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Haley was in the kitchen, helping the other neighbor clean up and organize what could be salvaged and throwing out what was trashed. I excused myself and took the call.
I wasn't sure if anything would come from this, but I had to try. "Mr. Barclay?"
"That's me."
The voice on the other line laughed. "Joe Jones here. I have to tell you I am tickled pink to actually be talking to you. I was still a junior reporter when I watched you debut against the 49ers—that was a magical game. I've been a huge fan of ever since."
I laughed. "Thanks man, I appreciate that."
"I am intrigued by your message. I'm also surprised to be hearing from you and not your agent."
"Yeah, well, Bo and I have parted ways. I understand that complicates things and you may not want to work with me anymore, but I have some questions about this deal. While I think it’s a great opportunity, it's not the best fit for me now. Iwas wondering if there was a way to change it so it could work for everybody."
Joe was silent for a long moment before he said, "Well, it's a pretty standard deal as far as commentators go, but I'm interested in what you have in mind. What are you thinking, Mr. Barclay?"
I laid out my ideas and how I could benefit the network, but also told him that if it wasn't doable, it was fine. I was perfectly happy in Hanalei.
"Well, this is different from what we usually do. But I'll tell you what. Let me take it up the chain of command to see what we can do. I think you're worth fighting for Cooper, so let me see if I can sell this to my boss."
We said our goodbyes and hung up. I was excited, but I didn’t want to get too ahead of myself. There was a real chance they would pass on this idea, so there was no point in getting my hopes up, but I was proud of myself for taking the leap.
Ever since I got hurt, I’d been hiding away in Hanalei, just like I accused Haley of. I shut down and become a hermit. The thought of being close to football, and not actually playing, has been so painful I couldn't entertain going back. But when Bo introduced the idea, I started getting excited again. That old adrenaline was coming back. I was wrapping my head around being part of things, just in a different way.
If I learned anything over the last several weeks with Haley, it’s that not everything is what you expect it to be. I’d spent all this time being so angry with her, convinced she’d just heartlessly walked away. I never could have imagined what she’d really done was an act of love and concern for me. But now it was painfully obvious that I needed to be a little more flexible and open-minded.
I went back to work on the windows, and Haley and I were steadily working our way through the neighborhood, helpingwhoever needed it, when a booming voice sounded behind us from the street. "Where is Haley?" The voice sounded insistent. I popped my head out, blocking her from view because I didn’t like the tone.
It was the mayor, with Mahina trailing behind him, a Cheshire grin on her face.
Haley popped up behind me. "Mayor? Is something wrong?"
The mayor grinned broadly. "Is something wrong? She asked if something's wrong. My dear girl, you have set everything right. Not only did I just watch your interview, but the phone lines are lighting up. We have more money in our treasury than the last twenty years combined. Not only can we build a new community center, but we can fix up some of the other city buildings and fast track all the improvement projects on the school. "
Haley's face lit up. "Really? That's awesome!"
I looked at her, astonished. "You did it, Haley. I'm so proud of you." I said, scooping her up into my arms and hugging her close to me.
"We don't do royalty here anymore," Mahina said, "but I think we just found ourselves a new queen." Everybody in the house laughed and gave hugs of congratulations to Haley.
The mayor looked at me in all seriousness. "I hope you're not dumb enough to let her go. "
I laughed, shaking my head, "Don't worry, Mayor, I may be a little slow, but I'm not that stupid anymore," I said, snatching Haley to me and giving her a long, hot kiss that had the adults in the room fanning themselves and the kids saying "eww, gross."
Our cleanup after that was euphoric. The mayor was ecstatic about what Haley accomplished and told her, "You know what? With this extra money, we might be able to afford a part-time art teacher at the school—you wouldn't know of any teachers who might be interested, would you?"
Haley grinned at him. "Sign me up, Mayor. Besides, I'm staying either way, so you might as well give me something to do."
The mayor and Mahina hugged her sandwich style, and I was about to burst with pride. Unexpectedly, my phone started ringing. I hit the decline button, but it persisted.
I looked at the caller ID and saw it was Joe. Haley was distracted with the mayor and Mahina, so I ducked away and answered.
"Cooper?" Joe asked. "It's a go. My boss loves the idea. If you're in, we want you."
"Really?" I asked in disbelief. "That's amazing. Thank you."
"I'll have the legal department draw up your contract now. You should see it in your inbox in the next few days, so be on the lookout. Welcome to the team, Coop. We're delighted to have you."
I kept the news to myself until the end of the night, when Haley and I were strolling back to her house, hand in hand. "You seem awfully happy," she said.
