Page 88 of Second Chance with the Enemy CEO
I take a deep breath, trying to calm the storm inside me. Maya’s words echo in my mind: Love is a risk.The question is, is he worth it?
That is what it boils down to, isn’t it?
For the first time, I let myself consider the possibility. Could I risk it? Could I forgive him? Until I get the answer to that, my heart stays guarded.
Chapter twenty-seven
Liam
Two weeks.
Fourteen days after I apologized to Hazel, I finally learned the truth about why she left all those years ago. Fourteen days of knowing that I had let her slip through my fingers for reasons that could have been fixed if I had not been so blind.
Since then, I have been giving her the space she seems to need - but not without reminding her that I am still here. Every morning, without fail, I leave a single rose outside her door with a note attached. Nothing elaborate - just a line or two. It could be “Thinking of you,” “I’m sorry I hurt you,” or “I’ll wait for you.” Sometimes, I think I am stalking or something, but then, this is all I can do for now.
Well, I’d like to think so.
At work, we are civil, polite even. She is professional to a fault and painfully distant. She only approaches me when she needs something - help setting up a shot, a quick opinion on an idea, or during the meeting.
It is the kind of distance that stings, like she has built an invisible wall between us, and every polite nod or clipped replyis another brick. And I am on the other side, fumbling for a way to reach her.
So tonight, I am doing something different. It is time to remind her of what we once had and what we could have again if she lets me. I am taking her to one of our favorite spots but knowing she would not come with me if I had asked, I decided to recruit Katie.
I told Katie that she needed to head to the Bluebird and Lakewood Meadow, which is just on the outskirts of Autumn Cove, to take pictures of one of the team members at 7.00 pm that evening. It is his second favorite place, and to tell her that the guy will not be available as of tomorrow morning. Hazel’s a sucker for authenticity, so of course, she agreed.
Okay, I know that was wrong, but sometimes, twisting the truth a little gets the job done.
By 6:55 pm, the crunch of gravel catches my attention, and when I look up, there she is. Hazel steps out of her car, looking around with cautious curiosity. She is dressed simply - jeans, a soft sweater, her hair loose. She is beautiful.
When she steps into the clearing, a camera bag slung over her shoulder, her eyes immediately lock on me. She stops dead, her face a mixture of confusion and frustration.
“You,” she says, her voice sharp and flat.
“Me,” I reply, hands shoved in my pockets.
Her eyes narrow. “So, let me guess - Katie’s mysterious player is you?”
I raise my hands defensively. “Guilty. But before you get too mad, hear me out.”
She crosses her arms, clearly unimpressed. “This better be good.”
“Katie helped me because she knew I needed a chance to talk to you, really talk to you,” I explain. “And, well…, I didn’t think you’d come if I just asked.”
Her eyebrows lift in a challenge. “And you did not think to try? You just assumed I would say no?”
“Would you have said yes if I had?”
She shrugs. “We will never know now, will we? You did not give me the chance. You never asked… Just assumed and came to the conclusion…, again.”
I sigh, my hand falling to my side. “You are right. I guess I am making the same mistakes again.”
She does not respond right away, her eyes scanning the meadow behind me. Finally, she crosses her arms. “So, you wanted me all the way out here for what exactly?”
“Come with me,” I say, motioning for her to follow.
She hesitates for a moment, but then, with a small sigh, she steps forward, walking behind me.
When we reach the clearing near the lake, Hazel stops dead in her tracks. Her breath catches audibly, and for a moment, she does not move.
