5. Hadley
CHAPTER FIVE
Hadley
Stepping out of my mom’s SUV, I tug at the bottom of my jean shorts. Maybe I should have worn something other than shorts, a tank top, and Converse to get a job.
Not that this is an interview. I’m just going to talk to Sienna.
She didn’t grow up in Aspen Springs, but with her grandma living next door to me my whole childhood, I did see her from time to time. She was only a couple years younger than me, so we always got along.
I smile, remembering one Christmas when she and I spent hours outside making “cotton candy” by rubbing sidewalk chalk in the snow.
Swinging open the door to Perfect Paws Animal Shelter, I take in the cozy space. Children’s drawings and coloring pages of animals line the walls in the entryway, making me smile. I walk over to the counter and ring the bell.
“I’ll be right there,” a woman’s voice comes from the back.
While I wait, I wander over to the large window looking into the room where the cats can play inside with all their climbing toys.
“Sorry, I was giving one of the dogs a bath. Can I…” She trails off. “Hadley?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Oh my gosh, hi.” She walks over, giving me a hug. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”
I hug her back. “I know. I haven’t been in town much the last few years.”
She pulls back, tugging at the messy braid she has her wavy red locks tied into. “But you are now?”
“For a while, yeah,” I say, shrugging. “I’m here to help my mom, and then we’ll see after that.”
She reaches forward, squeezing my hand. “I’m so glad you’re helping your mom. I know your brother helps, but she’s so stubborn.”
“Oh, I know,” I say, laughing. “That’s kind of why I’m here.”
She quirks a brow.
“My mom wants me to get a job, so I’m not hanging around the house all the time pestering her. Your grandma overheard us talking about it last night.”
She rolls her eyes. “And she pointed you in my direction. I swear that woman is so nosy, but I still love her.”
I laugh because she isn’t wrong.
“I actually have been looking for some help around here. Would part-time work for you?”
“That would be perfect. You aren’t going to interview me or anything?”
“Eh, no need. I’ve known you for a long time, Hads. I also know you have multiple degrees in business, so I’d be kind of dumb to turn down your help.”
“I don’t know how much an MBA is going to help me here,” I say, gesturing around the space.
“It’ll be great. Could you start tomorrow?”
“I can do that.”
“Be here at eight and we can talk about schedules and all the boring stuff.”
I wrap her in another hug, thankful I’ll get to spend more time with her.
When I see a truck with Austin’s company logo on it backed up to the garage, I park the car on the side of the road. Deciding not to avoid Austin, I walk straight into the garage.
Instead of finding him, though, I see a tall man with longer blond hair that’s pulled back into a bun.
Taking a few steps closer, I can’t help but appreciate the tattoos that cover both of his muscular arms as he organizes pieces of wood into different stacks.
He finally turns in my direction, and I freeze. My lungs can’t seem to gather any oxygen from the air around me, because that’s the man from the airplane.
But no. Not unless he grew his hair out, got a ton of tattoos, and built a bunch of muscle over the last few days.
He gives me a flirty smile that doesn’t show any signs of recognition. “You must be Hadley,” he says, taking a few steps in my direction.
I shake my head, trying to make it all make sense. “Uh… yeah, that’s me.”
“Nice to meet you,” he says, holding out his hand with a mischievous look that doesn’t match the guy I met a few days ago.
I clasp my hand around his, and his smirk widens.
“Brooks, Maggie said we can put the supplies for the railing upstairs,” a voice comes from inside the house, a moment before a man steps out into the garage.
An identical man to the one still shaking my hand.
The man from the airplane.
“Did you hear…” He stops mid-sentence when he glances up and locks eyes with me.
Brooks’ hand slides from mine as I stare at the man who rocked my entire world just a few days ago, but that I never thought I would see again.
And now here he is, standing in my mom’s garage.
We stand there for way too long of a moment, just staring at one another. A quick glance out of the corner of my eye shows Brooks looking rapidly between the two of us.
“Oh, shit,” he says, mouth gaping open. “You’re Airplane Girl.”
My head snaps in his direction. “What?”
“You’re the girl that had my brother all smiley when he got back from New York.”
“Shut up, Brooks,” Airplane Guy barks at his brother.
“Con, please tell me it’s her,” he says, steepling his hands in front of him.
Con? What’s that short for? Connie? No. Conner?
“It’s you,” he says, his gaze firmly fixed on me.
“It’s me,” I say, shrugging.
“And your name’s Hadley? You’re Grayson’s younger sister?”
I shift my weight from one foot to the other. “Yes and yes.”
His eyes look like they’re going to bug out of his head.
“This is the best day of my life,” Brooks says, startling me when he thrusts his fist in the air.
I can’t help but giggle, shaking my head.
“What the hell’s taking so long?” a familiar voice comes from the doorway as Austin stomps out. “Oh, Hadley, you’re here. You can meet the guys.”
Well, I already know one of them intimately, even though I still don’t know his actual name.
“The long-haired tattoo canvas over there is Brooks, and his clean-cut lookalike is Conrad.” Conrad. “They own and run ABC Construction with me.”
Brooks turns and looks at Austin with hurt dramatically etched across his features. “We are way more than just your co-owners.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Austin waves him off. “Let’s go get the stuff handled upstairs,” he says, turning around.
Brooks slings his arm over my shoulders, “Come on, Airplane Girl. You can show us where you want the supplies upstairs.”
Austin halts halfway through the doorway, back into the house. He looks over his shoulder, directly at me. He mouths, “Airplane Girl.” He knows.
I tilt my head to one side, raising my shoulder. Yeah, that’s me. I fucked your friend.
His mouth opens and closes, but he says nothing as he walks back into the house.
“Oh, this is going to be interesting,” Brooks says, guiding me into the house. He looks like he just got invited to the best party in the world.
Glancing over my shoulder, I see Conrad following behind us. He still looks like he’s seen a ghost.
Fuck, this just got messy.