Page 7 of The Billionaire's Second Chance
Link pushed off the couch and walked Pierce out. “Thanks.”
“See ya at Bella’s.” His friend jogged down the two porch steps, got into his Bronco, and drove away.
Just as Link turned to go back inside, a woman in a t-shirt and jeans stepped out the front door of the house next to Hadley’s. She walked to the open trunk of her car where she began to fight with a piece of luggage.
He stepped off the porch and crossed the distance between their houses. “Uh, you need any help?”
The woman stopped and straightened, running her fingers through her blonde hair, pushing it back from her face. “Yes. Please,” she said, dropping her arms to her sides as she groaned in frustration.
Man, she was cute. Not Hadley cute, but…he had said he needed to move on. He crossed the rest of the distance, and in one swift move, he pulled her luggage out of the trunk and set it on the ground. “I can take it to the door if you’d like.”
“That would be awesome.” She stuck out her hand. “I’m Maddison Colvin.”
He shook her hand. “Link Novak. Nice to meet you.”
As she shut the trunk door, she asked, “Are you here for the wedding or just a vacation?”
“Wedding. Pierce’s side of the aisle.” He laughed. “Are you a friend of his?”
“Bethany. We went to high school together.”
“Longtime friend, then. That’s cool.” An awkward moment of silence passed, and Link scratched the back of his neck. “Are you going to Bella’s tonight?”
Maddison nodded. “Yeah. Bethany raves about the place. I can’t wait to try their bread. She said it’s worth the hip-widening calories.” She chuckled.
He laughed with her. “Pierce did mention that. Did you—”
“Uh, hello?”
Link startled and turned. “Hey, Hadley.”
Hadley’s gaze flicked from Link to Maddison and back a few times before landing on Link. “Hi.”
“Oh, Hadley Shaw, meet Maddison Colvin. She’s one of Bethany’s friends. Maddison, this is Hadley. Pierce, Hadley, and I attended the same college.”
“That’s cool. No college degree here, but I can bake a killer chocolate cake.”
Hadley pulled her gaze from Link and smiled. “I dabble with baking, but it’s mostly out of a box.” She looked back at Link. “Uh, I thought we could hang out a bit and catch up.”
“Why? You're angry with me. So much that you’ve avoided me for a week.” The words came out as stony as his look.
She waved him off and stepped closer. “No, just…uh, I got caught up in something,” she said and laughed nervously. “Could I speak to you a second?”
Link held her gaze. What on earth was Hadley doing? He had no idea what this…thing…she was doing was, but it was weird.
“Well, I would, but I’m going to help Maddison get her luggage inside the house, and then I’m going to get ready for dinner at Bella’s.” He looked at Maddison. “Maddison said she’ll be there too.”
Nodding, Maddison added, “Yep, Bethany called while I was driving here.”
“But…” Hadley laughed, but it held a weird edge to it. “We’ve got so much to catch up on. I…”
Seeming to pick up on the uncomfortable vibe between Link and Hadley, Maddison grabbed the handle of her luggage. “It’s okay. Go ahead. I bet you’ve got a lot to catch up on. I can manage it from here.” She waved as she walked toward the house, pulling her suitcase with her.
Setting one hand on his hip, he faced Hadley head-on. “What was that?”
Shrugging, Hadley clasped her hands in front of her and fidgeted with her fingers. “Nothing. I just wanted to make up for the past week without letting a total stranger know about it.”
“Hadley,” he said and then shook his head. “I’m—”
