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Three weeks later…
Saturday June 15th
Haley could not believe it. In the past three weeks, she'd seen such a turnaround from the Nathan Scott she thought she knew. He helped her out at the café whenever he could, and the customers had begun to comment on the pair's constant bickering and slightly-flirtatious banter. He took Brooke grocery shopping while Lucas was teaching summer school. He volunteered at the youth center, playing basketball and even making macaroni art with the kids there.
Nathan was also ALL that Jamie could talk about at home. There had been no incidents at the camp, so far anyway, and Haley was starting to feel more and more comfortable around Nathan. However, there was still just something that was…off. Something that couldn't allow her to trust him 100%, and she didn't know what it was.
Haley pulled up to the river court, smiling as she got out of her car to see Nathan, Lucas, and Jamie playing basketball, old school hip hop music blasting in the background.
"Now Jamie, you can use the fade away anywhere on the court," Nathan explained, not noticing Haley's entrance, "And what you want to do with the fade away is make sure that you create separation between the offensive player and the defensive player in order to get your shot off. Watch this."
Haley watched as Nathan demonstrated the move for Jamie, with Lucas guarding him. He made it look effortless, as the ball swished through the net. Jamie's eyes were huge in admiration as he watched his favorite player in action.
"Alright, your turn Little Man," Nathan smiled, passing Jamie the ball.
"Hey, I'm not that little," Jamie declared, gripping the ball in his five year old hands, as Nathan guarded him, close to the basket.
Jamie dribbled the ball, and then jumped backwards, shooting the ball as hard as he could. Haley watched as it barely made it into the hoop.
"Yes, that is what I'm talking about!" Nathan smiled, high fiving Jamie, "That was better than some of the fade aways I've seen in the pros."
Lucas finally noticed Haley sitting on the bleachers, turning down the hip hop music.
"Looks like we have an audience," he smiled, gesturing towards her.
"Mama!" Jamie called, running and giving her a hug, "Did you see me?!"
"I sure did," Haley replied, "You were awesome!"
"Mama, when am I going to get taller?" Jamie asked, "I'm the smallest kid at basketball camp."
"You can thank your short pants mom for that," Nathan replied, smiling while he and Lucas were walking up to join them.
"Hey, he got some good things from me," Haley retorted, "Like the piano. We've been practicing and you're getting pretty good at that, aren't you Jamie?"
"Yeah, I guess," Jamie sighed, quickly changing the subject, "Can we go get some ice cream now, since I did so good?"
"Hmmm…I don't know," Haley pondered, turning to Lucas and Nathan, "Did you clean your room this morning like I asked you to before I went to work?"
"Mostly…" Jamie mumbled, meeting Haley's raised-eyebrow Mom look, "Kinda. But I'll finish as soon as we get home, I promise."
"I'm holding you to that, Jimmy Jam. Go grab your ball kiddo, and we'll get out of here," Haley smiled, as Jamie ran across the court.
"But alas, I must bid you all a fond farewell," Lucas finally spoke up, "Brooke has a doctor's appointment, and if I miss another one, you might find me at the bottom of the river."
"Now that I can believe," Nathan laughed, "I'll see you later man."
Haley said goodbye to Lucas as well, before Jamie came running back to where Nathan and Haley were.
"Mama, can Nathan come get ice cream with us?" Jamie asked, puppy dog eyes in full force.
"Sweetie, I'm sure Nathan's really busy today," Haley hopefully made an excuse.
"Actually, I have a few hours to kill before I have to be at the youth center," Nathan replied, "I'd love to join you, if you'd have me."
"Please mom?!" Jamie begged.
"Yeah, please?" Nathan smirked.
"Alright," Haley sighed, "Let's go!"
Nathan and Haley sat on a bench by the river, as Jamie chased the birds by the fountain, his chocolate ice cream cone in his hand, and chocolate covering his face.
"He's a great kid," Nathan began, "Honestly, I'm kind of jealous of him."
"NBA superstar Nathan Scott is jealous of a five year old?" Haley retorted, raising her eyebrows in question.
"He hasn't got a care in the world," Nathan continued, "When you're a kid, everything seems so simple and you enjoy the smallest things, like chasing the birds. Then, one day, you grow up and everything changes, your priorities shift, and you forget what really matters."
"Well Mr. Hot Shot, that actually sounded smart," Haley smiled, bumping her shoulder into his, laughing.
"It happens on occasion," Nathan said, returning the smile, "Plus, how could you not be jealous of a kid who's got as great of a mom as you?"
Haley blushed, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her body language turning tense, as she shifted away from Nathan on the bench.
