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.”
“That’d be great,” Amanda said. “I’ll only need a few minutes.” She handed Hadley’s grandmother a pill, plumped her pillow, and tossed a few more adoring glances at Cam.
“Gran, we’ll be back in a minute, okay?” Hadley said.
Cam, who had already walked over to the door, swept his arm wide. “After you.”
She tried not to glare at him as she walked past him out of the room. She felt his gaze following her, quietly assessing, predatory. It made the hair on her neck stand up. Because Tony Cammareri didn’t just look at you. He engulfed you with the intensity of his gaze.
But then, everything he’d ever done was intense. From being the offensive rookie player of the year, to going to the Pro Bowl nine times, to breaking the single season touchdown record for a tight end, to the sudden and terrifying way his career had come to a screeching halt.
She tried not to remember other things, equally as intense. The way he kissed her, as if they both had minutes to live. The way he’d whispered, soft and breathless, that she was the only one he’d ever love.
Ha. She’d believed every word he’d ever said. How could she have been so naïve?
She walked out into the brightly lit hallway, which was filled with colorful framed paintings from local grade schoolers. Down the hall, staff at the nursing station bustled about. Occasional beeps and buzzes peppered the background.
Someone walked past, calling out to Cam and asking to shake his hand, which he did with a smile.
Hadley couldn’t help but remember the days before the