?Chapter 96:


    “On it,” Hadley replied, heading off to freshen up.


    When she came back, Eric jerked his chin at the chair across from him.


    “Sit down.”


    Hadley blinked, thrown for a loop. “What’s up? You need something?” If not, she had to hit the road pronto—she was already pushing it to get back to Gnt for rehearsal.


    “Just sit when I say sit,” Eric snapped, his brow creasing. Patience wasn’t exactly his forte. “What’s the big deal? The chair isn’t gonna eat you. Sit already.”


    Hadley let out a quiet sigh but plopped down anyway.


    A smirk tugged at Eric’s lips, smug as can be. He waved a hand at the untouched breakfast spread—his portion—still sitting pretty on the table.


    “Dig in.”


    “Say what now?”


    Hadley froze, wondering if her ears were ying tricks on her. Eric was offering her food? Earlier, he had practically put up a “no Hadley allowed” sign around the grub.


    “Uh…” Eric clocked Hadley’s hesitation and read her mind like a book. He swallowed hard, practically choking on the words. “Look, earlier? That was me being a jerk. I’m sorry.”


    Hadley’s jaw hit the floor. Eric, of all people, apologizing? She had to be dreaming. In all the time she had known him, this was a unicorn moment.


    Still, she figured it all boiled down to N.


    Hadley’s voice came out soft as a whisper. “No need to say sorry to me. I get it—you’re not exactly my cheerleader, maybe even can’t stand the sight of me. It’s only natural you’d rather not bump into someone who rubs you the wrong way. But I’m here for N, not you. I’ll be more careful and make sure to steer clear of your radar from now on.”


    She shed a small smile, nodding at the table. “You’ve got nothing to feel bad about. I’ll pass on breakfast.”


    He hadid out an apology, and she still wasn’t biting?


    Eric’s face clouded over, his tone dropping to subzero. “Oh, so you’ll scarf down whatever Marshall shoves your way, but when I offer something, it’s a hard no?”


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    As he spoke, Eric’s mind shed back to Hadley’s warm smile at Marshall, and it lit a fire in his chest.


    Narrowing his eyes, Eric spat out his words like venom. “You sure looked cozy grinning at Marshall earlier, huh? What’s the deal—are you into him now?”


    Hadley blinked,pletely thrown. What was he even on about?


    But Eric wasn’t letting up.


    His eyes zed with fury, a wild tempest churning beneath the surface.


    “Marshall is way out of your league—don’t even think about it! Setting aside the fact that everyone in this town knows your name for all the wrong reasons, you’re a divorcee with a rap sheet of bad vibes. You’ve got no shot with any of Srixby’s big shots!”


    Hadley took it all in without a word, her initial stun giving way as the color drained from her cheeks.


    Then Eric twisted the knife. “Talk about reaching for the stars!”


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