Chapter 2
Haley pulled into the parking lot with a feeling of relief. She had been stuck inside all week drowning in her work at the studio. It was a beautiful day in Tree Hill and she was excited to get outside and hang out downtown for a while. She walked into the restaurant and scanned the booths, searching for someone. It only took a few moments before she spotted the person she had been looking for and she made her way over to the table they were already seated at, looking through a menu.
"Hey" Haley said eagerly with her big friendly smile, as she took off her purse and sat down at the empty seat at the table.
"Hey Hales!" she was greeted by a familiar face that she was so happy to see, after such a stressful morning. "How are things at the studio?"
"Insane. I don't know how Peyton managed to do all of that by herself. I feel like no matter how much I do, the work load just never seems to get lighter. And getting ready for these open auditions has been much more difficult than I anticipated. I don't know how I'm going to do it all."
"Don't worry, you will. I know you Haley, and you always manage to figure everything out and do a fantastic job. You've got this!"
"Thanks, I hope so." Haley said with a nervous smile. She loved her best friend, Brooke Davis. She had the kind of energy that always helped brighten up Haley's day and could instantly put her in a better mood when she was feeling sad or stressed. Haley was grateful to have her as a friend and was even more grateful that Brooke had invited her to spend the afternoon together for lunch to get her out for a little while. "Anyways, on to a more exciting subject, how's the party planning going? Anything I can help with?" Haley asked.
"Haley, as much as I would love your help, you're way too busy as it is. I appreciate the offer but I think I'll be able to do it, and besides, I have Millie to help me." Brooke explained.
"Well, still call me if you need anything, I'd love to help out" Haley replied as the waitress approached their table to take their orders. After they both ordered iced teas and salads for themselves, the waitress left, and as the girls waited on their meals to arrive, Haley was eager to hear more about the party planning, anything to take her mind away from all the work she still had left to do. "So, tell me, what's going on with this party?" Haley pleaded.
"Not too much just yet. I still have a lot of details I need to figure out. I want everything to be perfect. It has to be special." Brooke replied.
"It will be. Who knows how to throw a party better than Brooke Davis?" Haley reassured her friend.
"Okay true. But still, I want Julian to love it. He's been working so hard on this new movie recently and I just want him to at least have one night for himself. He deserves to have the best birthday ever."
"And he will, especially since you are the one putting it all together for him." Haley said. "So where is this awesome party taking place?"
"At that fancy banquet hall, right outside the city. I haven't booked anything yet but I called and got some prices and opening dates. Oh and that reminds me, I have to ask you, what's Nathan's schedule? I'd like to plan it for a night that he's able to be home if that's possible. I know Julian would like it if he came."
"Um, I'm not sure. I'll check with him and get back to you soon, if that's alright with you?"
"Yeah, of course. There's no rush, we still have plenty of time. How's that going by the way? Are you doing okay?" Brooke asked.
"I'm hanging in there. I'm so proud of him, he's worked so hard, I mean, this is his dream. It's what we've always wanted but I miss him. It's hard not having him around." Haley sighed as she thought about the absence of her husband. He was a big NBA player now and she couldn't be happier for him but it also made her incredibly sad. He was away a lot when he had played for the Chiefs and they got through that but this was different. This way more than she was ready for. Haley felt selfish for wishing that Nathan was home more even though she knew he was out living his dream. She was very independent and was perfectly capable of being on her own but she loved him so much and wanted to have him around. He always had a way of making everything better for her just by being near her.
"I know what you mean, I miss Julian so much when he takes on these big projects. I can't imagine how much harder it must be for you though, with Jamie and all. How's he dealing with all of this?"
"He's a tough kid. He's definitely taking it better than I am. But you know how those two are, they've practically been joined at the hip since the day Jamie was born. That kid adores his father." Haley smiled as she thought about how close her son and her husband were. She loved their relationship. It made her happy to know that Nathan finally got the father-son relationship he had always wanted and that Jamie had the most wonderful dad to look up to. "Jamie gets sad sometimes but he also thinks it's cool have an NBA player as a dad. He could spend all night talking to Nathan on the phone about all kinds of cool NBA stuff after one of his practices if I let him." Haley laughed, thinking about her boys.
Once the food arrived, the girls enjoyed their lunch and continued to chat about the details of Julian's birthday surprise and all the fun things Brooke was planning for him. Brooke really was the best at planning parties and Haley was really excited for it. She couldn't wait to spend a fun night away from the studio, stress free, with all her friends and especially her husband who she missed like crazy.
"So did you want to go shopping or something?" Brooke asked once they had each finished their food and waited for their check.
"Ugh, I wish. I still have so much I need to get done before the auditions start tomorrow and if I work too late, I don't get much time to spend with Jamie after he gets home from school. He already has one parent that is away at work all the time, I don't want to make that two." Haley explained.
"That's okay, I guess I could get some more party planning done. Oh and you have to see what I'm designing to wear to it! It's not done yet but when it is, it's going to be incredible!" Brooke said, getting all excited the way that she does when she has something amazing that she's working on.
"I'm sure it'll be fabulous, it always is. I bet Julian will think so too!" Haley replied. "Anyways, we can catch up another time, maybe this weekend?"
"Yeah, this weekend is perfect! Now get out of here, you have work to do, missy."
"What about the check?" Haley asked as the waitress came by, handing Brooke their bill.
"It's on me. Take it as a thanks for being such a great friend. And also for finding a really awesome band to play at Julian's party!" Brooke said with a wink.
"What? I never agreed to that!"
"Well I just treated you to lunch, so you owe me."
"You sure are something, Brooke Davis." Haley said as she got up from the table, laughing at how persuasive her friend could be.
"You love me though!" Brooke shouted across the restaurant as Haley made her way towards the door.
"That, I do. See you later!" Haley called, turning around to blow a kiss in her direction before she proceeded out into the busy streets of downtown. The fresh air felt nice on her face as she walked to her car. She really enjoyed hanging out with Brooke for a couple hours to get her a nice break from work but now she dreaded going back. This was going to be a long week.