A few moments of silence passed, as Nathan watched Haley, who was watching Jamie. He noticed her smile as she observed the chocolate smeared all over his face.
There was something different about her, that he had become more and more aware of over the past few weeks of spending time with her. She was nothing at all like any woman he had ever met. She didn't put up with his bullshit. She put him in his place time and time again, not afraid to berate him in public, and that was something that he needed, if he truly wanted to change.
"So did Millie tell you about the benefit gala I want to put on for the youth center?" Nathan asked, finally breaking the silence.
Millicent Huxtable was the program coordinator at the youth center. She, too, had been as apprehensive as Haley when she'd heard Nathan would be volunteering. However, he'd been a model volunteer, and had even offered to invite some of his friends and some of the big wigs he knew to come to a fundraiser to raise money for the center, which ran entirely on donations. Millie couldn't say no to that, not when it would benefit the kids.
"Yeah, she mentioned it," Haley replied, "You know, you're already doing so much for them. Did you really think you could get away with the 'anonymous' donation of all that brand new sports equipment?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Nathan said, trying to keep a straight face, but with Haley looking at him the way she was, he cracked a small smile, before returning to his ste one face.
"I hope you're not a gambler Nathan Scott, because you have a terrible poker face," Haley smiled, "So when is this gala anyway?"
"I want everything to be perfect," Nathan answered, "So I'm shooting for August. Should give me enough time to get the catering and the performers and everything sorted out."
"Well, I guess I do owe you for helping out at the café," Haley reasoned, "So if you need any help, just let me know."
"I'll be sure to take you up on that offer," he said, just as Jamie came running up to them.
"Just in time, Jimmy Jam," Haley laughed, wiping off the small boy's chocolate-covered face, "Chester just called, and said something about you forgetting to feed him this morning? Ring a bell?"
Jamie's eyes widened, "We'd better get home Mama!"
"I think you're right, but first, thank Nathan for the ice cream," said Haley, as she stood up from the bench and grabbed Jamie's hand.
Despite her reassuring that she could buy her and Jamie's ice creams, Nathan had paid for it without hesitation, saying it was the least he could do.
"Thanks for the ice cream Nathan," Jamie smiled, giving him a high five, "And for teaching me the fade away."
"Anytime Jamie," he said, as he watched the two of them walk away.
Haley was sitting on the couch later that night after putting Jamie to bed, relishing in her small amount of alone time, which was rare nowadays, when her phone started to ring. She didn't even look to see who it was before answering.
"Hey Haley, it's Nathan," the person on the other end greeted.
"Nathan?" Haley questioned, the surprise in her voice very apparent.
She had given Nathan her phone number a few weeks ago, right after he'd started helping out at the café, in case there were any problems when he was there and she wasn't. He had called a few times since then, but a call this late had never happened before.
"I hope it's okay that I called," he continued.
"Yeah, sorry, I just wasn't expecting it," her palms began to sweat a bit, and she tried to calm herself down. It was just Nathan, she had to remind herself.
"So I heard Chef Jeff is back, so my impeccable service is no longer needed," Nathan tried to sound confident, but Haley could hear his voice wavering a bit, "So I'm going to need a new excuse to spend time with you."
This caught Haley completely off guard. She had found herself returning his flirtatious comments occasionally at work, but she assured herself that it was just a reflex. She still didn't fully trust him. In the back of her mind, she could still see the news footage of the bar fight and all the tabloid covers with him and half naked girls. It was hard for her to believe that he was truly changing, even though she was seeing it and experiencing it first-hand.
After what seemed like forever to Nathan, he heard Haley begin to speak.
"Nathan, I really appreciate all that you've done to help with the café and with Jamie," she lingered.
"But," Nathan sighed, falling onto the couch in a huff.
"But I don't think that us spending time together, you and me, is such a good idea," she forced herself to say.
A part of her wanted to spend more time with him, one on one, to find out more about him, who he really was and who he wanted to be. To see past his macho bravado exterior, the super confident person that he played. She knew that it was a façade, but she didn't know why. Why he really came back, or why he had left Tree Hill so long ago in the first place.
But another part of her wanted to keep her walls up, to keep herself safe. She had been hurt before, experienced true heartbreak, and didn't want to put herself through that again. She had spent the past five years building up these walls to guard her heart, and in three weeks, Nathan had begun to make a crack, to chip away, to make her forget how she had been treated by a man before. Plus, and most importantly, she had Jamie to think about. She didn't want him (or herself) getting attached to Nathan when she knew he would be leaving as soon as the summer was over, to return to his glamourous celebrity lifestyle.
