Chapter 9
Hadley
Moving from NYC to Maverick Point has been really good for me.
Like, surprisingly, really, really good.
I didn’t realize how much I needed a reset until I actually took one. Back in the city everything felt loud and crowded and heavy—like I was constantly bracing for something.
Here? The air is cleaner, the pace is slower, and people actually look at you when they talk instead of staring through you.
And the best part?
This place still feels like home.
I spent so many summers here with Aunt Agatha—running barefoot down the boardwalk, sneaking extra scoops from her shop when she wasn’t looking, falling asleep to the sound of the wind through open windows.
Coming back after years away?
It’s like slipping into a memory that somehow kept going without me.
Only now it’s mine.
Agatha’s Ice Cream.
My shop.
My life.
My fresh start.
And okay—maybe my bank account is also doing a little heavy lifting in the “this was a great decision” category.
Because between the nest egg I built for myself and what Aunt Agatha left me, I am not hurting.
Which means, oh yeah, it is time for a little retail therapy.
And not the sad kind.
The fun kind.
Tommy’s got the shop today, which normally would make me twitchy—because Agatha’s Ice Cream is my baby—but I’ve learned to let go a little.
A little.
Okay, a tiny bit.
But I didn’t leave him on his own. No way.
I hired his older brother, Jack, as assistant manager for the summer, and honestly?
Another rockin’ decision I’ve made since moving here.
Jack’s home from college—tall, easy smile, business brain—and apparently majoring in marketing.
The second he found out I owned the shop, his eyes lit up like I’d handed him a final project wrapped in a bow.
“Let me run your socials,” he said. “I can make you go viral.”
I laughed right in his face.
“Kid, I sell ice cream, not scandal.”
He just grinned.
“Even better.”
And then he showed me a few ideas—quick videos, behind-the-scenes clips, “day in the life of a small-town ice cream shop owner,” whatever that means—and I’ll admit, it didn’t sound terrible.
Actually, it sounded kind of genius.
So I told him, “Fine. You want to play marketing guru? Go for it. But the shop stays clean, the customers stay happy, and nothing catches on fire.”
Jack gave me this mock salute like I’d just knighted him.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Tommy, of course, rolled his eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck.
But between the two of them, Agatha’s Ice Cream is in good hands.
Tommy’s steady, reliable, and he knows the regulars by name.
Jack’s the ideas guy, already talking about themed days and signature flavors and something called “Bear Bites” that I’m pretty sure is just mini scoops but somehow sounds cuter when he says it.
And me?
For the first time in a long time, I can step away for a few hours without feeling like everything’s going to fall apart.
Which is exactly how I ended up here.
With shopping bags in my hands, a new bathing suit I may or may not have the courage to wear, and just enough freedom to start building a life that feels like mine again.
“Cash or charge today?”
I grin as I step up to the counter at Jessica’s Closet, juggling two very full shopping bags already digging into my fingers.
“Charge,” I say. “I get double points, so really it’s a win-win.”
Jessica beams at me from behind the counter, her red hair practically glowing under the boutique lights.
“Ooh, I love girl math.”
“Right? It’s basically saving money.”
“Exactly.”
We both laugh, and I swear, every time I come in here I like her more.
This place is dangerous, though.
Like—actually dangerous.
Jessica’s Closet specializes in plus-size fashion, which already makes it my personal heaven, but then there’s the Kisses by Kylie section tucked along the back wall like some kind of sinful little secret.
Lace. Silk. Satin.
Things that make me feel like I could be that girl.
The confident one.
The bold one.
The one who doesn’t second-guess herself before walking into a room.
I glance down at my bags, biting my lip.
Inside is a mix of sundresses, matching bra-and-panty sets, and—Gods help me—a bathing suit.
Not just any bathing suit.
A sexy bathing suit.
The kind that says I know exactly what I look like and I’m not apologizing for it.
Will I ever wear it?
The jury’s still out.
But something in me whispered, buy it.
So I did.
“Okay,” Jessica says, handing me my receipt, “so are you busy?”
“Huh? Um, I’m actually giving myself the morning and afternoon off. It’s good to be the boss,” I say with a wink.
“Good! Then you have to stay.”
I blink.
“For what?”
“Lunch! The girls are coming by, and you need to meet them.”
“Oh—” I hesitate for half a second, then shrug. “Okay, yeah. That sounds fun.”
And it is.
It’s really fun.
We grab food from this awesome Chinese restaurant downtown, and we sit around chatting, and trading stories.
For the first time since I moved back, I feel like I’m building something that’s just mine. And it feels good.
Friends haven’t always been easy to come by for me. Girlfriends, especially..
I don’t mean just friendly faces or familiar names.
I’m talking about actual, sit-down-and-laugh-with friends.
And this? This feels like it could go somewhere.
There’s Elissa—sharp-eyed, confident, and clearly the kind of woman who runs things without raising her voice. She’s married and mated to the Maverick Pride’s Neta, that’s Tiger-speak for Alpha.
