Before Hadley could respond, someone called out from the hallway. “Hey there, Maddy. Where can I put these?”
The man standing in the doorway held a huge bouquet of flowers—giant fluffy white hydrangeas, daisies, black-eyed Susans. Judging by the muscular, jean-clad thighs beneath the floral arrangement, it was Tony. Or rather Cam. She was not going to call him Tony.
Was that weird, Hadley wondered, that she knew him by his powerful thighs?
“I picked these from your garden,” he said.
Oh my. She pushed aside a sudden image of a big burly man full of muscle picking posies and had to admit it was a little…charming. But then she came to her senses, instead wondering, Why was Cam visiting again? Bringing flowers and sending arrangements. How had he insinuated himself so thoroughly into her good graces?
He handed her grandma a box of chocolates—the good kind, from the gourmet chocolate shop downtown.
“Oh, Cam, you’re such a dear,” her grandmother said. “Flowers and chocolates. And my favorite magazine!”
Hadley didn’t have to look hard to see it was WE magazine. Yet another scandal sheet. “Gran, don’t read that. That one always says terrible things about me.”
“I need to keep up with the gossip,” her grandmother said, already flipping through the pages. “So I know how to defend you.”
“You don’t need to defend me,” Hadley said, a little irritated. “I don’t care what people say.”
“At least the photos are flattering this time,” Cam said.
“Go ahead and joke,” Hadley said. The Crown Royal thing had been an accident. She was normally in complete control of her image.
“Oh, dear,” her grandmother said. “This one’s got Cam in it.”
“Me?”
Hadley was secretly pleased to see his sudden look of alarm. Color crept up his neck, visible despite his tan. “What are they saying about me?”
“It says you’ll never play football again, and so you’re drowning your sorrows with expensive vacations and lots of young women in teeny bikinis.”
Hadley tapped her finger against her lips. “Hmm. So they do tell the truth sometimes.”
“Actually…” Cam cleared his throat, his gaze darting over to Hadley. “I’ve been here working for my dad. No Caribbean vacations for me.”
“You aren’t going steady with anyone now, Anthony, are you?” Gran asked, wearing her matchmaking face.
He had the decency to turn redder. “No, ma’am. But I’m not looking for a girlfriend,” he added hurriedly.
“Hmm,” Gran said. “That’s so interesting, because Hadley happens to be free as well. What a coincidence.”
“I’m definitely not looking for a boyfriend.” She couldn’t say the words fast enough.
Her grandmother went on as though she hadn’t heard. “Now, isn’t it wonderful that you’re both back home for the whole summer? And in need of a fresh start. What a marvelous opportunity to get reacquainted. Rediscover that chemistry.”
“No chemistry,” they both said adamantly at the same time.
“Well, now that you both are here, I have something to say.” Ignoring their protests, her grandmother spoke in a surprisingly authoritative tone, much different from how weak she’d appeared when Hadley’s parents were in the room. She closed the magazine and folded her hands on top of it.
“Just tell him we can handle our business, Gran,” Hadley said, casting a nervous glance at Cam. “That there’s no need to sell.” Gran’s demeanor was giving her a sense of foreboding that sent her stomach churning.
“I’m still terribly upset about what happened,” Gran said, looking them both over. “And I’ve got to go to the rehab hospital, so I’m out of commission the rest of the summer. Maybe permanently.”
“I’m happy to take that old building off your hands, Maddy,” Cam said.
“I can take care of everything,” Hadley said at the same time. “There’s no need to—”
Gran crossed her arms, looking rather like a queen on her throne of a hospital bed. “Hush, both of you.” She cleared her throat and stuck out her chin at a defiant angle. “Cam, I know I told you to look the place over and see if it would be good for your restaurant, but the truth is, I haven’t quite decided yet exactly what I’m going to do.”
Yes! Hadley mentally fist-pumped. Atta girl, Gran.
Cam eyeballed Hadley. “She said she hasn’t decided,” he said slowly, as if she hadn’t heard right. “I wouldn’t get overly excited just yet.”
“And I wouldn’t put pressure on my grandmother.” Hadley crossed her own arms. “It’s her decision.”
“No pressure here.” Cam threw his hands up.
“Cam’s not pressuring me.” Her grandmother cast a glance over at Hadley. “Hadley, I’m not ruling out selling Pooch Palace. The thing is, I’ve been running it for the past thirty years. God’s given me this opportunity to slow down for once and decide what I want to do for the rest of my life. Sort of making lemonade from the lemons, you know? I need time to see what’s possible with my new hip. You’re both smart, creative people. And we all know the business can’t function like it used to. Why don’t you both see where you can take your ideas and then I’ll decide.”
Hadley had a million questions. Gran wanted them both to move forward on their ideas for saving the Palace? What a disaster. But she bit her lip to keep from stressing her grandma out.
“You mean, like, come up with a business plan?” Cam raised a thick brow as he leaned against the windowsill. “Because I can totally do that. In fact, Mayor Chaudhry was really excited about opening a vibrant business in the heart of downtown. Said it would be just what Seashell Harbor needs to get that extra shot in the arm.”
Hadley opened her mouth to protest, but what was her plan? Her grandmother’s dog boarding business had evaporated. She’d have to think about crisis communication. Winning back customers. Or going in an entirely different direction. Before she could say something, a young nurse entered the room.
“Mrs. Edwards, it’s time for your medicine— Oh!” Judging by the way she blushed and stared at Cam, she was one of the many females who regularly fell under his spell. “Oh dear. I wasn’t expecting to see the most famous tight end on the planet here.” She batted her pretty eyelashes and held out a hand. “I’m Amanda.”
“Nice to meet you, Amanda,” Cam said, flashing his high-beam smile. “May I call you Mandy?”
“You can call me anything you want, Mr. Cammareri,” she said with a little chuckle.
“Mrs. Edwards is a very special friend of mine,” he said. “She deserves the best care.”
“You bet,” Amanda said. Cam still hadn’t let go of her hand. Clearly, the young woman was going boneless. Hadley wondered if she should step forward and catch her before she melted into a puddle of butter at his feet.
“Don’t let us stop you from what you have to do,” Cam said, looking over at Hadley. “We can get out of your way if you need us to.”