Chapter Twelve
Hailey pressed the phone back to her ear. “Where are you, Mom?”
She nearly shrieked when she heard the reply.
“On my way to Maui, no thanks to you. What is in your brain, girl?”
If it weren’t for Tim touching her hand just then, who knew what she might have replied?
“Why are you coming to Maui?”
“To shake some sense into you, of course. Now, tell me where you are,” her mother snapped.
“Sounds like you know where,” Hailey answered, trying to understand what was going on.
“Would you stop playing games? I know you’re on Maui. Jonathan’s security team tracked you down. I don’t know what you were thinking.”
Hailey’s blood went cold. “Is Jonathan with you? No? Good, then listen, Mom. Listen carefully. You can’t trust him. More than that, you can’t trust Lamar. He’s a monster.”
Tim’s hand dropped away from hers, and he turned away.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Hailey. You’re the one who ran away from your own wedding.”
“It wasn’t my wedding. It was Jonathan’s. If he’d bothered to ask—”
“If you’d bothered to think, none of this mess would have happened. Lucky for you I talked Jonathan into giving you a second chance. Now, tell me where you are.”
Hailey’s hand shook, partly in anger, part in fear. “Where is Lamar, Mom?”
Tim stepped closer, listening in.
“What do I know? What’s important is that I’m on my way to Maui. Now, stop playing games.”
Hailey’s immediate instinct was to board the first flight to Timbuktu, but she managed a level reply. “I am not playing games, Mom. I am taking back control of my life.”
Tim gave her a firm nod, bolstering her nerves. Her mother had a way of making her feel like she was the crazy one, but Tim set her compass straight every time.
Still, it was time she faced the music, so she couldn’t run, and within a minute, she’d grudgingly agreed to a meeting place.
“I’ll meet you at the Kapa’akea Resort,” Hailey said into the phone, following the words Tim mouthed. “Call me when you get close.”
“But—”
“Call me when you get close, and come alone,” Hailey said firmly before disconnecting the call. She sank into a chair and covered her face with her hands as the peace she’d gained over the past few days evaporated.
“It’ll be okay,” Tim whispered, crouching in front of her.
She forced a smile. “Seeing a werewolf didn’t shake me as badly as the thought of seeing my own mother.”
Tim’s face went from warm to inscrutable. Then he cleared his throat. “The Kapa’akea Resort is a good place to meet. Security is already high, and we can get there early to scope out the place.”
Hailey made a face. “Maybe I should call in the press. Make a preemptive strike.” Then she shook her head. “Can you believe I’m talking about my mother that way?”
He shrugged. “From what you say about her, yes. I can believe it.”
She stared out the door and forced herself to her feet. Reality had just caught up with her. She’d better go out and face it before it got any more out of control.
“Okay, so I guess I’d better make a plan.”
Tim nodded but didn’t say anything, letting her make up her own mind.
She thought it over. “So, I’ll meet my mom and make it clear it’s over between Jonathan and me.” Easier said than done, and she knew it. “But that preemptive strike might actually make sense.”
Tim grinned. “You have a military mind.”
She laughed. “Well, you know how it is. Desperate times call for desperate measures.” She frowned. “Is your mom this bad?”
He shook his head quickly. “I think we were the ones who drove her crazy, not the other way around. But I’m sure your mom…um…”
He was trying to find something nice to say, and she loved him for it.
“Um…I’m sure she means well,” he finished a little lamely.
Hailey laughed — mainly because that was better than crying — and set about making a plan. She scrolled through the contacts on her phone, making a list in her mind. Tim walked off to make a few calls of his own. Apparently, Dawn knew a local reporter who sounded like the perfect person for Hailey to give an exclusive interview to. Meanwhile, Hailey called her agent, and though he was just as angry as her mother was, he did agree to overnight her a new credit card and ID.
The rest was still shaky in her mind. She couldn’t leave Maui without some kind of security, because what if Lamar came along again?
She found herself watching Tim pace back and forth as he spoke into his phone. Too bad she couldn’t stay with him. It was perfect in every way but one — the sinking feeling that she might be using the only honest person in her life. She didn’t mean to use Tim, but he’d done so much, and she was so mixed up. How could she possibly trust herself at a time like this?
“Ready to go?” Tim asked a few minutes later.
