“That’ll be fun.” I grinned, truly meaning it. “But won’t you get mobbed?” I asked.
“Aha.” He reached down between the seat and kept his eyes on the narrow driveway as dirt billowed around us. “That’s what this is for.” He held up a baseball cap and sunglasses. I looked at him in disbelief. “It helps, believe me.” He added.
“I’ll take your word for it,” I laughed.
He grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
I began to relax once he pulled out onto the main road. “Why a truck?” I asked.
“Huh?” He glanced in my direction.
I shrugged. “Maddox and Mathias drive sports cars, Ezra has an Escalade, and you drive a truck. Granted, this is a fancy truck, but it’s a truck,” I remarked.
He laughed, shaking his head. “I’m a country boy, Sadie, and country boys drive dirty, mud covered trucks.” He took on an exaggerated southern drawl.
“Did you grow up around here?” I knew a lot about the other guys in the band, but Hayes had always been a mystery to me. He didn’t open up easily.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“How’d you get to know the other guys?” I knew it sounded like I was prying, but this was one story I’d never been told.
He glanced at me briefly before his eyes returned to the road.
“We went to school together. I was two years ahead of them, and I’d always played guitar so when they started their band and needed a guitar player they reached out to me. They’re cool and we all clicked. It was easy to become friends with them and then everything else sort of fell into place,” he shrugged.
“Do you like living the rock star life?” I knew his answer—Hayes was the band member that most took advantage of his celebrity status.
“Absolutely,” he answered with an easy going grin. Sobering, he added, “But I like being home and living a normal life too. I guess I like having the best of both worlds.”
“I can understand that.”
“So…” He started, glancing in my direction with an awkward smile. “How’s Ezra with this?” He waved a finger between us. “Is he cool now?”
I shrugged. “Fine, I guess.” Based on his odd behavior this afternoon fine was the last thing he appeared to be, but I didn’t want to tell Hayes that. “Let’s not talk about him.” I didn’t want my thoughts to become entirely absorbed in Ezra.
“Okay, that’s off the subject table then.” He smiled over at me, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel in time with the beat of the song playing softly on the radio. “What do you want to talk about?”
I thought for a moment. “If you weren’t in Willow Creek, what would you be doing?”
He didn’t hesitate to answer. “Working in construction. My dad owns a company. It was my plan to work for him while I was in high school, get a degree in business management, and take over the company one day…but plans,” he pursed his lips in thought, “they have a funny way of changing.”
He pulled into the parking lot of the park and turned the vehicle off. He put the red baseball cap on, making sure the brim covered half of his face and added the sunglasses.
“How do I look?” He asked me, striking a playful pose.
“Like a rock star in disguise.” I laughed.
He smiled crookedly. “Come on, it totally works.”
“Yeah, it kind of does,” I agreed.
The baseball cap kept most of his sandy hair hidden from view and the dark sunglasses obscured his blue eyes. But if someone were observant he’d still be easy to spot.
“Are you just saying that to make me feel better?” He frowned.
“No.” I shook my head.
He rubbed his hands together before reaching for the door handle. “Picnic time! I’m starving!”
I rolled my eyes as I got out of the car and met him on the other side of the truck. “You guys are always hungry.”
He laughed and nodded his head in agreement, reaching inside to grab a blanket and the basket. Once he had both secured in his hands we started in the direction of the grassy area. There were picnic tables, but Hayes chose a spot beneath a large tree that was shaded by the sun.
He set the basket down and shook out the blanket. We sat down and he opened the basket. He handed me a sandwich and smiled sheepishly. “I asked Emma what your favorite was. I hope that’s okay.”
My mouth fell open as I unfolded the saran wrap. “You made this?”
He shrugged like it was no big deal. “It’s only a sandwich.”
“Which you made…with your hands…by yourself?”
He snorted. “Is it really that surprising to you?”
“Yes,” I answered without hesitation.
He ducked his head. “You don’t know me at all.”
“You’ve never given me the chance to know you,” I countered, “over the years you’ve kept yourself pretty separate from the rest of us.”
He sighed, pulling out a bag of chips and bottles of water from the basket before closing it. “Yeah, I guess I have…I feel like I’ve always struggled to fit in with the band.”
“Why is that?” My brows furrowed in confusion. Hayes was a confident guy that wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, so I was surprised that he’d feel that way.
He unwrapped his sandwich and took a bite. Once he’d swallowed he finally answered me. “Don’t get me wrong, I consider all three of those guys as my friends…but they’ve known each other since they were kids. They’re like brothers while I’m the outsider.”
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “I have to admit, Maddox and Ezra have one hell of a bromance going on.”
Hayes laughed to. “You’ve got that right.” He shrugged and took a sip of water. “I guess Mathias is a bit of an outsider too, but he’s been changing since he married Remy and now he’s having a fucking kid.” He shook his head and his whole body shuddered with a sigh. “It’s too weird to think about him being a dad.”
“Yeah, I have to agree with that.”
Mathias was the last guy in the band I ever pictured settling down so early, but people change.
I bit into my sandwich, surprised by how good it tasted. “Hey, this is delicious.” I told him.
He chuckled. “It’s just a sandwich.”
“It’s a yummy one,” I countered.
“So, I did okay?” He asked, motioning to our set up and lunch.
“You did great.” I smiled at him. I was actually having a really nice time with him, which surprised me completely.
“How are things with your store?” He popped a chip into his mouth.
“Good,” I answered vaguely.
He raised a brow. “That’s all I get.”
“There’s not much to tell.” I shrugged. “It’s just a store.”
“It’s what you love, though, right?”
“Yeah.”
He cracked a small, half smile. “That’s good to hear. Too many people these days are miserable.”
“Are you miserable?” I asked.
I expected an immediate answer, but he surprised me by pausing and mulling over my question.
“Not miserable, per se,” his lips pursed, “but sometimes I feel like something is missing from my life.”
“Is that why you asked me on a date?” I questioned. “You’ve always…uh…gotten around.” I frowned, hating to sound so blunt, but it couldn’t be avoided.
He chuckled. His laugh was deep and husky sounding. “Yeah, yeah, I know.” He hung his head, hiding a smile. “I love women and I’m not ashamed of that. But I guess…the meaningless hookups have gotten a little old. Is it stupid that I see Maddox and Mathias with their girls and I want that?”
“Not stupid at all.” I finished my sandwich and wiped my hands on a napkin that he’d so thoughtfully packed. “But why ask me? You’ve never acted interested in me before. Even when I was single,” I added.
He shrugged. “You’re different, Sadie. You’re not like the girls that throw themselves at us when we’re on the road. Besides, I might not know you well, but I do know you’d never be with me because of my money and status.”