AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why would we do that?”Ouch.The guy had shared his scrumptious sandwich with her and deserved better. Men were serious about their food. Her brother once told her any man who shared his food either had an ulterior motive or considered her atrustedfriend.
Go away, Trent.Maybe it was the twin thing, but sometimes her brother occupied too much real estate in her mind. In Hayden’s case, neither option sounded viable.
“And you’re fine with that arrangement,” Hayden stated flatly.
She shrugged. “More or less.”
“Well, I’m not. However, as the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Finished with his sandwich, he gathered his trash and stuffed it in the can beneath the sink. “Start by telling me about the call last night.”
She’d almost forgotten. “Never mind. I’ll figure it out.”
“I’m sure you can, but that’s not acceptable.” After starting to shake a finger at her, Hayden had the good sense to stop.
“Excuse me?”
“You need to open up to people more,” he said. “Especially when they offer to help you.”
“By ‘people,’ I assume you meanyou.”
“Among others,” he said. “Before you purse your pretty pouty lips and ask why, I’ll tell you. If you keep everything bottled up inside, you’re eventually going to blow. Trust me, itwillhappen, and itwon’tbe pretty.”
“What a lovely image. How can you know—”
“I’ve known a few peoplelikeyou.”
“I’m sure you have.”Pretty pouty lips?“I don’t keep everything bottled up, Hayden. I just don’t share my private . . . feelings with everyone.”
He nodded. “Fair enough. The offer to help still stands.”
“Okay, fine. Have you ever kicked yourself after a show because you didn’t say what youshouldhave said?”
“Are you kidding? The twenty-twenty hindsight kicks me in the backside at least once or twice a week.” Grabbing a plastic cup, Hayden filled it with water from the small cooler. “Not getting a do-over is a hazard of live radio.”
He returned to his chair. “You can’t think of it as a failure, Violet.”
“I didn’t saythat, but Idofeel as though I did a disservice to the caller.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.” Hayden’s voice was kind. “We give them the best answer we can and point them to Christ when the opportunity presents itself. We can’t expect more of ourselves than that, Violet, and it’s a waste of time to dwell on something we can’t control.
“True,” she said without hesitation. She appreciated his reference to “we.”
“We can’t rehearse our answers, either. Not that we’dwantto.”
“Another way spontaneity comes into play?” Her lips curled slightly. “I know you’re right, but I can’t help feeling I let her down.”
“I’m sure that’s onlyyourperception. More than anything else, the majority of callers simply want someone to listen. They don’t actually expect us to tell them what to do.”
She frowned. “What about Eddie?”
“Eddie was different. I take clues from what the callers say. That guy was lost and needed more of a firm hand, so to speak. I told him from the start those were only my suggestions to do with what he wanted—keep the good and discard the rest. The best we can hope for is that something we say will get through to them to help their situation.”
An arrow pierced Violet’s conscience. Because she hadn’t heard the early part of his conversation with Eddie, she’d unfairly labeled Hayden as overbearing. “Don’t let this go to your head, but you make a lot of sense sometimes.”
He smiled. “Opinions are a dime a dozen, and not to pat ourselves on the back, but we’re both trained to handle the issues of callers in little Goldenrod, Missouri.”
“People’s problems are the same no matter where they live,” she said quietly. “Don’t forget KGOLD reaches all of Arcadia Valley.” She’d earned a psychology and communications degree whereas Hayden had a psych and counseling degreeplusan MBA. Classic overachiever. He’d referred to her beloved hometown aslittlemore times than she could count. Not that it wasn’t true, but it bothered her.
“Please don’t misunderstand.” Hayden refilled his water cup. “You’re fiercely loyal to Goldenrod, and that’s something no one can ever take away from you. Do you know how admirable it is these days?”