She looked down at herself, checking her appearance. Her mother would have a fit at the sight of her in borrowed clothes. Which made it awfully tempting to put Tim’s T-shirt back on, because that would really make a point. But, no. She wouldn’t stoop that low. Jenna’s clothes were perfectly fine.
He must have taken her hesitation for nervousness — which wasn’t far off the truth — because he leaned in and kissed her. Just once, and just on the cheek, but wow. Her heart did a happy flip, and fire blazed through her veins.
She did her best to nod casually. “Ready to go.”
Tim led her across the property. “Nothing like Montana, huh?” he said quietly, gesturing around.
She nearly laughed in relief. Tim was giving her the chance to pretend a little longer.
“Nope,” she agreed. “I like it, though.”
In truth, she loved it. The peace. The privacy. The prospect of getting the grounds back in shape. A tangled-over plantation was exactly the kind of project she would love to dive into once she stepped away from modeling.
But as beautiful as it was, everything Hailey saw reflected her mood. Scrappy rows of coffee plants strained to peek out through thick chokeholds of weeds. The hopeful pink color had long since seeped out of the atmosphere, leaving a clear blue sky.
A clean slate, she tried telling herself, but all she really saw was a huge void.
They paused on a rise, and she turned slowly, taking it all in. There were a few more houses sprinkled here and there, and a figure stepped out of one and stretched. She watched as a man raised his arms, facing the sea. Was that Dell? He doubled over, stretching and moving with feline grace. Soon, he was in a plank position and then a cobra pose.
She stared. “Dell does yoga?”
Tim nodded. “Yep. Every day.”
The first few moves he’d done were familiar, but then he crouched, planted his hands on the ground, and eased into a handstand. Not the kind of yoga she’d ever tried. As she watched, he brought his feet together over his head and bent his knees, forming a diamond shape. Finally, he raised one hand off the ground and stayed there, perfectly balanced.
“Wow.” She nearly whistled. A one-handed handstand? “Maybe I should have done some yoga this morning,” she sighed, turning back to Tim. “Though I’m not sure it would help.”
He wrapped his hand around hers and flashed that mini-smile. The one that said everything would be all right. But even that seemed a little thin, like he wasn’t so sure himself.
When they reached the barn where his pickup was parked, Tim walked right past it and handed her a helmet instead.
“A motorcycle?” she squeaked, staring at the black Harley.
He grinned. “Yep. Connor — er, inherited — some money, and this was one of the few things he splurged on. Good getaway vehicle, I figure.”
That was a joke but not a joke, and when she slipped on behind Tim, her hands shook. Was she really ready to face the outside world?
He revved the engine and sped off, telling her, Yes, you are. Wrapping herself around his hard body helped too, and when they got halfway up the driveway, a Land Rover with tinted windows pulled in behind them.
“That’s Connor and Hunter,” Tim shouted back above the noise of the engine. “Our backup.”
She hid her face in his back. God, she owed so many people so much. How was she ever going to thank them all?
The Kapa’akea Resort was only a short distance down the coast — one of those ultrafancy places with a long, palm-lined drive and security guards who bristled as they approached. But Tim must have had some kind of contact there, because security waved the motorcycle and Land Rover right through. As they cruised down the private drive, Hailey watched polo ponies thunder over the green on the right. A golf course stretched out to the left, and pots of exotic flowers lined the porch of the resort. Tim parked beside the main building and walked Hailey over to an octagonal building on the edge of the polo field.
“This is the teahouse,” he said, all matter-of-fact.
Connor and Hunter fanned out behind them, looking every bit as menacing as presidential bodyguards, and she gulped.
“You can meet the reporter in there,” Tim said. “I’ll wait out on the porch. Okay?” He squeezed her hands.
She gulped. Not okay, because wow — he’d gone to incredible lengths to organize all this for her. All she’d ever done was brew coffee for him.
“Perfect. Thank you. Again,” she whispered, giving him a peck on the cheek.
His face was just as inscrutable as Connor’s or Hunter’s, but his eyes sparkled before he let her go.
