Hailey's heart immediately began beating faster.
"Are you busy?" Eric asked.
Hailey looked around the empty parking lot, then at her reflection in the rearview mirror.
Her hair was messy from the day's work, and she had a smudge of dust on her cheek that she hadn't noticed before.
"Not really," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Why? What's going on?"
"I want to see you," Eric said, his words slightly slurred. "Can you meet me somewhere?"
There was something in his tone that made Hailey pause.
He sounded different from the composed, confident man she had spent the previous evening with.
"Are you okay?" she asked, concern creeping into her voice. "You sound..."
"I'm fine," Eric said, though his voice suggested otherwise. "Just had dinner. Good dinner. Expensive dinner."
"Okay," Hailey said slowly. "Where do you want to meet?"
"There's a restaurant on Fifth Street called Meridian. Do you know it?"
Hailey didn't, but she wasn't about to admit that.
"I can find it," she said.
"How long will it take you to get there?"
"Maybe twenty minutes," Hailey said, already starting her car.
"Perfect," Eric said. "I'll be here. Still here. Already here."
"Eric, are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm great," Eric said, but there was an empty quality to his voice. "Never better."
"I'll see you soon," Hailey said.
"You will," Eric agreed, and the line went dead.
Hailey sat for a moment, staring at her phone.
Something about the call felt urgent, almost desperate, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.
She pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward downtown, her mind racing with possibilities.
---
Meridian turned out to be the kind of restaurant that made Hailey feel underdressed even before she walked through the door.
The exterior was all glass and steel, with soft lighting that cast warm golden rectangles onto the sidewalk.
A uniformed valet stood near the entrance, and Hailey felt a moment of panic.
"Excuse me," she said to the valet. "Can I park on the street?"
"Of course, miss," the valet said politely. "There's metered parking just around the corner."
"Thanks," Hailey said, relieved.
The hostess inside was perfectly made up, with sleek black hair and a smile that seemed practiced but not entirely genuine.
"Good evening," she said, her eyes quickly taking in Hailey's casual clothes and work boots. "Do you have a reservation?"
"I'm meeting someone," Hailey said, scanning the dining room. "Eric Collins?"
The hostess's expression immediately changed, becoming warmer and more attentive.
"Of course," she said. "Mr. Collins has been waiting for you. Right this way."
"He's been here long?" Hailey asked as they walked through the restaurant.
"About an hour," the hostess said. "He seemed to be expecting you."
The restaurant was larger than it had appeared from the outside, with high ceilings and tables spaced far enough apart to create intimate conversation areas.
Most of the diners were dressed in business attire or evening wear, making Hailey even more conscious of her appearance with every step.
She spotted Eric before the hostess could point him out.
He was sitting at a table near the back, partially hidden by a decorative screen that featured an abstract design in black and gold.
Even from across the room, she could see that something was different about him.
His usually perfect hair was slightly disheveled, and his shirt was wrinkled in a way that suggested he had been sitting in the same position for a long time.
"Eric?" she said as she approached the table.
He looked up, and she was struck by how tired his eyes looked.
"You came," he said, as if he hadn't been entirely sure she would.
"Of course I came," Hailey said, sliding into the chair across from him. "You called."
"I did," Eric agreed, as if surprised by this fact.
"Sorry I kept you waiting."
The table was covered with plates and glasses, most of them barely touched.
A bottle of wine sat empty beside another that was nearly gone, and Eric's water glass was full but ignored.
"Wow," Hailey said, looking at the array of food. "Did you order the entire menu?"
"I was hungry," Eric said, but there was no conviction in his voice. "Or I thought I was. Turns out I wasn't really hungry at all."
"How did you get my number?" Hailey asked, noticing the way Eric's movements seemed slightly delayed, as if he were processing everything a beat slower than normal.
"I'm not telling you," Eric said, but there was no malice in his voice.
It sounded almost playful, though the effect was undermined by the way he reached for his wine glass with slightly unsteady hands.
"Come on," Hailey pressed. "How?"
"Trade secrets," Eric said, reaching for his wine glass. "A magician never reveals his tricks."
"Oh, are you a magician now?" Hailey scoffed.
"Are you drunk?" she asked directly, concern creeping into her voice.
"No," Eric said, but the word came out too quickly and with too much emphasis. "I'm just... relaxed."
"Relaxed?"
"Very relaxed," Eric confirmed. "Order anything you want. The food here is supposed to be amazing."
Hailey looked at the array of dishes already on the table.
"I can't even finish what's on the table," she said. "When did you get here?"
Eric shrugged, a gesture that seemed to take more effort than it should have.
"A while ago," he said. "I had some things to think about."
Hailey studied his face, noting the way his eyes seemed to focus on something just past her shoulder rather than meeting her gaze directly.
"This place is really big," she said, trying to make conversation. "And nice. I've never been anywhere like this before."
"It's Victoria's favorite," Eric said, then immediately looked as if he wished he hadn't said it.
Hailey felt a chill run down her spine at the mention of Victoria's name, but she forced herself to remain calm.
She moved around the table to sit beside Eric, hoping the nearness would help her read his mood better.
"Mind if I look at the menu?" she asked, reaching for the leather-bound folder that lay unopened beside his plate.
"Sure," Eric said, though his attention seemed to be focused on the wine glass in his hands.
"Though I should warn you, everything is in French. Or maybe Italian. Some foreign language."
Hailey opened the menu, trying to make sense of the elaborate descriptions. Everything seemed designed to impress rather than inform.
"I thought you had forgotten about me," she said quietly, not looking up from the menu.
"Why would you think that?"
"You left," she said simply. "Without saying goodbye."
Eric's expression grew more serious. "I had to go home."
"I know. But you could have woken me up."
"You looked peaceful. I didn't want to disturb that," Eric said.
"What about you?" he asked suddenly. "Do you remember me?"
Hailey looked at him, surprised by the vulnerability in his question.
"What do you think?" she asked.
Eric's lips curved into a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"I think you can't get me out of your head," he said. "Can you?"