by Boyd, Eliza
Dr. Campbell confirmed it when she said, “Well, I’m afraid none of them took this time,” in her usual no-nonsense way.
Hailey almost dropped the phone, her good arm unable to bear the weight of the disappointment sliding through her veins.
“But,” the doctor continued, more hope in her tone than before, “we can try another around. I know that last time was painful for you, but if we time it better, we might have more success.” After a pause, Dr. Campbell continued. “It’s up to you though. It just depends on how much you want this baby.”
Hailey couldn’t fill her lungs no matter how hard she tried. This was yet another decision she felt forced to make. Another thing that could take her future careening into a different direction. It’d felt like one or the other for a while there—a baby or a career, so she’d gone for both to see which would stick. But with Jared in the mix, she wasn’t sure what she was doing anymore. She hadn’t planned on him, but she had planned on either good news from the doctor or the vendor.
She needed something to come through for her now.
And it wasn’t going to be a baby.
Hailey opened her mouth to speak to her doctor, but only a quiet sob came out. She quickly sniffled and stuffed it down to say, “Thanks, Dr. Campbell. I’ll get back to you on that.” Then she ended the call and placed a hand over her middle. Her eyes watered before the moisture fell to the hardwood floor one drop at a time.
When a louder sob built up in her chest, she raised the back of her other hand to her mouth. Still gripping her cell in that hand, she sat on the bed and let the tears fall as quietly as she could. She wasn’t ready to explain to Jared that she’d been trying for over a year to get pregnant—and that this last attempt had failed. Especially not when she’d spent the better part of their marriage telling him she never wanted kids. It was too much for her to handle, with their second try at a relationship so new and her wound freshly split open.
Instead, she bit her knuckle and squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears to stop.
It seemed silly to mourn the loss of something she hadn’t even had. But the deep cut sliced across her heart throbbed in a sharp ache, no matter how unreal the possibility of becoming a mom seemed. She didn’t think she could go through it again—not alone. Not when she needed to be strong for her business. Why she’d ever thought it was a good idea to attempt both at the same time was beyond her. But the winner was clear: her career.
It was made clearer a moment later when her cell rang again in her hands.
“I’m sorry,” Miriam said when Hailey answered the phone. “Did I catch you at a bad time? I know it’s Saturday morning, but I figured I’d call with the news as soon as we made the decision.”
Hailey took a deep, steadying breath and said, “Oh, no, I’m fine,” as she wiped her eyes. “So, what’s the verdict?”
“They’re in!” the woman said, excitement dripping from those two words. “Ronald and James loved your cupcakes, and Fontell Foods would be happy to have CumberCakes as part of our food family.”
That news took a moment to sink in, and when it did, Hailey had to force a smile. “Oh, wow. That’s great news. Thank you so much.”
After a small pause, Miriam spoke again, less enthusiastic this time. “You don’t sound as ecstatic as I thought you would. Are you sure everything’s all right? Did something happen with the man you’re with?”
A mirthless laugh left Hailey’s throat. “No, nothing happened with him,” she responded. “I just got some bad news. That’s all. It’ll be okay.”
“Oh, okay,” Miriam replied carefully. “Well, this was good news, and I hope you’ll accept the contract. I’ll have it sent to you by Monday morning. Sound good?”
“Perfect.” Hailey wiped at her eyes and then dropped her hand on her lap. “Thanks again. I’ll keep an eye out for that.”
“Great. Talk soon, then.”
Hailey hung up and rose from the bed, clutching her cell in her fingers. She’d expected this news after Miriam’s enthusiastic reaction to one bite of her cupcake. But after the news from Dr. Campbell, Miriam’s offer wasn’t having the effect Hailey had expected it to have. She’d thought she’d be happier about this. Way more excited to get back to work and make a national name for CumberCakes. Ready to crush it with her business and be the success she’d dreamt of being.
Somehow, all of it felt hollow in the wake of Dr. Campbell’s crushing blow.
The only person she longed to talk about it with was Jared. She wasn’t sure how he’d react to the baby news, especially with them trying to work things out. But she needed perspective. Comfort. Care. He’d been so good at putting her needs first this week, so she hoped she could cash in on some more of that.
Quietly, she opened her bedroom door. She inched down the hall, hearing his voice coming from the other side of Rachel’s bedroom door. It sounded like he was on the phone because only his voice rang out. She didn’t want to disturb him, but she also really needed him. And she’d been in these shoes before.
Before, she would have walked away, licked her own wounds in private, and ignored the fact that her marriage was falling apart. Now, she needed Jared’s attention and felt confident enough to ask for it. Not as a test, but as a true desire. If she’d ever needed her ex-husband’s comfort, now was the time. She had a choice to make—a big one—and he was involved now.
However, when she raised her hand to knock on the door, what she heard him say next stopped her in her tracks.
“Of course it links back to using her cupcakes.” After a pause, Jared said, “I just haven’t told her yet.”
What in the world did that mean?
Whoever he was on the phone with must have said something, because then Jared said, “I just checked. So far, I haven’t seen anything.”