Hailey took a deep breath. Someday, she’d find a way to say thank you properly. Right now…
She stepped inside the teahouse, extending her hand to each of the two people inside. The reporter turned out to be a friendly local woman in a flower-print dress who tut-tutted sympathetically at everything Hailey had been through — not at all the nosy shark Hailey was expecting. The photographer was a small Asian man who smiled and asked permission before taking Hailey’s picture. She’d nearly done a double take at that. Tim, she noticed, made sure to slide out of the background of each photo, no matter what angle the photographer took.
Interviews were nothing new to Hailey, but this one just flew. There was something liberating about being the one to call the meeting and to tell her story in her own words. She went to lengths to make Jonathan sound better than he was with sound bites like We just weren’t meant for each other and I needed more space, and she didn’t mention Lamar. She did the same about her mother and the modeling industry, but the truth must have shone through, because the reporter scribbled away on a notepad and exchanged looks with the photographer that said Holy shit. I’d be out of there too.
Finally, Hailey signed an agreement granting the reporter exclusive rights to her story in exchange for the reporter swearing not to reveal her location, and that was that.
Meeting the reporter was the easy part. Then Tim’s phone beeped out on the porch. When Hailey looked up, his grim expression warned her to brace herself. A long, black limo swept down the drive, coming to a halt right outside the teahouse.
“Good luck, honey,” the reporter whispered on the way out.
The photographer winked at her with an apologetic, You’ll need it look and followed the reporter away.
Hailey straightened her shoulders and forced herself not to cross her arms — classic defensive posture — when the limo pulled up. Nothing happened right away, and Hailey tapped her foot. Finally, the driver — a big islander who didn’t look too comfortable in his suit and tie — stepped out and circled the vehicle, rolling his eyes with a look that said, This lady really wants me to open the door for her?
Hailey hid a frown. Yep, that was her mother in there, all right.
The driver opened the door, and a hand extended.
Hailey snorted. Her mother didn’t need help to get out of a car. She’d seen the woman stomp and shove aside extras on a set if they got in her way. But her mother loved making a grand entrance and getting all the attention she could.
Hailey nearly laughed when the driver applied a little too much force and nearly launched her mother into the air. Her mother appeared exactly the way Hailey imagined the woman had been born — scowling, red-faced, and flailing. She shook a finger at Hailey like she was the one who’d done something wrong.
“Just you wait until I get started with you—” Hailey’s mother began without so much as adjusting the red and white polka dot kerchief tied around her head. She wore a white blouse, red pants, and giant white sunglasses. A new outfit, in other words. Apparently, she’d been worried enough about Hailey to squeeze in some therapeutic shopping time in Waikiki.
“Nice to see you too,” Hailey murmured.
Tim stepped forward, completely expressionless, letting his bristling shoulders do the talking.
“For God’s sake—” her mother snapped.
Hailey opened the door of the teahouse. “We can talk in here.”
Her mother marched past, chin high, arms swinging like a boxer’s, her face nearly as red as her pants. Hailey held the door open long enough to show Tim she’d appreciate his support, and he filed in quietly behind them.
When the door closed, Hailey’s mother spun and jerked an accusing finger at Tim. “Who the hell is that?”
Hailey glared. Really glared at her own mother, because that man — a perfect stranger — had shown more kindness and understanding than her own mother had in the past five years.
But she couldn’t exactly say he’s the man I spent last night curled up with.
“My bodyguard,” she blurted, shooting Tim a look that said, I hope you don’t mind.
He didn’t move, didn’t blink, but the corner of his mouth twitched, telling her he was okay with that.
There was no way her eagle-eyed mother missed that look, but all she said was, “Hmpf.” Then she sniffed at a vase full of gorgeous irises and rooted around in her purse, muttering, “Jesus, all these flowers, all the time. Don’t they ever give it a break?” Then she eyed Hailey’s shirt. “God, what are you wearing?”
Hailey sucked in her lips and counted to ten.
Her mother blew her nose like a trumpet then thumped her purse onto a table, rumpling the sheer white tablecloth. “I can’t believe how childish you’ve been. How selfish.”
Hailey gaped. “It’s selfish to refuse to marry someone? This isn’t the eighteenth century, Mom. We’re not destitute, and we don’t need a title.”
She winced at her own words. Maybe she shouldn’t give her mother any ideas. Her mother was perfectly capable of hatching a scheme to marry her off to the next in line to the throne in one of those tiny principalities that still existed around the world. Or worse, to a sheik.
