time.
“Shit! I’m so late,” I gasp, shooting up in bed.
Throwing back the sheets, I stumble toward the bathroom. I rush through a shower, cursing when I look in the mirror and see that I still have shampoo in my hair.
“Shit, shit, shit,” I curse as I bend over, rinsing my hair out in the bathroom sink.
Wrapping my hair in a towel, I dry off and throw on the first thing I see. I shove my feet into a pair of heels, grab my purse, and rush out of my tiny apartment.
I’m already out of breath by the time I hit the sidewalk.
“I’m so out of shape,” I huff.
My phone rings, and I dig it out of my purse as I stumble-jog down the sidewalk.
“Hello?” I wheeze.
“Hazel?”
I suck in a deep breath, willing myself not to sound like I’m dying. “Yes, Mr. Cole?”
“Are you all right?”
I must sound like I’m dying.
“I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
“Are you planning on showing up for work today?” he asks sternly.
“I’m almost there. I hit traffic,” I lie.
“You walk to work.”
How does he know that? He’s always at the office before me and leaves after.
“Lots of foot traffic today, Mr. Cole.”
“Hudson,” he snaps.
“What?”
“Stop with the sir and Mr. Cole.”