by Boyd, Eliza
Get out of my life.
Don’t ever come back.
He’d heard a lot of answers he couldn’t get out of his head. And he didn’t want to risk receiving them again.
She momentarily paused but quickly righted herself and pointed to a bag of flour. “Measure out one cup of that for me?”
That simple task began a morning of ease. After a rocky start, the two of them found a rhythm in the kitchen, and before he knew it, fudgy brownie cupcakes were in the oven. When it was time to make the chocolate frosting, he couldn’t believe he was having so much fun. He’d always hated being in the kitchen—mostly because he didn’t know what to do in there. Cooking wasn’t something he’d ever learned. He hadn’t thought it would make him the money he needed to prove his parents wrong.
Except he’d been wrong about that.
Cooking was exactly what had made him a billionaire. Other people were doing the cooking, but food had been the sweet spot for him all along. And he hadn’t realized how much he’d enjoy it himself until that moment. When he thought about cooking by himself, though, the idea fizzled out. It wasn’t really cooking or being in the kitchen that did it for him.
No, it was most definitely the woman cooking beside him. The one calling the shots and complimenting him on his pouring skills when she didn’t have to.
The one bringing his heart back to life.
11
The fudgy brownie cupcakes from the day before turned out perfectly. Now, Hailey wanted to test her most popular cupcake: peanut butter and jelly. But she must have forgotten to tell Rachel what kind of jelly to get.
The last thing she wanted to do was tell Jared. He’d ask what he could do about it and her heart would spasm and kick into overdrive. She couldn’t do that again.
She could just tell him that she needed him to go to the store for the jelly, but she was particular about which kind she used in her recipes. Then she contemplated the merits of looking into grocery delivery, but for one item, it seemed ridiculous. Uber could get her there and back, but juggling her purse and a bag of jelly in a glass jar didn’t seem worth the risk when she could ask Jared to take her to the store.
She simply didn’t want to do that.
His remark about being on vacation had felt like a jab. She was sure he hadn’t intended it that way, but she couldn’t count on her fingers, toes, and limbs how many times she’d asked him to do that with her. To just take one day off and spend it with her. To switch his phone off for one hour and have a meal with her. Now, he was doing all of those things—while they weren’t together anymore.
Wasn’t that a good sign though? Didn’t that show that he’d changed? He’d made his million dollars and proved to himself and his parents that he wasn’t the worthless piece of garbage they’d thought he was. He could take vacations and turn his phone off because he had people to do things for him. Something like that.
Ugh. Hailey was tired of overthinking it. She wanted at least one of these vacation days to be relaxing.
“Right?” she said to Otis, who’d joined her in the kitchen. She closed the fridge, unable to find the jelly. “That’d be nice. A day by the beach. I’ve heard the Pacific is nice this time of year.”
The dog peered at her for a moment before trotting off to the living room, likely in search of his blankets.
“Yeah, you’re right,” she quietly told the dog. “Not gonna happen with this sling on my arm.” It might have come to fruition if Jared hadn’t shown up, but the idea of going alone didn’t sound all that appealing now that he was there. Going with him sounded like a better idea, even against her better judgment.
Then Jared made an appearance, looking freshly showered with damp hair. The whole image did nothing good for Hailey—her heart squeezed and her stomach swirled as she remembered what she’d barged in on two days prior. He’d aged well.
“Did I hear something about the Pacific?” he asked, opening the container of cupcakes from yesterday and snagging one. After unwrapping it, he took a bite. “Man,” he said around a mouthful. “These are even better the next day.”
Hailey cracked a smile. “Don’t tell anyone or everyone will wait until they’re discounted as day-old.”
He mimed zipping his lips. “Your secret is safe with me.”
Pulling out a chair at the table, Hailey sat and said, “So I want to make another batch of test cupcakes, but I don’t have an ingredient. Any chance you can take me to the store to get it? I understand if you’re busy with work though.”
