Chapter 15 Hailey
HAILEY
Hailey curled up on the sofa in the living room with a cup of tea in her hands later that night, feeling tired but happy.
Sage and Mal had stayed around to help her clean up after the mini event.
Now Sage was sitting cross-legged in an easy chair, and Mal was stretched out on the loveseat, the two of them joining Hailey to celebrate the end of a beautiful day by relaxing together in the cozy living room of the farmhouse with mugs of hot tea and a tray of leftover desserts.
The scent of the wood fire crackling in the fireplace and the sight of the snow flurries swirling past the porch light made her feel like the three of them were living in a Christmas card.
The only thing gnawing at Hailey’s happiness was the fact that Ransom and the kids had disappeared so early in the day. But it was more of an adult gathering. The kids probably just got bored and wanted to go home.
“You okay?” Sage asked her.
“Oh, yes,” she said, shaking her head. “Sorry I zoned out there.”
“I know who you were thinking about,” Mal said, and winked.
Predictably, Hailey’s cheeks heated and she played with the string of the teabag dangling from her mug as an excuse to look down.
“So, what exactly was going on when we got here?” Sage asked. “I mean, I get that the dogs got in, but what were you doing in the tree?”
“Oh, wow,” Hailey said, feeling mortified and uncertain where to begin. “Well, first of all, thank you both again for saving the day. If you hadn’t been here early, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“Friends have each other’s backs,” Mal said. “Besides, it made the day so much more exciting.”
“That’s a nice way to look at it,” Hailey said. “Anyway, yes, the dogs got in. And I was in the tree because I’m scared of dogs.”
“But… they were just puppies,” Mal said, sounding awed.
“I’m scared of all dogs,” Hailey admitted miserably. “I know it probably doesn’t make sense to you.”
“Like a full-on phobia?” Mal asked.
“My mom definitely has a phobia,” Hailey said. “She would avoid walking around town early in the mornings when people were out with their dogs, and she can’t even watch a movie with a dog in it. It’s not that bad for me, but I guess I just always felt scared of them too.”
“It makes sense that if she was terrified, you learned to be scared too,” Sage said. “Kids are pretty impressionable about stuff like that.”
“I guess so,” Hailey said, nodding.
“Well, that probably makes it unlikely that you guys are getting back together,” Mal said. “Since Ransom’s whole life is taking care of those animals.”
Her words cut to the quick because they were true.
No one said anything for a moment, and there was only the crackle of the logs in the fireplace to fill the silence.
Hailey had been feeling more and more like she wanted to give Ransom another chance. He was so sweet, and seeing Travis and Mae was always the highlight of her day. People changed, and maybe Ransom had changed too. Surely a settled family man wouldn’t break her heart out of nowhere a second time.
But as she clung to the old oak tree this afternoon, frozen in terror, she had realized that there was more between them than just the past.
Mal was right, Ransom’s whole life was about those dogs.
How was she supposed to make a relationship with him work when she had literally climbed a tree to avoid a couple of baby ones?
Her phone buzzed with a text message and she was relieved at the chance to think about something else. She had been hoping to hear from Ransom all evening, but it wasn’t his name that popped up on her phone, but her former costar, Caspian Thorne.
“Oh,” she said out loud in surprise, swiping the screen to read the full message.
Caspian Thorne
saw your new place on IG looks amazing!
can I book it for a birthday party?
“Holy cow,” she breathed as she typed back.
I’d love to set up the party for you! Let me know the date you want.
Caspian Thorne was a major star on Ridley Hospital. He played Dr. Silverman, the character BeeBee might have had a romantic plot line with if she hadn’t been killed off.
Maybe he felt sorry for her and was only throwing her a bone, but she was grateful for the opportunity no matter the reason, and determined to throw him a beautiful party he would never forget.
“What?” Mal asked.
“My first booking request,” Hailey said, feeling like she was about to float off like an untethered balloon. “It’s for a birthday party.”
“That’s amazing,” Sage said. “Can we help?”
“It’s a potential New York client, so I doubt he has any local vendors in mind,” Hailey told them as her phone buzzed in her hand. “I’m going to send him some more photos of tonight, and I’ll keep you guys posted.”
i’ll get you a date asap, just need to check in with someone!
can you do the food and stuff?
That made her smile.
Absolutely! I’ll send you some possible menus.
ok for me to stop down ahead of time? maybe check it out?
Of course, you’re welcome anytime!
tomorrow ok?
That would be great! I’ll email you some info.
“He wants food,” Hailey said, looking up at her friends with a big smile. “And I’m sure he’ll want flowers too. And he’s coming down tomorrow to scope things out.”
“I could do a tasting for him, if you want,” Mal offered, her eyes lighting up.
“I’m sure he’d love that,” Hailey told her.
“I’ll get you a list of options tonight,” Mal said happily. “This is exciting.”
“Guys, it’s really happening,” Hailey said.
If Caspian Thorne posted a party at the farm on his socials, she was sure there would be plenty more bookings.
He wasn’t just a side character like she had been.
He was a real TV star, the kind that went on talk shows and red carpets.
People would follow his lead. There might even be some paparazzi at the party she was going to plan for him.
They all talked about various birthday party options until they were yawning. Then Sage and Mal headed out, leaving Hailey alone to dream on her own.
But as she got ready for bed, she realized that the joy of planning the party suddenly felt hollow without her friends here.
It’s Ransom, she realized. I wish I were sharing this news with him right now.
She glanced at her phone again, but there was still nothing in her text chain with him.
She could reach out of course, tell him what was going on.
But maybe it was better to just let go of any silly ideas she was getting now.
He would have only broken my heart again anyway.