"Well I hope you'll reconsider, Haley, because I really do like spending time with you and with Jamie," Nathan assured her, "My offer stands."
"I should go, it's getting late," Haley stammered, before hanging up the phone.
"WHAT?" Brooke exclaimed loudly the next morning, as she sat at the counter at the café, after Haley had told her that Nathan had basically asked her on a date, and that she'd declined.
"Brooke, it's not a big deal," Haley tried to reason, as she looked around, noticing people's heads turn their way, "And could you keep your voice down please? The gossip train travels fast in this town, especially when it has to do with him."
"Haley, you haven't been on a single date in five years," Brooke pointed out, "And I've seen you and Nathan together. Something is there, I just know it."
"I've known the guy for three weeks Brooke," Haley whispered, "And you know that I don't believe in fate like you and Lucas do."
"Look Hales," Brooke sympathized, "I know that it's hard for you to open your heart after what happened. But Nathan isn't Chris, no matter how hard you compare the two."
"Don't say his name Brooke," Haley replied coldly, "We don't talk about him."
"Haley, you can't close yourself off from the world because one guy hurt you five years ago," said Brooke sternly, as she got up, grabbed Haley's arm, and led her back to the stockroom in the kitchen, where they could be alone, "Promise me you'll think about it, okay? I can really see a difference in Nate. He's trying, Haley, something that Chris never did and has never done. Give him a chance."
Haley looked into Brooke's eyes, sighing as she knew that she was right, but accepting the fact that she had to let go a little in order to move on with her life, that was hard.
Nathan sat on the deserted beach behind his beach house, staring out at the water, drinking a beer on Sunday afternoon, nursing his pride after Haley had rejected his advances.
He didn't want to give up on her. There was just something about her and he couldn't put his finger on it. But, he didn't want to pressure her or scare her off. So he was sitting back, and if all they were going to be was friends, he would accept that.
Monday night
Haley was driving to Brooke and Lucas' house, checking on Jamie in the rear view mirror as she drove. Brooke had texted her earlier that day, declaring tonight a "girls night, and telling her to get dressed up. Haley found this strange, because they usually had girls' nights on Fridays, but Brooke told her that Millie was so busy helping plan the benefit gala, that tonight was her only free night for a while.
So there Haley was, walking Jamie up the driveway to Lucas and Brooke's house, pulling at the end of her new black lace dress. Brooke had insisted that she and Haley and Peyton go shopping the previous day, complaining that because of the pregnancy, none of her clothes fit. On the shopping trip, Peyton had found a black dress with one lace sleeve, and insisted that Haley try it on. Although it was not something that she would usually wear, Haley decided to welcome a small bit of change. Anything to keep her mind off of Nathan.
She knocked on the door, and a few moments later, Lucas opened the door.
"Uncle Lucas!" Jamie cheered, giving him a high five before running into the house.
"Try to get him to bed before 10 please Luke," Haley sighed, knowing that the last girls night, she had come back at one am to find Jamie still awake, hyped up on sugar from the ice cream Lucas had let him have.
"I'll do my best Hales," Lucas smiled.
"Where's Brooke?" Haley questioned, looking around into the house, "I thought I was supposed to pick her up?"
"Peyton's car went bust again," Lucas explained, "Brooke went to pick her up, and said to tell you that they'll meet you at The Docks at 9."
Haley believed this. She knew that Peyton had had her Comet since high school, and although it kept breaking down, she refused to get a new car.
The Docks was a popular restaurant in Tree Hill, one of the only "fancy" restaurants in town. Brooke had worked there for a few summers in high school.
"I'm here for a reservation under Scott," Haley told the hostess, giving her Brooke's married last name.
"Ah, right this way, you have a table on the patio," the hostess smiled, as Haley followed her outside, trying not to kill herself in the red stilettos Brooke had contributed to her outfit tonight.
The hostess finally stopped at a secluded table for two, with an impeccable view of the river, the starry night sky framing the whole scene.
"Um, I think there's been a mistake," Haley stammered, "I'm supposed to be meeting a group of friends."
"Mrs. Scott specifically reserved a table for two," the hostess replied, before walking away.
A confused Haley shook her head, sitting down at the table, trying to figure out what Brooke was up to.
She found out all too soon, though, when a pair of familiar icy blue eyes met hers as he walked up.
"Nathan?' Haley questioned, wanting to strangle Brooke right about now, "What are you doing here?"
Hope you all enjoyed the fourth chapter of Show Me How to Live!
Next chapter will feature Nathan and Haley's date! Any suggestions on what you'd like to see happen?
Please leave any suggestions, comments, or ideas you want to see in future chapters!