jerked him out of the saddle and dropped him in the pile of blankets surrounding the mechanical bull.
“Ready to give in?” she asked from her spot by the on-and-off switch, a grin transforming her face to one of unadulterated joy.
Never. The surety of privilege and a lifetime of always getting his way because he never gave up revved inside him like the purr of a race car’s motor. He didn’t give in. He didn’t admit failure, let alone that he’d made a bad call.
He stood up and started back to the bull, determination in every step. “I’ll get it this time.”
Fifteen minutes and not a single solitary successful eight-second ride later, and Hadley was flipping through the pictures on her phone and giggling. He couldn’t help but chuckle along with her, despite his now-sore ass.
She held up her phone so he could see the screen. “I could sell that picture for a million dollars.”
It was a joke, he knew that, but it was the perfect reminder of why he was here in the first place.
“Now, let’s get that Dramamine and ginger ale.”
“Look at you being all devoted, just like a real girlfriend,” Will said, trying to sound nonchalant when he wasn’t feeling it at all.
“More like watching out for you so Web doesn’t kill me for breaking the big family CEO.”
“Web wouldn’t hold a grudge, and our grandmother is the only other relative. She’d probably strong-arm the board of directors into selling the company off. It’s not like we’re close.”
Try as he might, he couldn’t keep the undercurrent of something prickly out of his tone. He strode a little too fast to the gas station / grocery / diner’s door and yanked it open, standing to the side so she could go in first. Hadley brushed her hands on the sides of her jeans and walked inside, giving him a smile of thanks as she passed by. If she was any other woman, he’d think twice about that look on her face, but he couldn’t. The best thing he could do right now was put an end to this little truce of theirs before he forgot his mission completely.
They made their way to the sodas chilling in the back. He grabbed two ginger ales and offered her one.
“You make it seem as if you and Web rarely see your grandma,” she said after they paid for their drinks. “That’s hard to even wrap my brain around. I mean, mine live half a country away, but it still feels like they are constantly involved in my life. Plus, you guys were just at the family compound.”
“Web and I were, but our grandma was not.” And there it was, the fishing for information. She was subtler about it than Mia, but there was no doubt in his mind that she was on a mission just as much as he was. He stalked over to the cash register. “Her yearly visit isn’t until she stops in for fashion week in the fall.”
He walked out of the gas station / grocery / diner so fast, she had to practically jog to keep up.
“I don’t understand,” she said, pointing the key fob at the rental and clicking the unlock button.
“Maybe you’re not supposed to.” For the first time since the conversation had taken such a weird turn, he looked over at her, letting his expression be as hard and unforgiving as he wished he felt inside. “It’s not like it’s your family. It’s not like you’ll be a part of it, which begs the question: why are you so interested in who is involved in Holt Enterprises and how our family works? Why the interrogation, Hadley?”
Her eyes rounded. “I’m just making conversation.”
“Or gathering intel.” He jerked the door open and got into the car.
For a moment, all Hadley did was stand there with her mouth hanging open, staring at the spot where Will had been. Then she marched over to the car, the gravel in the parking lot crunching under her shoes, and yanked open the car door before sliding in behind the wheel, keys held tightly in her grip.
“What in the hell was that supposed to mean?” she asked.
He snorted and didn’t even bother to look her way. “It’s always better to know everything about a target before you strike.”
“The gold-digger thing? Again?” She let out a frustrated groan. “You have got to put that to rest, because you couldn’t be more wrong. You ever think that Web and I are friends because he’s