Cash wasn’t sure what to expect when she first met Hadley Callahan—she’d seen her on the news of course, but she’d never really paid that much attention to her—not that she’d ever admit that out loud around here. But it was true—she never paid much attention to the actual person reporting the news; she just watched the story, often with a sad shake of her head and an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.
However, the woman who appeared in the salon was nothing like she might have imagined. She was tiny for starters. She wasn’t sure why but she’d thought someone risking her life in one war-torn country after another would be bigger … tougher, somehow. Hadley Callahan was neither of those things to look at. She was stunning. Thick blonde hair fell in bouncy curls around her face and down to her shoulders. Her amber-coloured eyes were studying Cash curiously, with a lingering amusement that made Cash wonder what the woman had heard about her.
‘You must be Cash,’ Hadley said, sticking out her hand in a brisk businesslike gesture.
‘I am. And you’d have to be the famous bride-to-be.’
‘That would be me, yes,’ she said dryly but flashed Cash a smile. ‘I think everyone’s waiting for me to announce it’s called off again, though.’
‘Oh well, it’s good to keep them all guessing,’ Cash shrugged, leading the way into the small sitting room that was used for consultations. ‘Can I get you something to drink? Tea, coffee, water?’
‘No, thanks. I’ve just come from morning tea with Mum and the aunties. I had to leave before they fed me anything else. I don’t know how they think I’m going to fit into my wedding dress if they keep up all that food.’
‘They certainly do like to cook,’ Cash agreed. She sat down across from Hadley and picked up her notebook to start making arrangements for the wedding day makeup schedule. ‘So how many bridesmaids are you having?’
‘Seven,’ she sighed.
Cash didn’t say anything as she wrote it down in order to calculate the time and cost.
‘Yeah, I know, bordering on pretentious. But there’s certain protocols you have to follow around here,’ she explained with a roll of her eyes. ‘You have to have your immediate family, so that’s Harmony, then cousins, and only then can you ask your actual friends.’
Cash bit back the smile at Hadley’s weary explanation. It seemed no one was immune to Lavinia Callahan’s influence. As she stared down at the numbers on the page she bit the side of her lip. This was going to take some creative juggling to fit everyone in. It looked like she would be needing Savannah’s backup beautician from Griffith. They discussed colours and preferences, and Cash tried some shades on Hadley until they were both happy.
‘So, I have to ask, what’s going on with you and my brother?’
Cash was glad she wasn’t in the middle of applying eyeliner or she would have probably poked the woman’s eye out as she gave a small start at the unexpected question. ‘Nothing,’ she said quickly, and immediately regretted it when she saw Hadley’s shrewd gaze zero in on her face. She’s a reporter, you moron! She’s trained to sense fear!
‘I’m not interested in … I mean, he’s not here for long and neither am I, so it’s kind of pointless really.’
When the blonde’s eyebrow raised slowly, Cash snapped her mouth shut and stopped talking.
‘Actually, I was referring to Griff … but apparently I haven’t been updated on the situation.’
‘Griff? Oh. Yes, I really like him. It’s just …’ Oh, dear Lord, would you shut up!
‘Linc arrived,’ Hadley finished for her with a knowing grin.
‘No, it isn’t like that. Really,’ she stressed.
‘Relax, Cash. I’m not judging you,’ she shrugged lightly. ‘I was a little surprised to be honest. You’re not exactly Griff’s usual type.’
‘His usual type?’
‘He normally goes for the sweet and meek,’ she explained dryly.
‘Oh.’ Okay, so she wasn’t sweet or meek … apparently.
‘Don’t get me wrong,’ Hadley said quickly, ‘I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with you—I’m hardly the sweet-and-meek type myself. I was just surprised, that’s all,’ she nodded thoughtfully as she considered Cash. ‘It makes more sense that Linc would be the one.’
‘Linc is not the one,’ Cash said, then remembered who she was talking to. ‘I mean he’s not my type.’
‘Really?’ Hadley asked doubtfully.