She wasn’t sure what he was referring to there, but it didn’t sound good. He couldn’t have been talking about anyone else’s cupcakes but hers, especially after that part about not telling her yet. What hadn’t he mentioned to her yet?
Then Jared’s voice sounded again. “We also have another problem. She had a meeting yesterday with Fontell Foods to get her cupcakes into the Portland, Oregon, market.”
Now, she knew without a doubt that they were talking about her and her business. But why? And why was her meeting with Fontell Foods a problem?
“So far,” he continued, “she’s only in Maine, though she has a bit of an online presence. Not a huge one—mostly local, it seems. So we need to act quickly if we want to get her on board with us instead of them.”
With that, Hailey’s blood froze. On board with them? This was about business?
Had this entire week been strictly about business?
No. She didn’t want to believe it, but she’d just heard it with her own two ears. He was trying to work out a deal for her cupcakes.
But that kiss. It’d felt real. The look in his eyes when she’d pulled away—he couldn’t have faked the emotion there. Maybe he hadn’t, but in the end, this was simply about the one thing she’d ended their marriage over the first time. She wouldn’t stand for that.
She couldn’t. Not after finding out that having a baby probably wasn’t in her future.
Hailey had to get out of there. She spun and headed back to her room, not caring how much pain her shoulder was in as she threw her clothes back into her suitcase and carried it down the stairs. Hastily, she scribbled a note and propped it up on the Vitamix.
The answer is no, I’m not on board with your business. Goodbye, Jared.
Then she gave sweet Otis a kiss on the top of his head. “I’m not sure when I’ll see you again, buddy. But you’ve been so good this week and I’ll make sure to tell your mom that.”
The dog licked her on the cheek before trotting outside and lying on his chaise lounge.
Hailey went out the door, the keys to the rental car she’d only used once jingling in her hand. After tossing her suitcase into the back, she slipped behind the steerin
g wheel. With adrenaline coursing through her system, she sped to the airport, putting much-needed distance between her and her ex-husband. She hoped she could get her flight changed. And the pain in her shoulder wasn’t terrible, but that wasn’t what made the drive nearly unbearable.
It was the ache in her heart and the tears in her eyes. Those two things were the worst part of it all.
18
“I gotta go,” Jared told Thomas when he thought he heard the front door close. Hailey was the only one who would have done that—unless his sister had returned.
“Okay,” Thomas said, “but call me back. I want to know how it goes with Hailey and her cupcakes. And hey, speaking of that—can you bring some home for me? I need to try them before I sign off on this deal.”
Jared chuckled at that. “Trust me. You’ll love them.”
“I still want some though. Hook me up.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Jared grinned as he ended the call. He set his phone on the desk and then left the bedroom, noticing Hailey’s door open. She was up, so maybe she was the one to close the door downstairs. He would have heard her voice—and his sister’s—if Rachel were home, but perhaps she’d gone outside to help them bring stuff in. With her shoulder, she shouldn’t do that, so he raced down the steps to take care of it himself. But when he got to the driveway, his heart stuttered to a complete stop before picking up a marathon pace.
Hailey’s car was gone.
Why would she have gone somewhere without telling him? She shouldn’t have been driving anyway—not with her shoulder pain or while she was on pain medication. He could have taken her wherever she’d wanted to go. Unless she’d heard him talking about work and hadn’t wanted to disturb him. He’d be sure to tell her that she didn’t have to think like that anymore. He’d put her first—he just needed to know when she needed him if he couldn’t already tell.
Jared darted back into the house and up the stairs to get his cell phone. Once he’d snagged it, he pulled her contact information up and went to call her, but he wasn’t sure if that was her number anymore. He tried it anyway, and as luck would have it, her voice came over the line.
It was her voicemail though. She hadn’t answered his call.
That was okay. She was driving. She shouldn’t have answered anyway. But it didn’t give him a good feeling about where she was going.
In the kitchen, he looked around to see if she’d left a note. Near the Vitamix, he found one. And the words on it sent chills down his spine.
The answer is no, I’m not on board with your business. Goodbye, Jared.
Uh oh. She’d heard him talking to Thomas, all right—down to the very words he’d said. And she was apparently not happy.
He’d wanted to talk to her about it though, tell her all about the vision he saw for the two of them working together. If she’d heard him out, she probably wouldn’t have stormed off. She might have understood. She’d only heard one side of the conversation, and that hadn’t even been all of it. He had to find her to make sure she understood what she was turning down.
Jared hastily snatched the note from the counter and started to sprint out of the kitchen. But that was when two orange prescription bottles caught his eye. They were tucked in the corner of the kitchen, right where he’d put them when he’d picked them up and ordered pizza. They didn’t look opened or even touched, and when he gave them each a shake, his blood ran cold.
She hadn’t taken a single pill.
So many questions zipped around in his mind. Why had she lied about taking them? What was going on? Where had she gone? Why didn’t she want to work with him?
None of them would be answered if he stayed in that house, so he grabbed the keys to his Jaguar and took off in the only direction he thought she might have gone: toward the airport.
