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"So the last time I spoke to you off the record, you informed me you were staying on an island in Hawaii. We won't say where, for the sake of privacy, but it sounds like you've been doing okay since the scandal broke."
"It's been a journey," I laughed. "I know many people would think it was very convenient to head off to Hawaii after an ordeal like this, but my parents owned a small cottage that they left me when they passed away. I spent many summers here, andit holds wonderful memories for me, so it just seemed like the safest place to go. Coming here was the best decision I’ve ever made, aside from not marrying to Marcus."
"I've been able to reconnect with some old friends and make some new ones, and I've found my way back to myself. I don't think I could've done that if it wasn’t for the people here," I said, holding back tears as I glanced at Cooper, who mouthed "I love you."
I bit back a watery smile.
"I am genuinely glad to hear things are turning around for you, Haley. Now, after the runaway bride incident, I assume Marcus tried to contact you. Am I to understand his attempts to persuade you otherwise didn't go so well?"
I shook my head. "No. They did not. I understand Marcus is upset and embarrassed, but given how things went down between us, I’m not sure why he was surprised when I didn't want to talk to him. He’s very skilled at persuading others—a job hazard, I suppose—but when I wasn’t buying it, he tried bullying me. When I didn’t fold, he went to the press and dragged my name through the mud. Honestly, that part doesn’t bother me too terribly much, but I teach young children and I worry they might hear some of that and actually believe it."
"That's right, you're an art teacher for an elementary school here in town and when we reached out for comment, we heard nothing but praise about you, Miss Ellis. So you heard it here first folks. She's not what the Congressman has painted her out to be—and I can confirm that for you based on my personal experience."
"Haley, there's one more thing I wanted to address with you. When someone's involved with a public figure, there's almost always more attention on them. That's something you’ve had to learn the hard way. As you said at the top of the interview, you don't enjoy being the center of attention, and yet here you aredoing a televised interview for millions. You had a very special reason for agreeing to this interview. Full transparency for the audience, in case you didn’t know, we pay all our interviewees. This was a hot story, so we put a big price tag on it and still Miss Ellis said no. But something developed over the last forty-eight hours. Do you want to tell us about it, Haley?"
"Yes, as most people know, tropical storms can be pretty brutal for the islands, and last night, our little piece of paradise survived a severe one. It devastated our community center and damaged dozens of homes. This isn't uncommon, and it's the price you pay for living somewhere so beautiful. But we’re a small, tightknit community and it's going to be difficult to get enough funds together to rebuild the community center that is a vital piece of our community. This town has been so good to me and embraced me through this very difficult time. I have fallen in love with this place, and I want to see everybody here prosper and do well. It broke my heart to see the community center destroyed, but I knew with the right amount of money, we could build it back better than ever, as well as help our neighbors get their repairs taken care of." I explained.
"I was really touched when you told me why you finally accepted this opportunity for an interview. I genuinely got the feeling you didn't want to talk about your ex or your private business, but your community needed you and this was a way for you to take care of your people."
"This was too good of an opportunity to pass up and it could help so many people—that’s all I wanted to do. All the proceeds from this interview will go towards rebuilding our community center and as many houses as we can. I'm also going to be auctioning off the wedding dress I ran off in, and we're hoping to use those funds as a slush fund for future storms because they are inevitable around here."
Clark smiled. "This is truly something to behold, folks. You took two dreadful situations, and you're turning it around. If that isn't the picture of civic duty and caring for your neighbor, I don't know what is. So listen up, we're going to be putting links in the show notes about where that auction is taking place and what you need to do to bid. We're also going to put up the link for a relief fund for the small town Haley is trying to help. She filled me in on some details, and there’s a lot of damage. A few bucks from you, our audience, can really help. Haley, I want to thank you for taking the time to share your story, and we wish you the best as you help everybody get back on their feet down there."
"Thank you, Clark. I appreciate this opportunity and I appreciate you for hearing me out."
Clark signed off, and the screen went black. I snapped my laptop shut, letting out a huge sigh of relief, and slumped down on it.
"Oh, my God," Evelyn screamed, bursting through the door. "We watched the live feed, you were amazing girl," she sang out.
"Here, here, way to stick it to that rat, Haley, and what you're doing for Hanalei is nothing short of amazing." Natalie added. "I think we should bid on that wedding dress, Evelyn. If we win, we could frame it, and put it up in the diner as the famous runaway bride's dress."
"That's a fantastic idea," Evelyn said, smiling as she dug out her phone so she could look up the auction link. As those two put their heads together, Cooper came over to me with a warm smile on his face. "You okay?"
I nodded. "I just hope this works."
"Well, as long as the check clears, we’ll have a new community center, that's for sure. I'm proud of you, Hales. I can't believe you did this for everybody."
I shook my head. "It's not all noble... I did it for me too, and not just because I wanted to stick it to Marcus—knowing him,he'll never really learn—but I love this place. I love the people here, and I love the community center and getting to teach there. I want to fight for the important things, and sometimes that means doing hard things. "
Cooper took me into his arms and squeezed me tight. As I gazed out the window, I could see my neighbors in the street sweeping up. I pulled back, "All right, that's done. Let's get back to work y'all," I said to everybody in the room. I got back into a pair of shorts and my ratty t-shirt, and we went back out to help clean up our town.
Cooper
Idon't think I'll ever stop being amazed by this woman. She just did something incredibly scary and faced it head-on. I was in awe of her.
But I wasn’t surprised. This was the woman who made the most painful decision of her life because she thought it was what would be best for me. That was Haley for you, always looking out for everybody else and putting herself last.
That's why I was worried when she agreed to do the interview. I thought it was history repeating itself, but the more she spoke, the more I realized she was doing this interview for herself. The love she has for Hanalei seems so obvious now, and she wanted to see us succeed. She would stop at nothing to make that happen.
So maybe it was time I took a cue from my girl and did some hard things too.
Firing Bo wasn’t all that difficult when I learned of his betrayal. In fact, it's one of the easier things I’ve ever done.
But I would be lying if I said there wasn't a part of me that was intrigued by that deal. It wasn't a perfect fit, but the possibilities made me realize I wanted to get back to football. I missed it. And as much as I loved being on the island, sometimes I wondered if there was a way I could have both. I knew it wasn't likely, but I was going to face my fear and risk making a fool out of myself.
Shortly after Haley told me about the interview, I looked up the contact information on the contract Bo sent me months ago and I left a message with the network coordinators, telling them I wanted to talk and I had some questions.
I didn't expect to hear anything for a few days, so I was surprised when in the midst of helping one of my neighbors replace a window, my phone started ringing, and it was the network.