‘Well, not anymore. I’m done with … his type.’
‘Don’t let appearances fool you. Linc’s one of those still-waters-run-deep kind of guys. I wouldn’t write him off too soon.’
‘I’m afraid I’m done with complicated alpha men. I’m looking for someone a bit more low maintenance. That is if I were actually looking … which I’m not.’
Hadley gave a chuckle, her eyes lighting up. ‘Then you probably should stay away from all the Callahans.’
‘Yeah, I kind of figured.’
‘Actually, it would do Linc the world of good to have his world shaken. Don’t be too quick to dismiss him,’ she said kindly, before standing up to leave. ‘Oh. Actually, I almost forgot,’ she said, turning back to face Cash. ‘Mum said to come over for afternoon drinks. Something to do with wedding preparations and help you offered, I don’t know.’ She lifted her hands helplessly, as though she had no idea, and Cash might have believed it a little more if she hadn’t caught the flash of mischievousness in the woman’s eyes before she turned away.
Cash was too surprised to protest immediately, and then it was too late, Hadley had already walked out and Cash was left to stare fretfully at the empty doorway. Great. Another Callahan gathering, and this time she’d have to face Griff after their awkward last meeting. And then there was Linc. This was a bad idea on so many levels, but she’d had to go and open her big mouth to offer help, hadn’t she? It wasn’t like she could just not turn up. Lavinia would probably come over and pick her up. Note to self, don’t open your fool mouth ever again!
Linc watched the car pull up and felt something a lot like excitement kick him in the gut. He hadn’t been aware that Cash was coming over and, judging by her wary expression, she didn’t really want to be here.
‘Oh good. She came,’ Hadley said, coming up beside him. He was standing with his arms folded across his chest and she slipped her arm through his.
‘You knew she was coming?’ he eyed his sister warily.
‘I invited her,’ she said, looking rather smug.
‘What are you up to?’ Hadley had that look in her eye, the one that always led to trouble. Like the time she’d decided to write her own newsletter and distribute it around town, taking on animal rights in the meat industry … That had gone down a treat with Dad and every other farming family in the area.
‘Nothing,’ she smiled up at him sweetly, before letting go of his arm and walking over to greet Cash.
Linc looked around for his brother and spotted him talking to Olivia Dawson, his sister’s best friend. Griff hadn’t seen Cash yet, and Linc inwardly winced at what his reaction might be.
‘Cash!’ his mother said, gracefully getting up and coming over to greet her guest. ‘What a lovely surprise.’
The realisation that Lavinia had had no idea she was coming seemed to be a shock to Cash as well, if the colour draining from her face was any indication, but Hadley, as always, was smooth to jump in and defuse the situation. ‘I roped her in to coming along to help. You must be rubbing off on me after all these years, Mum,’ she said, sending a bright smile at Lavinia.
‘Lovely! The more the merrier, and thank you, Cash, you’re already so busy.’
As Lavinia walked away, Cash gave a bewildered look to his sister. ‘You said your mother invited me,’ she said in a low tone.
‘Did I? Oh well, doesn’t matter, you’re here now,’ she smiled. ‘Linc, keep Cash company while I get her a drink.’
‘Is everyone in your family this bossy?’ Cash asked, some of the shock wearing off to be replaced with disbelief.
‘Pretty much. You get used to it after a while.’
‘I shouldn’t be here.’ She looked around casually enough, but he detected the nervous energy beneath the surface.
‘Strangely enough, my sister also invited an old school friend of Griff’s along as well.’ Cash followed his pointed glance across to the other end of the long verandah and spotted Griff in conversation with a pretty brunette, and after a moment he saw the tension in her shoulders relax a little. ‘So it’s all good.’
She gave him a brief sideways glance at that. ‘You think so?’
‘Not much else you can do about it, is there?’
‘I just don’t want it to be uncomfortable for Griff. Everyone’s been so determined to push us together. I shouldn’t be here.’
‘You should. You’re a neighbour and everyone likes you. You have a right to be here.’
