With a playful grin, she teased, “You’re being extra sweet today.”
Lifting a brow, Eric gave her a mock glare. “Just today?”
“Wait—no!” Hadley rushed to correct herself, her tone turning warm and coaxing. “You’re sweet every single day, Eric!”
“That’s better.” Eric gave a small, satisfied nod. “Now that sounds right.”
Like always, he dropped her off without lingering, slipping in a few reminders before heading off.
At the entrance of Hadley’s dressing room, Chelsey gave him a polite nod. “Safe travels, Mr. Scott.”
Once he disappeared down the hall, she let out a slow exhale and gently shut the door behind her.
Back inside, Hadley settled into the chair while the makeup artist unpacked the kit and began her work.
“Want me to get you something to drink, Hadley?” Chelsey asked in a cheerful tone.
“Sure,” Hadley replied without hesitation. “Just the usual—coffee’s fine.”
“No problem. I’ll get started now.”
Moving quickly, Chelsey began preparing the drink. She measured out the beans, ground them with practiced ease, brewed the coffee, poured it into a cup, sealed the lid, and got ready to deliver it to Hadley.
As she turned around, Tamara suddenly appeared behind her.
Tamara made no sound as she approached, causing Chelsey to jolt. “Oh—Tamara!”
A single brow lifted as Tamara asked, “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Yeah… I know.” Chelsey gave a sheepish nod, then tried to laugh it off. “You’re just really quiet. I wasn’t expecting anyone when I turned around.”
“No worries.” Tamara’s voice remained calm as her eyes dropped to the cup in Chelsey’s hand. “So, the coffee’s done?”
Check out more at goν?co
“Yeah.” Chelsey nodded quickly. “I was just on my way to hand it to Hadley.”
“I’ll take it instead.” Tamara extended her hand, palm open. “I need to speak with her anyway. Mr. Scott has a message for her.”
“I can do it…” Chelsey hesitated, clearly reluctant to let it go.
“Let me help,” Tamara said with quiet authority.
Before Chelsey could again, Tamara had already taken the cup from her hands without effort. “Relax. It’s going straight to Hadley. You don’t really think I’d keep it for myself, do you?”
A tight smile stretched across Chelsey’s face. “Of course not. But if you’d like some too, I can always make another cup.”
“I’m good.” Tamara tapped her temple with a faint grin. “I’ve trained myself to stay sharp without caffeine.”
Turning on her heel, she walked off, the cup steady in her hand.
Chelsey parted her lips as if to respond, but nothing came out. With her brow furrowed, she stood still for a moment, then quietly began to follow behind.
.
.
.