But her mother just went on as if she hadn’t heard. “I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life. You walked out of your own wedding!”
“Not my wedding,” Hailey shot back, trying not to scream. “A setup. A trap.”
“A trap? A trap?” Her mother grew shrill. “I’ll tell you what a trap is.”
Hailey closed her eyes, knowing exactly what her mother would say next.
“Trapped is being a widow with a mountain of debt and a kid to feed. Trapped is flipping burgers day after day. Trapped is living in a house with a leaking roof, not knowing how you’ll ever make ends meet.”
“Mom—”
“So when a man comes along, and you fall in love—”
Hailey threw her hands up in a stop sign. “I don’t love Jonathan, Mom. I never did. I think it was all a subconscious need to escape.”
“What could you possibly want to escape?”
You, she nearly said.
“I’m an adult now, Mom. I need space.”
Her mother smacked the table and didn’t so much as flinch when the vase tipped over. Hailey tried to catch it, but she was too late. Water sloshed across the perfect tablecloth, and the flowers fell into a heap.
“Everything I ever did for you,” her mother snapped. “All the sacrifices I made…”
Hailey cupped a hand and did her best to scoop the water back into the vase. A losing battle, because as much dripped through her fingers as landed back in the vase. She stuffed the flowers in next, but several petals remained strewn across the tablecloth. The whole thing was a mess. The story of her life.
“You did all that, Mom, and I appreciate it,” she said as gently as she could. “But we’re not stuck any more. We have money. More than we ever dreamed of.”
“Maybe more than you ever dreamed of,” her mother muttered.
Hailey wanted to hang her head. How high was her mother aiming? How much would be enough?
“You’ve never been practical, Hailey. Without me, you’d still be back at the diner.”
Without me, Hailey wanted to say, you would still be at the diner. But she refused to stoop that low. And anyway, she couldn’t get a word in, because her mother was on a roll.
“You’re just like your father. Impractical. Romantic. Like holding on to that piece of land.”
Hailey stared. Her mother was still going on about the land her grandfather had left her? It was a tiny plot way out in northern Montana where her great-grandparents had lived when they’d first moved there in the 1950s. The place wasn’t worth much, but it had a lot of sentimental value, and she’d hung on to it through thick and thin.
“Marrying Jonathan has every advantage, and you know it,” her mother went on. The only thing that cut her off was a series of sneezes that seized her next. “Jesus, is there a dog in here or something?”
Hailey ignored her. “What advantage, Mom? I don’t love Jonathan. There’s nothing there. No magic, no chemistry.” Hailey couldn’t keep her eyes from roving to Tim. Not like the chemistry I feel with him.
“Magic? Chemistry? Those don’t pay the bills.”
“No, my modeling does. We haven’t had problems paying the bills in years. We don’t need Jonathan’s money.” Why couldn’t her mother get that into her head?
Her mother frowned through another violent sneeze. “He can take you places you’ve never dreamed of, Hailey. First the Senate, then who knows? Maybe even the White House.”
Hailey gaped. The White House? Her mother wanted her to marry an arrogant ass because he had a long shot at running for president someday? Was she crazy? Hailey couldn’t even imagine herself living that kind of life.
Her mother somehow mistook her disgust for interest, because she flashed a wild smile and gushed on. “Just think about that, Hailey. You and me, in the White House. And thanks to me, Jonathan is willing to give you another chance.”
Hailey slapped her hands over her eyes. It was all so surreal. Then she straightened quickly, determined to make her point and get out.
“I’m not going back, Mom.”
“Thanks to me, you don’t have to go anywhere.” Her mother grinned, motioning outside.
The few resort guests in Hailey’s line of sight were all looking up, and palm branches waved madly in a sudden burst of wind. The sound of rotors filled her ears, and even Tim looked up in alarm.
Hailey’s stomach folded in on itself, making her feel sick. That was a helicopter out there, and she already knew who was in it.
“What have you done, Mother?” she cried as the helicopter touched down.
The door flew open, and Jonathan stepped out, looking every bit the harried corporate executive ready to close the deal of his life.
“Only what’s best for you,” her mother snipped.
Hailey’s lips moved, trying to form a protest, but it was too late. Jonathan was already striding toward the teahouse like he owned the place. Like he owned Hailey, in fact.
“No,” she whispered miserably. “No.”