“How are you, dear?” Anita squeezed Hadley against her ample bosom. “That awful, sneaky, no-good louse. Mr. Big Shot Actor. Don’t you give him and his hussy girlfriend a second thought.” She patted Hadley on the shoulder. “You’re home now.”
“Thanks, Anita,” Hadley managed. This was exactly what she didn’t want. To be fussed over. To stand out. Unlike Cam-of-the-Big-Banner, who was probably basking in all the attention. Not that she begrudged him his hard-earned fame, but why couldn’t her high school love have been somebody with a low profile, like their classmate with the very prestigious, hush-hush job working for the CIA? He certainly wasn’t coming home to his name plastered all over the town.
“Why, I can’t believe what you’ve accomplished, what with working in the big city and having all those famous clients,” Anita said. “Your grandma tells us all about them. We’re all so proud.”
“It’s great to be home.” Hadley tried to deflect the praise. Covering up the outrageous behaviors of entitled stars eighty hours a week was exhausting. Once she’d even gotten roped into figuring out how to deliver warm Krispy Kreme donuts to a movie set two hundred miles away from the nearest Krispy Kreme, only to have her client complain they weren’t still warm.
She’d aimed for the stars (not the movie kind), and she’d achieved her goal, but somehow she’d lost something along the way.
She thought it just might be herself.
“You poor thing,” Anita continued. “I can’t imagine what you must feel like, what with Cooper running off with that gorgeous starlet. And the whole world on their side because of all that humanitarian work they’re doing. You must be positively heartbroken.”
Before Hadley could even imagine an answer, Anita leaned in, close enough for Hadley to smell her flowery perfume, the same intense scent she remembered from her childhood. Anita dropped her voice and asked, “Did you really go on a shopping spree and max out all his credit cards? Or show up at the Chateau Marmont and pour wine on his head?”
“She didn’t do that,” Kit interjected, jumping to Hadley’s defense.
“I didn’t do the first thing,” Hadley said. But she had taken six of Cooper’s Armani suits, seven pairs of Louboutin loafers, and five Gucci custom-tailored jackets down to the local homeless shelter, which gave her an immense sense of satisfaction. Maybe she’d done a little bit of good too.
And the other rumor—that happened to be true. Red wine. A vintage pour, $600 a bottle. Right on top of his perfectly-streaked-to-look-natural blond hair.
In reality, Anita’s words held some sting. It was difficult to compare the work Hadley did every day to delivering water and vaccines and eliminating food-borne illnesses.
“I’m so glad you’re back in Seashell Harbor,” Anita continued. “Maybe you’ll meet a nice fella and stay.”
“We’d sure like her to stay.” Kit gave Hadley another side hug. “Even though we’ve only got her for the summer.”
“Maybe you’ll all meet nice fellas,” Anita said with a wink.
“We don’t need men to be happy, Anita,” Darla said in her usual tell-it-like-it-is fashion. “We can be happy just as we are.”
“Oh, goodness, the light’s changed!” Kit said loudly, whisking Darla away. “Nice to see you, Anita, but we really have to go.” She grabbed Hadley by the elbow and hurried them all across the street.
“We all get it, Darla,” Kit said, “but Anita will be matchmaking until the day she dies.”
“I love her to pieces,” Darla said. “But why, if you’re thirty-five and unmarried, does everyone believe it’s their mission to marry you off?”
“Chin up, dear,” Anita called out cheerily, loud enough for passersby to turn and stare. “Don’t let those cheap dime-store rags destroy you!”
“I know she means well but that’s really harsh!” Hadley said once they were across the street. Yes, she’d been heartbroken. Publicly humiliated by Cooper’s affair. But not destroyed, yeesh.
Never destroyed. She’d come from too long a line of strong women for that to ever happen. And, as her mom liked to say, her great-great-great-grandfather might have been the very first settler in Seashell Harbor, but that was only because her great-great-great-grandmother insisted they put down roots here rather than in Alaska, which was where he’d had a hankering to go.
To this day, every street bore her influence. Such as Petunia Street, followed closely by Gardenia, Hyacinth, Daisy, and Tulip Streets. And those were only the main ones.
And then there was the beach. Nothing against Alaska, but the glorious, wonderful, amazing beach was right in their backyard. Hadley had grown up with summer after summer of sun-kissed days playing on the sand in front of the effervescent, ever-changing water. While there was a lot to brag about in Seashell Harbor, the ocean was the giant cherry on top.
“I love it here,” Hadley couldn’t help saying. “It’s quiet and peaceful and everyone’s friendly. But it feels like a dream—a place to escape reality.” Plus, in spite of her summer plans, she wasn’t even sure she remembered what to do with downtime.
“Trust me,” Kit said. “If you lived here full-time, you’d see it’s not a perfect beach paradise. But it is still one of the most beautiful places on earth.”
“That’s what brought me back,” Darla said. But she hadn’t just moved back home. Rather, she’d done it spectacularly by buying an enormous modern house right on the beach. “That and being closer to my mom. Even if Nick still lives here.”
Kit scrunched up her nose at the mention of Darla’s ex-husband. “How’s that going, both of you living in the same town again?”
Darla waved a hand dismissively. “When I look out my window onto that gorgeous blue ocean, thoughts of Nick just fade away.”
“…until he jogs by shirtless,” Kit said pointedly.
“I wasn’t even sure that was him.” Darla’s fair skin colored.
“He waved,” Kit said. “Of course you were sure.”
“Are you blushing?” Hadley asked Darla. Turning to Kit, she asked, “Did I miss something?” And then to Darla, “Are you and Nick a thing again?”
“No!” Darla said vehemently. “Absolutely not.”
“You two were so young when you married,” Kit said. “Maybe things would be different now.”
“Trust me,” Darla said. “Once around with him was enough.”
Hadley couldn’t help but laugh. “I love you both,” she said as they arrived at Pooch Palace’s front door. “But I’ve got to go.”
Kit glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to pick up Ollie from day care. I promised him some beach time today. Good luck, Hadley.” She gave a little wave. “Call me.”
“Bye, Had.” Darla gave her a final hug. “Go in there and get it over with. Don’t forget we’re doing lunch on Saturday; then you’re all coming over to help me unpack my bedroom, okay? There will be wine, I promise.”
A quick glance at her dear friends reminded Hadley that she could have it a lot worse. Kit had lost her husband, a marine, three years ago and was raising their sweet little boy on her own. And Darla had just been declared cancer-free after a two-year battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Hadley’s troubles were nothing compared to what her friends had been through.