Coming Home to Seashell Harbor (Seashell Harbor #1) - Miranda Liasson Page 0,40

important to understand each other.” She cleared her throat. “As part of your reassessment plan.”

Hadley was onto the blatant matchmaking attempt. She looked up to see Paul on the sidewalk, ready to walk in. “Okay, Gran, but this goes two ways.”

“All right, ladies,” Paul said through the screen door. “Time’s up.”

Hadley lifted her brows and tilted her head toward Paul. “Your reassessment plan has arrived.”

Gran’s face instantly turned scarlet. As she kissed Gran goodbye and watched Paul wheel her out, she realized that being able to give Gran some advice—and receive it—felt really good.

Chapter 10

Cam could handle strolling Bernie the four blocks to Pooch Palace—but add a wheezing, snorting, drooling dog whose leash kept getting tangled in the stroller wheels every two feet into the equation and what you got was a sweaty mess. And he wasn’t talking about the dog.

When he finally arrived at Pooch Palace, Ivy took the bulldog off his hands right away, and everyone gathered to check him out. But then Bernie, who’d loved the stroll through town because of her many admirers along the way, started to fuss. “Hey, it’s okay, sweetheart.” He lifted her out of the stroller and walked with her a little. It appeared that he wasn’t the only sweaty one after all.

“Look how handsome he is,” Hadley said as she knelt in front of the dog. With the dog’s wrinkly face, hanging jowls, and lolling tongue, that definitely wouldn’t be his first descriptor. She was way too softhearted, that’s what she was. That was no way to run a business.

Suddenly she was next to him, slipping off the fussy baby’s sun hat, which had somehow flopped over Bernie’s eyes. “Can I help?” she asked with a smile.

She was a drink of cool water in jean shorts and white tennis shoes. And she’d just said the magic word. “Her sling’s down there,” he said over Bernie’s cries, pointing to a compartment underneath the stroller. “But last time I tried to use it, it took me a half hour to put it on.”

Hadley pulled the sling out and somehow rotated, smoothed, and placed it over his head before helping him ease the baby in. He caught a whiff of her shampoo, which he could only identify as…delicious.

“Thanks.” He moved his shoulders to adjust the sling, his gaze snagging on hers again. Something he seemed powerless to prevent. “I…um…appreciate it.” Now he felt guilty for coming down here to find out what she was up to.

“No problem.” She shifted her gaze to Bernie, who had calmed down in the sling. “There.” She rubbed her back. “All better now?”

The baby flashed them a big gummy smile. Being in Hadley’s presence made him feel better too. And worse. After last night, he wished for things to be different. He wasn’t a money-grabbing party person like she thought.

Well, he did love a good party—sometimes. But the Camminator had been too much.

Those few minutes when he and Hadley had talked, where they’d actually discussed something other than the building, had been unexpected—in a nice way. But Cam understood that their differences put them at an unresolvable impasse. If only he could stop his brain from dwelling on her.

Hadley walked into the back and Ivy came up to talk with him. “Hey, Cam,” Ivy said. “You here for the meeting?”

He glanced at his watch. “I have a few minutes.” He had no idea what she was talking about, but if it helped him find out Hadley’s plans, he was game.

Ivy looked out the window. “It is a beautiful day out there.”

Mayellen, who had walked over to a table behind the counter where they usually held their meetings, shook her head. “It might be beautiful now, but a gullywasher’s coming.”

“A gully-what?” Ivy asked.

“It means a big storm with a lot of rain. Predicted for tonight.”

“Are we ready for the meeting?” He hadn’t heard Hadley use that businesslike tone before as she set down a giant box of donuts from Mimi’s Bakery.

Everyone had corralled around the donut box. Ivy was petting the bulldog, whom she’d named Bubba, and saying how he could use a tune-up at the vet. Even Jagger and Bowie were present and accounted for.

Perfect. He’d arrived just in time to get some intel. Plus there were donuts. Win-win.

Cam was just about to take a seat himself when Hadley gave him the stink eye.

“I don’t mind your staying but you can’t be part of our meeting.” That CEO tone was back. He halted with a jelly donut almost to