Page 10 of Hung Up on the Hacker

Only after she’d disappeared back to the kitchen did he release the breath caught in his chest. He didn’t like having any more people in the circle of knowledge before he had a chance to talk to his friend. That meant more people who could inadvertently spill the beans. They really needed to get on this.

He was halfway through his cup of coffee when Hadley stumbled into the dining room, looking only half-conscious. Dropping down on the opposite side of the table, she folded her arms and put her head down with a bit of a whimper.

“Are you okay?” Dumb question. Clearly, she wasn’t.

“I don’t feel great. I was in a hurry to get down yesterday, and my lunch was a gas station hotdog. I’m thinking that was a grave mistake.”

Rachel swung through the door on the tail end of this explanation. “Oh, you poor thing. Can I get you some ginger ale? Some peppermint tea? Maybe a little oatmeal to settle your stomach?”

Hadley lifted her head, focusing on the other woman with heavy eyes. “That would be great. All the above, if possible.”

“I’ll be back in just a minute.”

Cash studied her closer, noting the puffiness beneath her eyes and the slightly wan cheeks. “Maybe you should go back to bed.”

That she didn’t snark back with something sexy proved she wasn’t herself.

“I’m sure I’ll feel better with food. Whatever this is just needs to work its way out of my system.”

Rachel returned with a tall glass of iced ginger ale and a steaming mug with the string of a tea bag hanging down the side.

“You are a goddess.” Hadley pounced on the ginger ale, gulping it down.

“I’ll have that oatmeal right out. Do you want it plain? With fruit? Maple brown sugar?”

“She likes cinnamon and apples.” The words were out before Cash could think better of them.

Hadley, now with her nose practically buried in the tea mug, offered a thumbs up.

“On it.”

When they were alone again, she curled her hands around the mug, studying him over the rim. “You know how I like my oatmeal.”

He shrugged. “You always stole the apple cinnamon from the multi-packs of instant when we were kids.”

Her lips curved. “It was your fault. You got me started on it. Before then, it was all Holt’s maple brown sugar. Finding out there were other flavors kind of blew my mind.”

Eating flavored oatmeal at all had been a luxury. They’d all grown up in such poverty, it was a wonder they had any fond memories at all. But she was at the center of so many of his. A huge part of his mission in life back then had been to make her smile. To distract her from her mom’s latest bender or the fighting with her latest beau. And part of it had been diverting her with food, giving her the apple cinnamon oatmeal because she loved it, even though it was his favorite, too.

Rachel returned once more, a bowl and plate in her hands. She slid the oatmeal in front of Hadley and set a fluffy, golden omelet in front of him.

Cash couldn’t resist a sniff. “This smells amazing. Thank you.”

“Enjoy! And let me know if you need anything else.”

She disappeared, and Hadley took a testing bite, letting out a low moan that had Cash’s body stirring. “This is amazing. I wonder if I can sweet talk them out of the recipe.”

Jonah owed him a favor. If Rachel didn’t outright share it, he’d call it in.

Cash dug into his omelet, enjoying the blend of smoked ham, cheddar, onions, and peppers. “I was reading on the menu that most of the food is provided by Maxwell Organics, here in Eden’s Ridge.”

“Oh yeah. Logan Maxwell is married to Athena Reynolds. She’s one of the quartet of sisters who opened this place. Award-winning chef. Used to have some fancy restaurant in Chicago before coming back here. Now she’s got an online cooking show and a cookbook.”

Impressed with the summary, he arched a brow. “Where’d you get all that?”

Hadley spooned up more oatmeal. “Ari. She told me all about it on my previous stay.”

“So, she’s a talker.” He’d been afraid of that.

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