Although distant alarms went off in Hailey’s head, for some reason the mayor’s words only aroused Hailey’s curiosity even more. “But what?”
“To be honest,” Ellie confessed, “I don’t know if Dillon’s really in the market for anyone.”
That was an odd way to put it, Hailey thought. “Do you mean at the moment, or ever?”
Ellie glanced toward her brother-in-law and then sighed. That in itself wound up raising far more questions than it could possibly answer.
“I really don’t think I should be the one to answer that, Hailey,” the mayor admitted. “I’m afraid that you’re going to have to ask Dillon that question.” And then Ellie squeezed her hand. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m afraid that I’m required to mingle with the good citizens of Rambling Rose or they won’t feel as if they’ve gotten their full nickel’s worth.”
Hailey laughed as she stepped back, clearing a path for the mayor. “I had no idea you were charging admission to this.”
Ellie smiled in response. “If I did, it would be a great deal more than just a nickel,” she told Hailey, winking at her.
Left alone, Hailey caught herself intrigued by and thinking about what Ellie had just told her.
Was what the mayor said true? Was there some reason that Dillon Fortune had withdrawn from the dating field? But if that was the case, why had he kept checking his phone so often the other day when she’d been trying to give him a tour of the place? A man who wasn’t interested in interacting with potential dating candidates didn’t “half” dabble in the field. He was either in or he was out.
And if he was “in,” well then, the game was on, wasn’t it? And that in turn meant that she was going to have to buckle down and give this her all.
Hailey made up her mind.
She was well aware that she might regret this path she was contemplating taking, but she still wanted to see where it would lead her.
It was settled.
She was definitely in.
Chapter Five
Hours later, after the spa had emptied out and all the well-wishers had gone home, Hailey joined some of the members of her staff to clean up the party area. She wasn’t the kind of boss who delegated tasks and then just stood back while they were done. She firmly believed in working alongside her people. And right now, the wellness spa needed to be ready for business bright and early the following morning.
Her problem, Hailey thought as she was working next to her assistant and one of the other instructors, was that she had always allowed her heart to rule her head. This kind of thinking, she readily admitted, left her open to new experiences, allowed her to easily make new friends and, in some cases, find new loves.
As far as that last part went, Hailey was willing to acknowledge that thinking this way had also gotten her into trouble on more than one occasion. If she were being honest, she would be forced to admit that she’d had a series of what her parents had once told her they considered unsuitable boyfriends.
But, to her credit, Hailey thought, she had bounced back each and every time. Thanks to her positive frame of mind, she had remained relatively unscarred and more than willing to take yet another plunge into the swirling, turbulent waters of romantic encounters.
And that in turn was all thanks to her personal philosophy. Hailey made no secret of the fact that she firmly believed that life was too short to hang back warily regarding the waters that were up ahead, too afraid to test them.
Her way of looking at things was all because of Janelle.
Sweet and funny, Janelle Walters had been her best friend all throughout elementary school and high school. She and Janelle had been completely inseparable during all those years, sharing secrets, making plans for the future. They were both determined to do great things once they graduated from school and, acting as each other’s cheering squad, they always encouraged each other.
The world, they both felt, was at their feet, just waiting for them to dive right into it.
Of the two of them, Janelle had always been the bolder one, the one who didn’t back away no matter how great the challenge confronting her. On the rare occasions that Hailey hesitated, Janelle would always be there to urge her along, to tell her that the only thing she had to be afraid of was not trying.
Hailey had worshipped her. In Hailey’s eyes, Janelle had seemed utterly invincible, a bright shining light in a sometimes darker world, who was always willing to do anything, try anything.
It seemed to Hailey that there wasn’t anything that Janelle couldn’t do.
And then her friend got sick.
Really sick.
Janelle merely shrugged it off, saying it was nothing, that she just needed to eat better, or take some vitamins. No big deal. But eventually, even Janelle couldn’t ignore her weakening state.
Alarmed, Janelle’s mother finally all but dragged her friend to see a doctor. And then another doctor. And another. They all said the same terrible words that caused the light to go out for Hailey.
Pancreatic cancer.
When she first heard the diagnosis, Hailey had felt completely devastated. But Janelle, her incredible, ever upbeat friend, refused to accept the diagnosis, refused to give up or surrender to the ever-encroaching disease that was, for all intents and purposes, a death sentence. Instead, Janelle fought the good fight, behaving as if “forever” was still in front of both of them and that she would triumph over this so-called “obstacle” and move on.
Right up until the end.
And when the end finally came, just before Janelle finally lost her brave fight, her friend had turned to her and whispered, “Now you have to live for both of us. Promise me you’ll live for both of us.” Weak, she had tried to tighten her fingers around Hailey’s and implored, “Promise me.”
Hailey vividly recalled that she could hardly
