Page 19 of Second Chance with the Enemy CEO
“Wow,” Grace murmurs, clearly unconvinced but polite enough not to push further.
“You sure know how to keep things interesting, Hazel.”
“That’s me,” I say with a grin.
Grace, bless her heart, redirects the conversation. “How long are you staying?”
“Six months. And I am staying in this beautiful guesthouse on one of the estates. You all have the pleasure of basking in my presence for that long.”
“Lucky us,” Maya quips, her grin wide, passing me a slice of pie.
I glance around the room and notice the absence of Grace’s usual entourage. “I don’t see the two troublemakers,” I say, referring to her twin girls. “And where’s Ryan?”
Grace beams at the mention of her husband. She is one of those people whose love for her family radiates from her like sunshine. “Ryan took the girls to visit his parents for the weekend. They were supposed to come back yesterday, but the girls convinced him to let them stay an extra day with their grandparents. They will be back tomorrow.”
Her smile softens as she talks about him, and I cannot help but smile too. Grace and Ryan’s love story is the kind you only read about. High school sweethearts who made it work despite the odds.
“I miss them. I miss Ryan, my cuddle-bunny,” Grace beams, her cheeks tinged with a light blush.
“No…, not again. You caused this dreamy look on her face. You know how much I am a sucker for dreamy looks. Yet, some of us are still stuck in the ‘what romance department?’ phase,” Maya adds with a dramatic sigh, earning a laugh from all of us.
Just as Grace is about to respond, the doorbell rings again.
“Alright, I’ll get it this time,” Luke says, pushing himself up from the couch. “Let’s hope it’s the pizza.”
As soon as he disappears toward the door, Maya leans in close, her eyes dancing with mischief. “You know,” she says in a conspiratorial whisper, “he still has a crush on you.”
“What?” I blink, caught off guard by the sudden shift.
“Oh, come on,” she says, waving a dismissive hand. “Don’t act so surprised. He’s been sweet on you since forever. The second you walked in, his whole face lit up like a Christmas tree. Poor guy - still carrying that torch after all these years.”
I roll my eyes, brushing off the comment. “That was ages ago. We were kids, Maya. I’m sure he’s long over it.”
“Uh-huh,” she says, smirking. “Keep telling yourself that.”
Before she can respond, Luke returns with two large pizza boxes in hand, grinning. “Pizza’s here.”
“Finally!” Maya says, clapping her hands. “Now, while we eat, let me tell you about my sister Alicia running away from her wedding last week.”
The room erupts into laughter as she recounts the tale, complete with dramatic gestures. Luke chimes in with his own commentary. Aside from the fact that she’s a great baker,owning one of the best bakeries in town, Maya is the town’s unofficial gossip queen.
I roll my eyes, grabbing a slice of pizza to hide my grin. If nothing else, it is nice to know some things never change.
Chapter six
Liam
Hazel McKee.
Her name is a whisper in my mind, an echo that grows louder no matter how hard I try to silence it. I grip the steering wheel tighter as I drive home, the city lights blurring into streaks against the windshield.
It has been five years. Five long, carefully constructed years since she disappeared. Since I told myself, I had moved on.
But seeing her today... It is like a dam broke.
Driving so fast I could probably give Mario Andretti a run for his money - and maybe even take second place - I pulled into my driveway in record time, tires screeching as I slammed the car to a stop. The second I got inside, I headed straight for the bathroom, barely pausing to toss my keys onto the counter.
I felt hot - angry hot, weirdly hot, flustered hot. Even nostalgic hot. A jumbled mess of emotions churned in my chest, refusing to settle. I turned on the faucet, splashing cold water onto my face, hoping to douse the fire. It did not help. The heat was not just in my skin; it was deeper - something I could not scrub away, no matter how hard I tried.