That goodbye on her note had been the only clue. Hailey wasn’t particularly familiar with the area, and if she wasn’t at Rachel’s, she was probably headed home. Back to the place he’d been looking forward to visiting since he and Hailey had bonded again. Hopefully he caught her before she made it that far, but if he had to follow her all the way home, he would.
With her within his grasp again—but slipping again—he realized he’d do a lot of things to keep her. Facing his parents was one of them. Even dropping this whole cupcake deal. She needed to know that, so he had to find her.
When he arrived at the airport, he didn’t have the first clue where to look. So he followed his gut and headed inside, hoping beyond hope that he’d locate her quickly.
Sure enough, he did. But not the way he’d imagined.
He found her on a bench by check-in, her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking. Her suitcase had been discarded by her side, forgotten in the aftermath of whatever had happened to her. When her head popped up, she didn’t see him. Instead, she used a tissue to wipe her eyes, and his heart sank.
She was this upset over what had happened? That was unacceptable.
He rushed over to her, intent on making things right. He’d never wanted to make her feel this sad, but especially not after they’d just reunited. He’d done enough of that in the past. Their future was supposed to be full of smiles, success, and happiness. Maybe even good tears. But definitely not sad tears.
Hailey dipped her head again before Jared reached her. When he did, he squatted in front of her to get her attention. Placing his hand on her knee, he tried not to scare her. Still, she startled and her hands fell from her face, which revealed tearstains down her cheeks. Clearly, she hadn’t just started crying. Her eyes were red and puffy too, and the sight broke his heart.
“What happened?” he asked gently.
After taking a deep, calming breath, she dabbed at her eyes again and said, “I tried to switch my flight to today, but they want three hundred dollars to do that, which was more than the flight out here even cost Rachel in the first place.” Her voice shook a few times over her quiet words.
He furrowed his brow. “That’s why you’re this upset?”
She glanced all over the airport before blowing out a rush of air. Shaking her head, she told him, “No, not entirely.”
“Then what’s going on?” he asked, rising to his feet before sitting next to her on the bench. “Why did you leave without coming to me?”
Hailey glared at him and then wiped her nose. “Oh, so you could talk me into selling you my business or something? Is that how you finally became a millionaire? By crushing all the little guys?”
The crease in his brow deepened as his head jerked back. “Of course not. You have to know me better than that.”
“I do?” She cocked her head to the side, her gaze on him intensifying. “We haven’t spoken since we got divorced, Jared. I don’t know this version of you at all. This version of you rents a Jaguar and has a chef. That’s nothing like the old Jared, especially not the one I married. That Jared would have talked to me first before making a business deal behind my back.” Then she scoffed. “I divorced the man who did that to me last time. When business became more important than I did, I had to go, and I won’t go down that road again. Especially not with my own business.” She shook her head to punctuate that point.
Jared filled his lungs, air mixing with the courage he needed to push through this. “You haven’t heard my side of it, Hailey. It wasn’t even like that.”
“Then what was it like? Because it sure sounded like that from my end.”
“That’s because you only heard one side of the conversation, which was all business because it was between me and Thomas,” he explained as calmly as he could.
“Well, you didn’t even give me a chance to say yes or no,” she said, her voice rising as she threw one arm out to her side. “It sounded like you’d made a decision for me, but it’s my company. My cupcakes. My decision.”
“Of course,” he said, daring to scoot closer to her. He put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged him off.
“Don’t.” She shook her head harder than before. “Jus
t don’t. I can’t do this right now.” Her watery voice crumbled on the last word, and she used her tissue on her eyes again—then her nose.
“Hailey,” he said soothingly. “Can we talk about this? I’d really like for us to—”
She cut over him, lifting her gaze to his. “Fontell Foods wants my cupcakes. Miriam called me this morning.”
At that, he leaned back a little, swallowing hard. Had she accepted their deal? Was he too late? Did none of this matter and he’d blown his second chance with his wife over nothing?
“That’s great, Hailes,” he ultimately told her, happy for her success. “I told you they’d give you that contract.”
“But that’s not what you want, is it?” she pressed, narrowing her eyes.
Jared sucked in a deep breath, knowing he was going to give her an answer she didn’t want to hear. Either it’d be a lie or it’d be the hard truth. No matter what, he couldn’t win here. So he went a simple, “No.”
Hailey was quiet for so long that he wasn’t sure she was going to answer him. Finally, she broke the silence. “When they called me, I should have been more excited. I mean, I was,” she corrected, looking away from him. “I was excited to tell you that I’d succeeded.” Her head fell forward and she closed her eyes. “But you were on the phone, talking shop, like you always used to. And all the old feelings washed over me.” When she gazed at him again, he was surprised by the hollowness there. “I need to concentrate on one thing at a time, and with the doctor saying—” She cut herself off, her hand flying to her mouth. “Work, Jared. I have to focus on work. I can’t do this.”
Jared leaned in. “What about the doctor? Did the hospital call you?”
“No,” she answered absently.
He took the pills from his pocket. “Then are you okay? Because you said you’ve been taking these, but—”
She snatched the bottles from his grip. “Please don’t, Jared. I don’t want to talk about it.”
His empty hand fell to her knee. “Let me in, Hailes. It’s okay.”
