Page 6 of Second Chance with the Enemy CEO
“Hazel,” she says, her voice firm, “I do not know what is going on with you, but the Hazel I know would have jumped on this opportunity faster than I could blink. So, unless you have a legitimate reason, you are going.”
“I just…”
Her eyes narrow. “And do not give me some excuse about being booked. I already checked your schedule.”
I swallow hard, searching for something - anything - that will let me wiggle out of this. But Maria knows me too well.
“Look,” she says, her tone softening, “you are one of the best photographers we have. I would not send anyone else. Whatever you are running from in Autumn Cove…, you need to face it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Do not let it slip through your fingers. Do not let your past ruin your future.”
I sigh, realizing there is absolutely no getting out of this. “When do I leave?”
“Tomorrow. Your flight is already booked.”
Of course, it is.
I sit there, speechless, as Maria turns her attention back to her computer.
“Anything else?” She asks without looking up.
“No,” I mutter, standing. “Thanks, Maria.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” she calls as I leave.
When I get home, I collapse onto my couch, staring at the ceiling. My bag slides off my shoulder, hitting the floor with a thud.Autumn Cove. Just the thought of it sends a shiver through me. I have not been back in five years, and now, thanks to Maria and her ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,’ I am being dragged back like some reluctant boomerang.
“Why?” I groan, covering my face with a throw pillow. “Why, universe? Why now?”
But the universe does not answer. It never does.
After a minute, I shove the pillow aside and sit up. I try to focus on the positives. It is just a job. A big one. The kind that could cement my career. I repeat the words in my head like a mantra, but the knot in my stomach refuses to loosen.
“Get a grip, Hazel. It is a professional opportunity, not a death sentence.”
Still, the thought of being back there - walking those streets, passing old landmarks, maybe running into people I am not ready to see - makes me pause. What if I bump into him? Or worse…, his mom?
I shake the thought away, my eyes landing on the framed photo on my bookshelf. It is a candid shot I took of Edna years ago, standing in a sunflower field. She had called it her best moment. I pick up the frame, running my thumb over the glass.
“You’d tell me to go, wouldn’t you?” I murmur. “You would say, ‘Hazel, stop being stubborn. Opportunities like this do not come every day.’”
Her voice echoes in my mind, warm and encouraging, and I can almost hear her laugh.
I place the frame back on the shelf and let out a resigned sigh.
I spend about an hour packing, and as I zip up the bag, my resolve strengthens.
“Hazel, you have changed. You are not the same girl who left Autumn Cove five years ago. You are Hazel McKee, lifestyle, and event photographer. You have built a life for yourself, and no amount of nostalgia or unfinished business will derail you. You have this, girl. It is just a job. Take the pictures, wow them, get paid, and come back home,” I say to my reflection in the mirror. A practice I learned from Edna.
“Autumn Cove,” I say aloud, staring into the mirror. “Ready or not, here I come.”
Chapter two
Liam
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the voice booms over the speakers, “without further ado, and to stop my rambling, please welcome the CEO of NextPhase Performance Technologies, star forward for the Avalanche hockey team, and the visionary behind today’s launch - Liam Callahan!”
Sighing, I adjust the cuffs of my sleeves and raise an eyebrow at Elias, my Marketing Manager, who is clapping far too enthusiastically in my direction. Letting him manage my introduction was a mistake - I knew it would be. The man has a flair for overdoing everything.
I push a breath through my nose and walk up the steps to the podium, my jaw tight as I approach Elias, leaning in close to whisper.
