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I sighed. "Yeah, well, I wish fate would have been a little less violent—then maybe we'd still have a community center. But I have a plan to build it back better than ever."
Mrs. Pepperdine patted me on the arm. "I'm delighted you're staying in Hanalei, sweetheart. You're a wonderful new addition to this community. I'm glad we get to keep you."
I reached out and gave her a hug. "I'm glad to be kept," I said, and I meant it. This wasn’t just the rewriting of Cooper and my love story—it was about finding my way back to Hanalei—where I belong. I may have run away from my problems, but in the process, I found my people and I was so very grateful for that.
That's why I was willing to swallow my fear and put myself out there one last time, to make sure my people were taken care of.
While Cooper was distracted by the kids, I snuck back to my house for a few minutes to return a phone call I'd been avoiding for a long time.
My nerves made me feel a little nauseated as the phone rang in my ear, but I sucked in a deep breath, waiting patiently. This had to work.
Finally, a male voice sounded in my ear, "Clark Rivas, may I help you?"
I found my voice stuck in my throat for a moment, and Mr. Rivas prompted again, "Hello? Is anybody there?"
I cleared my throat. "Mr. Rivas, this is Haley Ellis, returning your call. I wanted to know if your offer still stands."
The conversation that took place was one I never imagined myself having in a million years, but by the time I hung up, I hadagreed to a TV interview with the head journalist of the Celebrity Times.
I made it clear to Mr. Rivas that I he wasn’t going to get anything salacious or scandalous, because that’s not how I lived my life, that I wanted his questions to be clear and direct, and I would get to approve them before we sat down. To his credit, he promised we would stick to the script. I thought the entire process would take longer than it did, and I was both relieved and horrified when he said we could get it done today if I wanted to. When asked what he meant, he explained we could do the interview via videoconference. "That way, I don't have to book a flight to the island, and I can publish the interview as soon as possible. The sooner we do this, Miss Ellis, the quicker your check clears."
That was the part that relieved me. "While we’re on the subject, Mr. Rivas, I’d like to discuss my fee. While you offered a very generous amount before, my needs have changed."
"You want more." He stated flatly.
I replied, "Yes."
To my surprise, he didn't balk. "Well, shoot me a number. What are you thinking, Miss Ellis?"
I sucked in a deep breath and said, "$250,000." That would not only cover rebuilding the community center, but it would replenish a healthy slush fund for the next storm and much needed to help our neighbors.
Mr. Rivas let out a whistle, "I have to admit Miss Ellis, for somebody who’s so averse to being in the public eye, you're a savvy wheeler and dealer. I suppose you want me to keep that number under wraps, huh?"
I couldn't let him think I was doing this so I could pad my own pockets, so I told him about the recent hurricane and what happened to our little town.
"So let me get this straight. You're only doing this to fund repairs in the town you've been visiting?"
"That's correct, but I don't see what that has to do with..."
He chuckled. "No, Miss Ellis, I don’t believe you do. Let me explain this to you from a journalist’s perspective. You're the runaway bride whose ex-fiancé is a dickhead politician who’s been talking trash about you for weeks. And while most people would want to defend themselves, you’ve kept quiet—until now and the only reason you’re relenting to accept that big check for an interview is so you can help your neighbors. Miss Ellis, this story would have done well before, but now it’s going to be fantastic and will sell itself. There's no way I'm not putting a spin on it."
I protested, but Mr. Rivas wasn't done. "Think about it this way... you will have an opportunity to showcase your little community, and we can put up a crowdfunding link for people can donate. So not only will you have the money from the interview, but you'll raise even more from people who resonate with your cause."
Surprisingly, Mr. Rivas was a willing partner, and even came up with a couple of other suggestions to raise even more funds. By the end of our conversation, my nerves had vanished, and I was excited.
Things moved quickly after that. Cooper and I had been up since dawn, so I had to do something about the dark circles beneath my eyes. I immediately phoned Evelyn and Natalie and they promised they would be over as soon as possible to assist.
I went into my closet to find something suitable to wear for the interview.
"Haley?" Cooper called from the front door.
"Back here," I called as I shuffled through my clothes.
He popped his head into the doorway. "Hey, where did you run off to?"
"I had some business I needed to take care of. I'm sorry I'm not out there helping, but I was trying to put something together that I think will help even more."
He looked at me confused and when I told him what I was about to do, there’s a chance he would not be happy.