At the head of the table, Jared wrapped his fingers around the top of the chair. “Vacation, remember?”
“And if it’s not something you want to do on your vacation, I get it.”
He put the rest of the cupcake into his mouth and chewed it. “Well, now that I’m thinking about the Pacific, I think I’d rather take you there.” He brushed the crumbs off of his fingers and eyed her carefully. “Think we can swing by the store on the way back?”
She blinked rapidly at him. “Didn’t you say you have a call today?”
His brow furrowed as he thought about it. Then his face went neutral as he stared at her like he didn’t know what to do about that. She wanted to tell him not to worry about it. She knew how important business was to him and she didn’t need to go to the beach. In fact, she’d figure out how to get to the store herself. But then he pulled his phone from his pocket, punched something into it, and put it up to his ear.
“Thomas, hey. About that call today. Think you’re up for it?” He waited a moment and then nodded. “Great. Thanks.” Another few seconds went by before Jared dipped his head and grumbled something that sounded like, “It’s none of your business.” Then he hung up. To her, he said, “All taken care of. So, the beach?”
Hailey had no idea how to respond. She’d felt weird about asking Jared to take her to the store, but now he was asking her to go to the ocean. It was exactly where she wanted to go, though she’d planned to go after she’d had her meeting with Fontell Foods. With her shoulder, though, she probably wouldn’t make it to the beach without him, so she wanted to take him up on his offer.
“O-okay,” she stuttered out, placing her hands flat on the table. “If you’re sure you don’t have to work.”
Jared put one finger up and left the kitchen. When he returned five minutes later, he had a big bag with him. One by one, he took the contents out.
“Beach blanket. Sunscreen. Flip-flops,” he said, holding each item up.
“You actually own a pair of those?” Hailey asked, feigning shock.
He gave her a stern but playful look. “Okay, so they’re Brad’s. He won’t mind.”
She laughed at that. “That’s what I thought.” But then she got serious. “What about Otis? Can we leave him alone that long?”
He reached into the bag for one more item. “Otis’s leash. We’ll take him with.”
As Otis marched into the room at the sound of his name, Hailey couldn’t help but feel excited. It seemed Jared had thought of everything. She could use the time to make more test cupcakes, but with the Vitamix in the kitchen now, she felt pretty confident that it’d all come together. Especially with Jared’s new “vacation” attitude.
“What do you say?” he asked.
Otis pawed his leg before sitting nicely for his leash. Hailey giggled at how cute the scene was, and Jared smiled as he put Otis’s leash on.
“Well, if he thinks it’s a good idea, I guess I’m up for it,” she said, getting up from the chair. “With one condition.”
“Okay,” he said, smirking. “What’s the condition.”
“We put the top on the Jaguar down on the way there.” Her teeth peeked out of her cheesy smile.
“Your wish is my command.” Chuckling, Jared packed the bag back up. “Do you need to take your pills before we leave?”
The smile fell from her face. “Uh, no. Already took them.” She bit her lip at the lie.
“Okay,” he said, accepting it anyway. �
�If there’s anything else you want to bring, let me know. Otherwise…” He trailed off as he snuck behind Hailey and opened the fridge. When he closed it, he had the bag of peas in his hand. “You can take this and ice your shoulder in the car. Last day per the doctor’s orders.”
She accepted the bag of peas, watching in amazement as he hefted the bag and took Otis out to the car. Just like that. And she hadn’t even had to ask.
This was vacation Jared. She liked vacation Jared. A lot.
But what was regular Jared like? That she hadn’t seen yet, so she wasn’t sure. But her heart sure wanted to find out.
* * *
The hour and a half drive had been quiet. She’d spent most of the time watching Otis enjoy the wind in his face and the scenery passing by. Even though she lived by the ocean back home, the West Coast had a much different feel to her than the East Coast did. While the Pacific coast was beautiful, the Atlantic felt like home.
