Cam snorted. Snorted. “Your grandmother wants to sell this building.” Cam crossed his arms and looked down at her from his considerable height, which she swore was a move designed to intimidate. “She offered it to me.”
Chapter 4
Come again?” The woman in front of Cam stared at him like he’d just crawled out of the gutter covered with goo.
“Your hearing’s worse than Bowie’s,” he mumbled. To which Bowie looked up at him adoringly. “Sorry, buddy.” He bent, a little gingerly because of his bum knee, and scratched the animal behind the ears, which gave him a minute to think. To get a grip. He hadn’t seen Hadley Wells in years. And she was…stunning.
Fresh faced and athletic, her light brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, she looked sort of like the Hadley he’d known so well at eighteen and yet not at all. The same smooth skin but no trace of the familiar freckles. No nose carelessly peeling from sunburn. No T-shirt and shorts and flip-flops, but rather, she wore a black blouse and ankle pants—a sign of her success. As were the expensive sunglasses perched on her head.
And she’d lost that starry-eyed look—the way she used to gaze at him, like he was…well, the most captivating person in the world. Like she was head over heels. No one had ever looked at him quite that way since. Not any of the women who routinely treated him with something akin to adulation.
Hadley had loved him. If you could say that what they’d felt for each other at that age was love.
He wasn’t sure, but it was the closest he’d ever come.
As her big brown eyes zeroed in on him like a target, he couldn’t help remembering how she’d always been a passionate bundle of energy. Full of fire. How all that passion extended into everything she did—including how she kissed him. And how she used to have the snortiest laugh he’d ever heard.
She definitely wasn’t laughing now. “My hearing’s excellent,” she said in a tone that made him want to snap to attention and salute.
“All right, then.” He cleared his throat. “What part didn’t you get?”
“The part about my grandmother offering this place to you. She would never do that.”
She sounded like he’d bound and gagged her poor grandma to seal the deal. So he spoke with exaggerated slowness—and patience. “Your grandmother is looking to get out of the business quick, and I just so happen to need a property quick.”
She crossed her arms and glared. “What exactly do you need it for, Cam?”
Uh-oh. There she was calling him Cam again. She’d never called him Cam.
She was frowning, standing there stewing. He understood in a visceral way that the conversation they were having now had probably started years ago. When he’d left her a sticky note that said It’s best if we call it quits.
They’d never really finished that conversation. Not in a way that had resolved anything, anyway.
The way he’d left things gave him a sick feeling. One that he thought he’d let go of long ago but, no, there it was, firing up in his chest like heartburn. Equal parts remorse and regret for being young and stupid. For being careless—with his words, and with her affection.
Well, chalk it up to youth and inexperience. They’d both moved on and from all accounts, she’d done well. He had more important things to worry about than old hurt feelings.
Like this ancient building her grandma was desperate to unload. He did need it. Hadley had no idea how badly. The next phase of his life depended upon starting over. After months of dealing with his broken-beyond-repair knee, he understood that his star was sinking. Now was the time to act, when his investors were excited and before anyone had forgotten his name. Or else…or else there would be nothing.
“I’m opening a restaurant,” he said. “This will be the flagship, the first of a national chain. Right here, smack in the middle of downtown.” No other property around offered what this one did—a central location, a killer ocean view. And he’d been having his people scout the real estate market for months.
“A restaurant.” She said it with disdain, as if he were talking about opening a seedy bar with drug dealers, the Mafia, and sex traffickers.
Her agitation discomfited him. There was a time when he would have done everything in his wheelhouse to please her, to get her to smile. But this new Hadley was clearly long over him.
“It’s going to be a gathering place with good food, a place to relax and meet your friends and catch a game.” Why was he overexplaining, being defensive? He didn’t need her to know how important this was to him. How Hadley’s grandma had offered him the perfect way to start over again after his injury. And how his restaurant would help his sister, Lucy, who deserved a break to help her realize her dream of becoming a chef.
Hadley had loved this place, long ago. Was she holding on to sentiment? Surely she wouldn’t fight her grandmother’s wishes?
“Why do we need another restaurant in town?” she asked. “What’s the draw?”
“Me.” He faced her head-on, pointing a thumb at his chest. “I’m the draw. This is my hometown, and people—my fans—would love to see it. Good food and me.” He wasn’t going to apologize for who he was just because she didn’t like him.
The only problem was, he felt bad about that. About her not liking him. Which he couldn’t entirely explain.
“This isn’t going to be a place with lots of TVs so people can ignore their dates and watch football, is it?” she asked. “A cheesy celebrity chain?”
Uh-oh. That was exactly what it was. Without the cheesy part, he hoped. “You want me to apologize for being a celebrity?”
“I want you to apologize for taking advantage of the fact that my grandma’s been through a trauma. She’s frightened. Of course she might jump to say she wants to sell.”
“I’m not taking advantage of anyone.” He surveyed the mostly empty room. “Take a look around. No business. Nada.” He swept the room with a flourish. “Your grandma’s dealing with a new hip. Maybe she’s tired of running after dogs. Maybe she wants to travel. Relax. Do needlework.”
Hadley rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t do needlework.”
“Whatever she wants, Hadley. She’s given her life to this business. You can’t blame her if she wants to change course.”
“She’s just been through a major operation.” Now it was her turn to sound overly patient. “She shouldn’t have to think about selling her beloved business.”
“She has been thinking about it. That’s why she asked me.”
“My grandma would not choose you over me. I’m her blood!” She was more than a little fired up.
“Mayellen and Ivy told me you’re only here for the summer. So maybe you’re her blood but I’m best for her future plans and goals.” He tried to sound calm and not let unresolved issues from the past make him overly emotional. But he was failing epically.
He saw his words strike a chord, and it wasn’t a good one. “You will never be best for my grandmother.” She snorted. “That much is obvious. I just can’t believe she would sell this place willingly.” Then she added, “To you. You’re…you’re just as cocky and arrogant as ever.”