‘This is his home.’
‘It’s also mine, and I want you here,’ he said and when she looked up at him, he quickly added, ‘And so do Hadley and Mum.’
With Christmas just around the corner, Hadley wanted to get the wedding preparations done before the silly season well and truly took over. There was no messing about with this little get-together—after a table full of finger food was brought out, they were all given an assortment of jobs to do. There were sugar-coated almonds in delicate pastel shades that looked like baby robin eggs, to be placed in small gift bags tied with fancy ribbon. Jars had to be wrapped in material for table centrepieces, and burlap banners painted. And then there were the tissue-paper pompoms that were going to decorate branches of potted trees Hadley wanted to dot around the reception area.
‘Seriously, Hads, with the amount of money you and Mitch make, couldn’t you just pay someone to make these for you?’ Linc complained good-naturedly as he contorted his big fingers into strange positions to fold the fragile tissue paper.
‘I could, but then they wouldn’t have been made with love,’ she said, flashing a sweet smile at her brother. ‘Look at you go.’
‘I cannot believe you managed to con us into this,’ he muttered.
‘Just think how proud you’ll be when you look at these hanging on the trees around the marquee.’
‘If you tell anyone I helped make these things, I’ll have to kill you.’
‘Oh, so you don’t want this uploaded onto Facebook then and all your big tough army mates tagged in it?’ she said, holding her phone up and snapping off a shot, before cackling evilly.
‘Hadley, I think you’re pushing your luck, darling,’ Lavinia warned, carrying out a tray of drinks.
‘Mum, take her phone off her, will you?’ Linc said wearily from across the table and Cash bit back a grin.
‘How come all the other men got to do painting?’ he asked, looking over his shoulder.
‘Aww, diddums,’ Hadley crooned, but it was clear that she adored her eldest brother and that had Linc truly not wanted to be there, he wouldn’t have stayed.
‘Seriously though, Hads, I would never have picked you for a cheapskate. Why the hell are we doing all this stuff? And how come Mitch isn’t here helping?’
‘I’m not being a cheapskate,’ she said defensively. ‘I know exactly what I want, and I can’t find it anywhere, so we have to make it. And Mitch is tied up with his show. Besides, I meant it when I said this feels so much more meaningful. It’s fun,’ she added, looking around the table at everyone.
Seated beside Linc was Hadley’s best friend Olivia, whom Griff had been talking to earlier. Other than a brief smile when they’d all taken a seat, the woman had barely glanced in Cash’s direction. Cash got the feeling Olivia wasn’t her number one fan at the moment—probably because Griffin had told her how horrible she was. Cash glanced across the verandah to where the majority of the men were gathered, doing more drinking than actual painting, and knew she was being unfair. Griff wouldn’t have told Olivia anything nasty about her; after all, they hadn’t even dated. She knew she was only feeling guilty because, well … she was. She should have stopped their little get-togethers on her front verandah before Griff had gotten his hopes up.
‘So, Olivia, what do you do?’ Cash asked, trying to make conversation.
The woman beside Hadley looked up in surprise. ‘Me? I’m a corporate lawyer.’
‘So we know who to call if we need bail,’ Linc added.
‘Ah, no. I specialise in mergers and acquisitions. If you need to be bailed out of jail, you’d probably need a criminal lawyer,’ she told Linc dryly.
‘Right. Noted for future reference.’
‘But on the other hand,’ Hadley interjected happily, ‘if you ever take over a multimillion-dollar company, Olivia is your gal. She’s been steadily climbing up the corporate lawyer ladder of success over the last few years.’
‘Well, it’s not as exciting as the threat of having a bomb dropped on you at any time,’ Olivia said, kinking an eyebrow at her friend, ‘but I like it.’
‘I’m very proud of you, you’ve put in the long hours and hard work and you’re now where you want to be.’
Cash saw the small half-smile that crossed Olivia’s face and wondered at the slight hesitation she read there. Maybe she was just uncomfortable in the spotlight, she thought, before conversation turned back to the wedding.