Still, a blanket on the edge of the coast was nice. Peaceful. Relaxing. Even with thoughts of Jared running through her head.
While he walked Otis up and down the beach, she watched them. He looked so different without his phone in his hand. He also looked different because time had passed, but that had been inevitable. Giving up work for a day at a beach in Seaside with Hailey hadn’t. She’d never guessed this would happen, and all she wanted to do was enjoy it without questioning it every five seconds. As soon as he returned, she’d do just that.
“There we go,” Jared said, laying out a second blanket for Otis, who curled up on it the moment Jared was done. Then he sat next to her on her blanket. “How’s that?”
“It’s great,” she said, genuinely meaning it. The warm sun on her skin felt wonderful, and the slight breeze tousling her hair complemented it perfectly. Plus, the company wasn’t bad to look at.
Otis was adorable, for sure. But Jared. She’d always loved the way he looked. That’d never been a problem in their relationship. The problem was how much better he looked now that they weren’t together anymore. And how he was taking time out of his schedule for her.
“Good. I’m glad.” He got more comfortable on the blanket and reclined with his forearms on the ground behind him. “Man, I’ve missed this. The view, the smell…”
“You don’t get to the beach much anymore?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Lots of work to do.”
Otis let out a loud sigh as though he approved of that as much as Hailey did. Then he dropped his head and relaxed on his personal beach blanket.
“Are you still in Maine?” Jared asked.
The question caught her off guard for some reason. She hadn’t been expecting small talk or personal questions, which seemed ridiculous when she thought about it. What else were they going to do? Sit on the beach in silence?
“I am,” she answered, leaving it short and sweet. Before he could ask more questions, she posed one of her own. “What about you? Where does Jared the successful businessman live these days?”
He chuckled at that, wiping sand off his leg. “New York, mostly.”
“Mostly?” she questioned, her brow raised. How many residences could one person acquire with a million dollars?
“Lots of travel to lock down contracts and vendors,” he explained.
Slowly, she nodded, impressed. “Sounds like fun. I bet you’ve seen a lot of neat places.”
“It’s exhausting, actually.” He gazed out at the ocean, the tide crashing and then retreating. “A lot of impressing people and negotiating. Not a lot of sightseeing.”
Hailey detected a note of irritation in his voice. Perhaps the rich life wasn’t all it was cracked up to be after all. She couldn’t imagine that though. With a million dollars, she wouldn’t have to push so hard to make her company so successful. She’d bake vegan cupcakes and give them away for free if she had enough money to live off of.
Suddenly, Jared sat up. “So, your cupcakes. You sell them already?”
Hailey couldn’t keep her smile back. “Yeah, I do.” She was proud of what she’d created. She was a local success, and with any luck, she’d be a national one when the week was up.
When she looked over at him after a few moments of silence, he was already looking at her. The expression on his face could have been pride, but she also saw something she didn’t want to name. Something she used to see in his gaze when they were together before. Something she’d craved because it’d disappeared when he’d begun working longer hours and more days in a row. So she kept talking to avoid thinking about it.
With her gaze on her lap, she said, “I sell at some of the farmers markets in the summer, and then I move to online sales and home deliveries the rest of the year.”
“Have you ever thought about opening your own brick-and-mortar shop?”
She shook her head. “I mean, yeah, but no. I don’t want to do that. It’s just cupcakes.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “That makes it a bakery, which lots of people run successfully in shops all over the world.”
Chuckling, she said, “I know. Aunt Shirley told me I should do that too, but…” With one shoulder, she shrugged. “Seems like more responsibility than I want. Plus, I like being at home, baking in my kitchen.”
One side of his mouth curled upward. “I remember how much you liked to bake in the kitchen in our house. That cake you always made for my birthday. So good! Red velvet with—”
“Cream cheese icing,” she finished for him as warm memories washed over her. Those were good times.
“That’s coming up, you know,” he said, a half smirk on his lips. “My birthday.”