And Gretchen, whom I’ve already met. She runs Cut It Out, the best hair salon in town, and she is super sweet, a little mischievous, and very observant.
And then there’s Kylie.
The Kylie.
As in Kisses by Kylie.
I absolutely, completely fangirl for a solid thirty seconds before I get my life together.
“I’m sorry,” I say, pressing my hands to my cheeks. “I just—I love your designs.”
She laughs.
“Thanks, I love your ice cream!”
“I’m glad someone does.”
“Someone? Try everyone in town. Seriously, folks are thrilled Agatha’s is back in time for summer,” Elissa chimes in.
We all laugh, and just like that, it’s easy.
Comfortable.
Normal.
And then it gets a little bit weird.
“So,” Gretchen blurts, way too casually, “are you really not going to talk to Rob?”
I freeze.
My fork is halfway to my mouth.
“Wait—what?” Elissa asks, her head snapping toward Gretchen.
Gretchen leans in like she’s about to drop state secrets.
“She got matched up with him on Uncle Uzzi’s new Date to Mate app,” she whispers.
“Oh boy,” I groan, dropping my sandwich back onto the plate. “Yes, I did, but he doesn’t want a mate—”
“Hold the phone,” Elissa cuts in, holding up her hand like she’s calling a meeting to order. “Start from the beginning.”
And wow.
Okay.
So apparently I’m doing this.
I sit back in my chair, crossing my arms.
“Fine,” I say. “But just so we’re clear? This is not a love story.”
Jessica snorts.
Kylie grins.
Gretchen looks entirely too pleased with herself.
Elissa just arches one perfectly shaped brow and waits.
I huff out a breath.
“Okay,” I start. “So, Uncle Uzzi walks into the ice cream shop and starts yapping about Date to Mate and I download the app, right? Just to see what the hype is about. I wasn’t even taking it seriously—like at all.”
“Mm hmm. That’s how that old Witch gets ya,” Jessica hums.
“And then, like right away, I hear a ping. I get matched.”
“With Rob, Reg’s brother,” Gretchen adds helpfully.
“Yes, with Rob Cray,” I snap, pointing at her. “And I’m thinking, okay, whatever, maybe I’ll meet him, see what happens.”
“And?” Kylie prompts.
“And,” I say, my voice going flat, “he comes storming into my shop, takes one look at me and basically says he’s not interested in a mate.”
There’s a beat of silence.
“He said what?” Elissa asks, dangerously calm.
“Exactly what I said. He’s not interested. Doesn’t want a mate. So I told him that’s good because I’m not looking for one either,” I mutter and shrug, ignoring the pain that stabs at my chest unexpectedly.
Jessica’s eyes narrow.
Kylie looks offended on my behalf.
Gretchen just winces.
“But now,” I continue, throwing my hands up, “he’s blowing up my phone, emailing my business, and acting like he didn’t just dismiss me like I was yesterday’s melted ice cream.”
Elissa leans back slowly.
A slow, predatory smile spreads across her face.
“Oh,” she says softly. “This just got interesting.”
I blink.
“No,” I say immediately. “No, it didn’t. It just got really fucking annoying.”
Jessica grins. “He’s a Tiger, honey. We don’t do annoying. We do persistent.”
“Yeah, well, he can persist somewhere else,” I shoot back.
But even as I say it, I feel it.
That little spark.
That pull.
That stupid, inconvenient awareness that started the second I saw him and hasn’t gone away since.
I scowl and grab my soft drink.
“Anyway,” I say firmly, “I blocked him.”
Kylie nearly chokes on her water.
“You what?”
“I blocked him,” I repeat. “Phone, texts, email—everything.”
Gretchen slaps a hand over her mouth, eyes going wide like I just confessed to a felony.
Jessica’s lips twitch—oh no, she’s enjoying this.
And Elissa?
Elissa leans back in her chair, slow and deliberate, like she just settled in for front row seats to chaos.
“Well,” the Nari says, steepling her fingers, her gaze sharp and knowing, “this is about to get interesting.”
I narrow my eyes at her.
“For who?”
Her smile is pure trouble.
“For us.”
Oh hell no.
Yeah.
That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.
Because while my new friends might think this is funny—like some kind of romantic reality show they get to binge with snacks—I’m the one standing in the middle of it.
I’m the one who felt that pull.
That spark.
That something the second I looked at him.
And I’m the one who got it shut down just as fast.
So no.
No, thank you.
I’ve done the whole wanting someone who doesn’t want me back thing before, and I’m not signing up for round two just because some magical app thinks it knows better.
I lift my chin, folding my arms.
“Whatever you’re all thinking?” I say firmly. “Drop it.”
Jessica snorts.
Gretchen looks unconvinced.
Kylie bites her lip like she’s trying not to smile.
And Elissa?
Elissa just watches me like she already knows how this ends.
Too bad for her.
Because this she-Bear?
She learns from her mistakes.
And I am not falling for Rob Cray.
No way.
No how.