Hey! You want to come over for dinner tonight? We’d love to have you. No pressure.
Hadley hesitated for half a second before typing back.
I’d love to. Thank you.
Naomi responded immediately.
Great. Mom’s cooking. See you at seven.
She slipped her phone back into her pocket and looked up at Max. “That was Naomi. She invited me to dinner tonight. Looks like I’ll be well fed while living here.”
“You can always count on the Kings for that.” He smiled. “Why don’t you let me give you a ride?”
She blinked. “You don’t have to go out of your way like that.”
“It’s not out of my way. I’d feel better if I was with you, considering everything that’s happened.”
Hadley studied him, taking in the steadiness in his voice, the way his focus stayed on her like she was the only thing that mattered in that moment.
The idea of not driving over there alone didn’t sound so bad. The hardest thing about being single and in a new place was not having a support network. Not having someone to watch out for you or to check in to see if you needed help.
Though she had her cousins and aunt here, it wasn’t the same as having someone she could consider “her” person.
She hadn’t wanted to admit how much she missed that since her divorce. She’d been watching out for herself for three years now—and she still wasn’t used to it.
“Okay then,” she said. “Thank you.”
The words didn’t feel like enough.
Gratitude rose in her, unexpected and warm. Before she could overthink it, she stepped closer to Max and slipped her arms around him.
The hug surprised her as much as it probably surprised him.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done,” she murmured. “I really appreciate it.”
He froze before wrapping his arms around her also.
For a second, she stayed close to him, aware of his solid steadiness and the way he didn’t pull away or make it awkward.
Then she cleared her throat and stepped back, realizing how strangely intimate the moment felt.
Her gaze drifted past his shoulder.
For a split second, she felt like she was being watched.
She scanned the street through the glass door.
She saw nothing, no one.
Just a couple of parked cars. A man walking into a shop down the block. The usual quiet of the small-town afternoon.
Hadley frowned faintly then shook it off.
“What’s going on?” Max asked.
“I just thought . . .” She didn’t finish the sentence. The unspoken words sounded ridiculous, even to her.
Max glanced toward the street, then back at her. “I’ll be back to pick you up at six-thirty.”
