Eric glanced back, his tone calm. “Happy to help.” He didn’t linger and walked off.
He was meeting Hadley’s best friend for dinner that night.
Originally, Eric was supposed to pick Hadley up first. But since the Scott Group and the film studio were in opposite directions, she told him to go straight to the restaurant. It made more sense.
When he arrived at the private dining room, Hadley was already there.
“You’re here,” she said with a smile, motioning for him to sit.
Eric slipped into the chair beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist, trying to steal a kiss.
“Stop that!” Hadley gave him a sharp look. “Colleen’s coming any minute. Behave.”
“Alright, alright.” He raised an eyebrow but let go, pretending to sulk.
Just then, the door opened and Colleen stepped inside.
“Colleen!” Hadley stood and went to greet her, taking her hand. She then turned to introduce Eric. “This is him. You can call him Eric Flynn—or Eric Scott, if you want to be formal. But really, just Eric’s fine.”
Colleen froze at the sight of the man. “It’s you!”
“What?” Hadley turned to Eric, her brows lifting. “You two know each other?”
“Not really,” Eric said, shaking his head.
“That’s right,” Colleen added with a small smile. “I ran into a little trouble in the garage earlier. He helped me out.” Newest update provided by fin?novel.net
She then gave a brief rundown of what had happened.
Hadley listened and then turned to Eric with a grin. “Well done.”
Eric raised an eyebrow, leaned in close, and murmured near her ear, “Do I get a reward?”
His voice was low and teasing. The way he looked at her—mischievous and expectant—left little room for misinterpretation.
Hadley caught the spark in his eyes and gave his arm a playful twist. “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do, as a gentleman?”
Colleen smiled quietly, choosing not to interrupt the moment.
“Come on, Colleen,” Hadley reached for her friend’s hand, looping her arm through it. “Let’s sit. We already picked a few things from the menu, but we didn’t place the order yet—we wanted to wait for you.”
“You two decide. I’ve been away from home for so long, honestly… even a plain loaf would probably taste like a feast.”
They laughed together, the warmth between them effortless as they finalized the order.
When the dishes arrived, Hadley kept serving food for her friend. “Try this one. And this one, too.”
“Gladly.”
Midway through the meal, Eric’s phone buzzed. He glanced at Hadley. “I’ll take this outside.”
“Go ahead.”
As soon as he left, Colleen leaned in slightly, a soft smile on her lips. “He really likes you, you know.”
.
.
.