“Well, he’s certainly not bad to look at,” Kit said.
“And he seems to have charmed your grandmother,” Darla said. “Just make sure he doesn’t work his old magic on you.”
“Ha!” said Kit. “He might have that effect on all the women in your family.”
Hadley tipped her glass to take another sip. “I am completely immune.” As if to taunt her, an image flashed unbidden in her head. Cam, sitting at the restaurant today, glancing up at her when she’d come over to drag Darla away. He’d done a double take. And for a second, she’d forgotten to breathe.
“Hadley?” Kit asked. “Earth to Hadley.”
Hadley shook her head free of her musings. “Cam said something when we were in the midst of arguing about the business. He sort of acknowledged that he’d been an idiot all those years ago.”
“Did he apologize?” Darla asked. “Because a half-apology doesn’t count.”
“Geez, Darla,” Kit said. “Let her explain.”
“He said it never would’ve worked out between us.” Hadley gestured to Darla to pass her the wine and poured herself a little more. “Even if he hadn’t been an idiot.”
“That’s it?” Kit asked.
“Well, we were in the hospital hallway arguing. And he was trying to make the point that I can be hardheaded. We weren’t exactly having a heart-to-heart.”
“So, what do you think of that?” Kit poured another glass too. “It sounds like he’s trying to make amends.”
“I guess I was glad he’d said something after all this time. But I’d like to know the whole story. To set my mind at ease once and for all.”
“Or to see if there’s a possibility for more?” Darla chimed in. “Especially if he actually apologizes.”
“No.” Hadley hoped she’d spoken firmly enough to shut that topic down forever. “He and I are old news. It’s just that there’s this…this current of something that I wish…I wish wasn’t there. Just something left over from before, I guess. I don’t understand it, but I can accept it and ignore it.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t ignore it,” Kit said. “Maybe it’s a sign that you two can actually get on the same page.”
Hadley snorted. “Doubtful. We fight about everything.”
“So what are you going to do?” Darla asked.
“Focus on my grandma. You know, I was remembering that when I was a teenager, I used to tell Gran that I was going to come home after college and run Pooch Palace with her.”
“You used to talk about that all the time,” Kit said.
“You spent every spare minute with those dogs,” Darla said.
Hadley shrugged. “I feel somehow that I’ve let her down. Or maybe I’ve let myself down.”
“It’s normal to have these kinds of feelings after a breakup,” Kit said.
Hadley took a sip of wine and shook her head. “Don’t let me off the hook so easily, Kit. I changed when that teenage dream didn’t feel big enough. Seashell Harbor didn’t feel big enough. I got stars in my eyes for someone who seemed to have it all. But the reality is, I looked for all the wrong things. Just like I fell for Cam—the same kind of guy. All flash and no substance.”
Why hadn’t her dreams felt big enough? Was it because she’d felt pressure to become like her parents, high-achieving, hardworking people? She couldn’t fault them for pushing her to succeed. And she was hardworking. And ambitious. But maybe they’d inadvertently pushed her toward something that wasn’t…true success? Or that looked like success to everyone else…
“You aren’t shallow.” Kit set her wineglass down on a box. “You made a mistake with Cooper. Live and learn.”
Hadley had spent the past eight years aiming for bigger and better, building her career. And she’d fallen for a guy who had looks, fame, and influence. But she’d somehow mistaken those traits for kindness, humility, and trust.
“You were always finding strays and bringing them to your grandma to find homes for. Remember that?” Kit asked.
“It’s just now that I’m grown up, I have to come up with something to try and turn the business around. All I’ve done so far is offer to walk people’s dogs while they’re at work.”
“Every time we talk with you, you say how spoiled your PR clients are,” Darla said. “You wish you could be making a real difference. Maybe there’s a way to do that here.” She would know.
“I’m just going to do the best I can and use my gut instincts,” Hadley said.
“That sounds just like you, Hadley,” Kit said. “Trust yourself.”
“I’m not sure if it’s possible to turn a whole business around by the time I have to go back to LA.”
“Right. Impossible,” Kit said. “Even with your superb organizational skills.”
“And your PR skills,” Darla said. “And your smart brain.”
“I also don’t know what my grandmother really wants,” Hadley said.
“What do you want?” Darla asked.
What did she want? “I want to help my grandmother get her business back together. And her confidence. If she does want to sell, I want her to leave the business from a position of strength. And I want to walk dogs and pet dogs and be out of the spotlight until I figure out what I want.”
Whoa. Where had all that come from? Clarity from good friends, no doubt.
“Sounds like you made a decision.” Darla got up and walked over to Hadley.
“Here. Take this.” She held out her palm, which held the fabulous ring. The facets of the stone sparkled, catching the bright light from the windows. The dainty silver filigreed base looked both vintage and feminine. It was a beautiful ring.
Hadley pushed Darla’s hand back. “You’re silly. I can’t take your heirloom ring!”
Darla gripped her wrist. “Had, listen to me. Take it to remind you to make authentic decisions. To be bold. To act from your strengths, not to do what you think you should do because of what other people want.”
“Darla’s right,” Kit said. “You should wear it. It might help you sort out your life.”
Hadley looked from one friend to the other before giving a resigned sigh. “Okay, fine.” If it worked, Hadley would thank her friends, the would-be psychologist and the passionate, independent free thinker.
Darla dropped the ring into her palm and closed her fingers over it. “Have an amazing summer.”
“To summer!” Kit held up her glass.
“May we all have an amazing summer,” Hadley echoed, reluctantly slipping on the ring. And whatever it may bring.
Chapter 8
Cam, come over here.” Cam’s longtime agent, Ian Felding, walked over to him that evening, crossing the deck of the little bungalow Cam was renting. “Let me introduce you to some people.”
Cam bent to grab a few beers from an ice chest. His bad knee caught him off guard, but he reclaimed his balance and held back a wince before smiling and handing Ian a beer.
“We’ll make the lady an offer she can’t refuse,” Ian said. “It will be a win-win for everybody. The restaurant team is thrilled.”