Page 28 of Second Chance with the Enemy CEO
“Please?” She draws out the word, dragging it like nails on a chalkboard. “I know you love your garden way more than you love anything, well, not hockey, but please.”
“No.”
“Not even for your fav sister?”
“All the more reason for the no…,” I say with a shrug.
She grins, eyes sparkling with defiance. “That wasn’t a request, Liam.” She is already heading for the door, grabbing a water bottle from the counter on her way out.
I sigh, shaking my head but following her anyway.
The sun is still rising, casting streaks of gold across the lawn. The air smells of damp earth and fresh-cut grass. I squint against the light, watching Cara skip ahead like she is five again.
"Don't touch the roses," I called after her.
"Too late!" she calls back, laughter in her voice.
I am halfway across the lawn, still debating if I should yank her back inside when Cara suddenly stops short. Her gaze narrows on something - or someone.
“Wait…, is that…?” She turns to me slowly, eyes wide. “Is that Hazel?”
I follow her gaze and my stomach knots. Hazel steps out, her hair loose around her shoulders, catching the sunlight. She is wearing faded jeans and a fitted sweater, effortlessly casual. My jaw ticks. My fingers curl into my palms.
“Yup,” I mutter, “Cara, why don’t we…”
But Cara did not wait for me to finish. She spins on her heel and bolts toward Hazel, moving faster than I have ever seen her move for anything remotely useful.
“Hazel!” She shouts, waving both hands like she is flagging down a plane. “Oh my God, it is you!”
Hazel, standing by the door of the guest house with her keys in hand, looks up at the sound of her name. Her eyes widen for half a second, and then, to my utter dismay, she breaks into a soft, genuine smile.
“Cara?” Her surprise melts into familiarity, and suddenly, she is grinning like it’s old times. “Wow, look at you! All grown up.”
Cara reaches her, arms flung wide as she wraps Hazel in a hug so tight, it makes me grit my teeth. Hazel laughs, hugging her back with just as much enthusiasm.
I walk towards them, close, yet still far away, watching them with my hands in my pockets, my jaw locked tight.
Hazel pulls back slightly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "You’ve grown up so much, I almost didn’t recognize you."
"I’m almost an adult now," Cara boasts, standing taller. “Two more years.”
“I can tell.”
“You look amazing!” Cara gushes. “I have not seen you in forever! You just disappeared, on your favorite 11-year-old. I was looking forward to the gift you promised me, you know?” She tilts her head, her face scrunching with mock disapproval. “You could’ve at least called or something, if not anyone, me.”
“Yeah, I know, I’m sorry, sweetie,” Hazel says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Life got…, complicated.” She glances toward me then, just for a second, before turning her attention back to Cara.
“Tell me about it,” Cara says, nudging Hazel with her elbow. “But look at you now! Back in town, and wait…, are you living here?"”
Hazel nods, her gaze flickering toward me again. "Yeah, I’m renting the guest house for a while."
“Wow, you’re living right next to him.” She tosses a thumb over her shoulder in my direction, clearly amused by the situation.
“I know,” Hazel says, her smile tight but present. “Small world, huh?”
“Way too small,” I mutter under my breath, too low for them to hear.
I do not know what irritates me more - the fact that Hazel’s standing there with that calm, composed look she always wears like armor or the fact that Cara’s acting like they’re long-lost best friends.