“I know.” She smirked back, rolling her eyes jokingly. “Five days away.”
An appreciative expression covered his face. “You remembered.”
The smirk fell off her mouth as she swallowed thickly. “Of course I remembered.”
Jared nodded and sighed. “Hey, I wonder if the taps are still backward. Remember how the hot water only came out if you turned it to the right?”
Hailey couldn’t help but giggle at that. “Oh, I got that fixed years ago. Works like a charm now.”
When her laughter faded off, she realized Jared hadn’t said anything back. Peeking at him, she found a puzzled expression on his face.
“What?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
“You still live there?”
Facing the ocean again, she said, “Yeah. I probably should have sold it and moved, but I…couldn’t.” Her throat closed over the words.
Jared dusted the sand off his hands. Smoothing his shorts out, his gaze aimed down, he asked, “You ever go to the lighthouse anymore?”
Licking her lips, Hailey thought about how to answer that. She didn’t have to ask which lighthouse he meant. The one at Fort Williams Park was their lighthouse. She didn’t think he needed to know that she went every year on his birthday—after she’d baked that stupid red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. It was habit at this point. Tradition. And that information could be kept secret.
So she told the partial truth instead. “Sometimes.”
Slowly nodding, he said, “I should get back there soon.” Then he cleared his throat. “Maine, I mean. Visit your aunt.” He paused to look at her. “How is she?”
Hailey had to swallow over the lump in her throat. Emotion was welling up as she thought about Jared returning home. “She’s good. She lives with me at the house now. And she said to tell you hello in her last text message.”
“Well, I say hi back,” he said, a smile creeping over his lips.
With a finger, Hailey drew small circles in the warm sand next to her blanket. “You know you’re welcome back home. You didn’t have to leave.” That lump returned and the words stuck in her throat. She did her best to push past it though. “I’m the one who—”
“Of course I had to leave,” he answered. “Between my parents and what happened with us…” He shook his head. “And that’s okay. I’ve never been mad at
you for that.”
Tears pricked her eyes. She’d spent so much time feeling angry with Jared because he’d let their marriage dissolve that she hadn’t realized she’d felt so guilty for being the one to end it but not move out. Maine was his home too. But she’d been so wrapped up in letting the marriage go that she’d just let him leave. Though Rachel had gone off to the other side of the country the moment they’d graduated high school, Jared hadn’t expressed the same interest. Not even when he’d been the one to move all of his stuff out when they’d split.
“Then why’d you go?” she asked, feeling brave enough in the moment.
When Jared put his hands behind him to prop himself up on the blanket, one hand landed so close to Hailey’s that their fingers brushed. The moment he noticed, he gazed at their fingers and moved his hand closer to hers.
Then he answered her by saying, “I couldn’t see you every day and not be with you, Hailes. I had to go.”
12
Jared couldn’t get over how beautiful Hailey looked in the sunlight. On the beach, with the ocean spread out before them and Otis sleeping on his blanket to their left, Hailey was a vision. Memories of her draped in white on their wedding day flashed in his mind. He’d made a promise to her then, and he’d never felt worse for not keeping it than he did in that moment.
And that was saying something.
He’d felt awful when she’d had to utter the words that ended their marriage. He’d known that it was his fault they were in that position. He hadn’t done enough to make Hailey feel loved, like she mattered. That’d killed him.
But right then, on the beach, fire seared his heart and the flames lapped at his gut. Looking at her now, he realized how much regret he had for being such an idiot. Anyone willing to lose a gorgeous, hard-working, kind, and loving woman like Hailey Cumberland was a fool.
He didn’t want to be one anymore though.
“Look,” Jared said, taking a leap of faith. The worst that could happen was she’d turn him down. But he hadn’t put himself out there before, so he needed to now. He covered more of her hand with his. “If you’re seeing someone, married again, whatever—I’ll back off. But I can’t—”