Arranged

Chapter 2

Hayley forced a smile as her best friend, Leanne Casa waved at her from the bright red food truck owned by Leanne's parents. A long line of people snaked out from the truck, and several of them watched as she passed them.

She opened the back of the truck.

"I thought you were having lunch with Julian," Leanne said after hollering an order to her parents over her shoulder.

It took all of Hayley's control to maintain her smile. "Change of plans." Hayley stepped up into the truck while Leanne arched a brow. But her best friend didn't prod her any further.

"Wow." Frank peeled off his violet gloves and wiped his hands on the black apron tied around the waist of his faded light blue jeans. The lines framing his lips deepened as he grinned. "Our girl is all grown up and looking like a CEO's wife."

Looking like. Yes, that was an apt description. She was just playing a game of make-believe. The players? Herself.

Hayley forced a smile. "Hi, Frank. Paula."

"Is everything okay?" The bright smile melted from his face. He adjusted the black cap keeping his short curly dark brown hair out of his face and the food, then opened his arms.

Hayley quickly leaned in for an embrace so his watchful gaze couldn't see her reaction.

Paula, dressed in the same ensemble of T-shirt, blue jeans, and a black cap, bent forward and gave her a peck on the cheek. She usually pulled Hayley into a lung-constricting hug with her strong arms, but her hands were still busy with the food. "You look beautiful." She glanced over, then paused.

Frowning, Paula dropped batter-coated chicken into hot oil. "What's wrong, darling?" She peeled off her gloves and turned to her, giving Hayley her full attention.

Such a simple gesture, but it had always been small gestures like this that made Hayley love the Casas. It didn't matter what Frank and Paula were busy with. They always had time for Hayley and Leanne.

Hayley's parents had never bothered to put down their papers or phones to talk to her. When they asked about her day, they clearly weren't interested in the answer. She'd come to realize that the only reply her parents wanted to hear from her was 'It was good,' or anything along those lines as long as it was kept to a five-word limit.

But it didn't matter to Frank and Paula that a long line of hungry, and probably impatient, people were waiting for their food.

Staring at Paula, all Hayley wanted to do was lay her head on the older woman's shoulder and sob. She wanted to tell them what she'd walked into and how heartbroken she was. She wanted to tell them she'd been so stupid, that she should have listened to them instead of holding onto some silly fantasy.

But Frank and Paula loved her. They loved her so much they would drive the food truck into the office building and hunt Julian down for making her cry, and she couldn't have that. "Nothing," she said, and Paula frowned at her.

"Have you eaten?"

Hayley shook her head.

"I'll whip something up for you. Have some fries first," Paula said and grabbed a box of fries that was clearly meant for someone else. "Here."

Despite their bestseller being the gourmet fries and the menu peppered with deep fried food, Frank and Paula managed to retain their slim figures. The exercise we get from prepping, cooking, and cleaning is all we ever need, Paula had said when Leanne and Hayley wanted to get the two of them gym memberships. As it turned out, they were absolutely right.

Hayley took the box of fries, and her gaze fell on the photo pinned on the wall. A photo of the four of them—Frank, Paula, Leanne, and her—on their first road trip together.