Trace bit her lip in a sweet smile. “I promise you will only ever hear the truth from me. Have I ever lied to you? Remember when you cut your hair short in seventh grade and you asked what I thought, and I said you looked like a dork?”
“Yes. And then you made your mom teach me how to apply make-up and hair product so I looked like a rock star.” She smiled at the memory. How long had she gone without genuine honesty and support?
“Exactly. Which is why I am now going to deliver another hard truth that, if handled carefully, should end up even better than having all the girls in Foothills follow the trend you set with your spunky haircut.” She paused, continuing as the breeze kicked up off the bay. “I did want to get back together with Finn. We were really good together in high school. He’s the best friend I’ve ever had, second only to you.”
Nausea washed over Haley; she really, really didn’t want to hear it. She was still creeped out that they’d shared him.
“No, hear me out. I can see you putting on the mental earmuffs.” Trace raised an eyebrow and applied her stern face. “This time around, he was lost and broken when we got back together. Our relationship was a burden on him. It broke my heart, but I couldn’t watch him try to juggle one more thing. I’d hoped he’d be in a better place to try again when I got home, and that we could make it work when he had a better handle on things. Third time’s a charm, right?”
The others joked and chatted and watched the boats coming and going, dodging the seagulls that dive bombed for scraps.
Trace continued, “I have to admit, it threw me, seeing you two together. But I think it was a good wake-up call.” She stared out at the water, leaned shoulder to shoulder with Haley. “Finn and I were nice together. We never fought. I’d thought it was because we were easygoing. I never lost sleep over him. I thought it was because we’d had a good rhythm.”
Haley watched as a party boat motored by, the happy crowd laughing and celebrating so loud, their voices echoed off the restaurant windows behind her. She bit her lips together, letting a self-pitying wallow brew in her throat and sap the last of her energy.
“In the five minutes I saw you two together… he was so different, and in such a good way. He has never fought for me like that. When you rejected him, he went so pale, so helpless. And then when your phone rang, and you were so angry you could hardly stand, he broke down that barrier and held you… it was an awful moment, yet you two were so in tune with each other.
“Then he was on the phone with your attorney so fast, seeing what he could do to clear things up. Rallied all of us to come down and show our support, even if we wouldn’t be useful for your divorce, you would know we had your back. Trust me when I say, I know him very well, and I’ve never seen him so livid. So desperate. Not even when it came to football.”
Biting her cheek, only to remember she’d chewed it raw and it still burned, Haley felt the sting of a salty tear trailing down her cheek.
At her other side, Grady leaned back in his chair and whispered, “I could pretend I wasn’t listening, but, you know me, I’m nosy.” He made sure Trace could hear. “I can attest that Trace and Finn were nice together, but boring. I could go on and on about how he dove off a cliff to get to you, but you know that was extraordinary. Instead, how about that night at Halseth’s, when you and he were making eyes at each other all night? I didn’t even know you two were a thing, but even I was blushing with all the steam in the air, and I’m pretty comfortable with that sort of thing. Or when he called to ask if I’d drop off your favorite breakfast and a hammock to give you some place else to chill while you recovered from that concussion?”
Freya leaned closer from Trace’s other side. “I know you’re scared, but you can’t argue with pheromones.”
Asher nudged his cousin and nodded. “Or lust, whatever.”
Pippa rolled her eyes at her brother.
“No really.” He shrugged, sporting a wicked grin. “I was surprised that campfire didn’t turn into a wildfire at the heat in the air at Claire’s birthday party.”
Oh boy. She could claim she didn’t come out to be ambushed, but getting hit with example after example of how much the man loved her was… intense. In a good way.
Sophie raised her glass. “To Haley. Instantly one of my heroes, and I have a lot of those in my life.” She squeezed Asher’s hand. “Hit rock bottom, and instead of floundering like others would, she held her head high and drove across the country—showing the ultimate bravery in traveling with Patricia at her side.” The table chuckled with eyes wide, reaching for their drinks to toast that part alone. “And with pure muscle, is building something beautiful out of a tired old home. Crossed a raging river to show her bravery, climbed up the cliff that tried to knock her down. Fought for what she deserved, not giving in to pretentious assholes. And with pure passion, found love where there was hopelessness.”
With a round of whoops and cheers, the table toasted. Licking her lips, she tasted the gush of tears that cleansed the last decade from her soul. Raising her glass, she whooped right back, “Love you guys. Thanks for coming to stand up for me.”
21
Touchdown
Watchingoneselfoncamerawas… odd. What was with her eyebrows? Was her voice really that high pitched?
Sitting in her nautical gray office with its crisp white trim, navy blue curtains, and whitewashed antique desk, she rechecked the video for the umpteenth time. The footage seemed to have been taken forever ago, but it hadn’t even been two months. Eventually, she would be posting the creation of her home office, highlighting how she chose both light and dark blues to accent the gray, with a splash of salmon to jazz it up. She would include how to choose exactly the right desk considering style and purpose and ergonomics, then adding a closet organization system to keep it neat, and a plush white couch with coordinating patchwork quilt from the local farmer’s market for brainstorming.
She closed her eyes and let the wave of anxious thrill buzzing in her skull tease down and out through her fingertips. Stomping it out, she took a deep breath and hovered over the submit button. Three, two… oh just fricking click.
Done.
Running her hands through her hair, she stepped back and watched as her video went public on YouTube. Vlog episode number one:A New Day.
She wanted to walk away and call it good. Wasn’t that enough? Her limbs were heavy from the emotional exhaustion of putting herself out there, but she wasn’t really out there until others knew about it.
Routing back to her website, she completed the post, the link, and sent the announcement over the big bad internet. And then her newsletter. And then social media. All of them.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. A text from Patricia? That was a first.I’m watching my new favorite YouTube star.
Way to go Patricia. That was actually thoughtful and rather maternal. Maybe she wouldn’t be such a terrible grandma. Not that Haley was planning on helping her with that anytime soon.
