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"Cooper, what if I told you I came up with a way to pay for the reconstruction of the community center and refill the town coffers times ten?"
He laughed. "What? Did you make a deal with the devil?"
His smile faded when I didn't laugh with him. "You could say that."
"Haley?"
"I agreed to do an interview, and it's happening this afternoon. I asked for more than they initially offered and they still accepted, so we’ll have more than enough to cover everything that needs to be repaired."
"Hales," he said softly.
"I've already made up my mind, Cooper, so don’t try to talk me out of it. Sure, I’m uncomfortable about putting all these details about myself out there, but it can’t be any worse than what Marcus has already said about me. It’s time to set the record straight—and I get to help Hanalei in the process. We’ll get to rebuild the community center and continue to have a place to gather. It’s a safe place for the kids to grow and learn—and I’ll get to continue teaching art classes."
Cooper still looked concerned. "Okay," he said. "I can see you have your mind set on this, but please tell me you put some strict guardrails on how this interview was going to go?"
"Yes, I set my expectations with Mr. Rivas. He emailed me a copy of the questions he's going to ask with a promise he will notdeviate. I know it's a gamble and he could go off script, but it's a chance I’m willing to take."
Cooper looked uncertain. "Hales, I am so proud of you for wanting to help like this, but this is giving a lot—maybe too much of yourself?"
I shook my head. "No Cooper, I'm done hiding."
He considered this, then asked, "Okay, what about Marcus? He's going to come back at you with a vengeance—are you prepared for that? I mean, I'm not going to let him get within fifty feet of you, though it would give me an excuse to dropkick his ass. But I'm just saying, I don't want you to have to deal with his retaliation."
I sighed. "Yeah, I’ve thought about that, and I'm ready for whatever he might dish out. It's not like I signed a non-disclosure agreement when I was with him, so I’m pretty much free to say whatever I want. But I’m not planning to go after him professionally, which is what he’s afraid of, so as long as I make it about me, I should be fine. I'm sure Marcus will have a rebuttal and attempt to tear down my character, but everyone who knows me—the only opinions I really care about—will know he’s full of shit. No one else matters."
He smiled. "Please, once everyone gets a look at you and hears what you have to say, they’re going to be Team Haley all the way. I'm going to have to fight off a bunch of men with a stick, aren't I?" He teased.
I went to him then, dropping the hanger that had been in my hand onto the bed, and wrapped my arms around him. "I appreciate you being so supportive. I know you don't like it, but I really feel like this is what I need to do."
"And I will be here to support you. When's this happening, anyway?"
"This afternoon," I said to his chest as he held me.
He pulled back. "This afternoon?"
I shrugged. "Might as well get it over with. The sooner I do it, the quicker I get paid and then we rebuild Hanalei. Evelyn and Natalie are on their way to help me get ready."
"Okay, what can I do to help?"
I looked at him. "Can you be there? I don't need you in the frame or anything. I just need you to be nearby. You know, just in case..."
He smiled. "I wouldn't be anywhere else, my love," he said before leaning down and kissing me sweetly. "I love you, sweet girl, and I am so proud of you," he whispered into my ear.
"You have no idea how badly I needed to hear that," I told him.
Evelyn and Natalie arrived and miraculously helped me cover the dark circles under my eyes. They also helped me with my hair, so I looked somewhat presentable—at least the top half of me. I didn’t look like a runway model, but I wouldn't scare any children who caught a glimpse of the screen, so that was a relief.
The interview time arrived, and I sat in front of my laptop, only after Evelyn repositioned it five million times to find my best light. The lighting was the least of my concerns. Thankfully, we got done with my hair and makeup with plenty of time to spare so I could review the interview questions one more time. I planned to answer them simply and keep to the point.
Once it was time for the interview, Evelyn and Natalie went out to the porch. They wanted to be supportive, but they didn't want me to feel more nervous with them watching, so they waved to me through the window with a thumbs-up sign. I was glad for my new friends, although right now I missed Tess. But Cooper was by my side, with an encouraging smile.
"No matter what, Hales, you got me," he reminded me.
I was so grateful for him. There was a very real possibility I was about to make a huge ass out of myself in front of millions of people. And once this was out there, I wouldn’t be able to take it back. Being in large groups of people made me twitchy, so I was thankful this was a video interview and not in front of a live audience.
At the appointed time, Mr. Rivas appeared on my screen. "Miss Ellis, thank you for being on time. Are you ready?"
I let out of breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "As ready as I'm going to be," I said with a nervous smile.
