“Don’t be nervous about Cassie,” Claire said. “She’s very nice. Definitely direct and East-Coasty, but friendly.” Claire, acquainted with Cassie Holt, had been the facilitator of the interview.
“Yeah, she comes in here all the time,” Rebecca added. “She and her firefighter boyfriend. She is nice. And hey, you could ask her for advice about the marketing campaign. She’s new to town and exactly your target age, isn’t she?”
“Any age is my target age,” Hayley said. “But I will ask her. She came for a job and stayed for a man. We need a few hundred women to do the same thing.”
“Cassie didn’t stay for just any man,” Rebecca said. “She stayed for Cody Bradford.”
“Those firefighters,” Claire said. “They sure are something.”
Her wistful tone make Hayley laugh. “You have a thing for younger men, Claire? Or firefighters?”
“Maybe a little of both.” Claire’s sharp blue eyes sparkled as she held up a forkful of bread pudding. “I definitely have a thing for this bread pudding, though. It’s wonderful. Say, what time do you have to go?”
Hayley glanced at the clock on the wall and stood. “Now.”
“Don’t worry.” Claire got up and gave her a hug. “You’ll be great.”
Hayley kept Claire’s words in mind as she bundled up and walked the short block to the Golden Touch Barbershop, where the interview would be held. She’d suggested the barbershop because the owner, Andrew Blake, was a retired firefighter who’d graced the cover of the annual firefighter calendar ten times. That’s how sexy he was. And, thanks to Claire’s urging, he was going to be one of the faces of her Bring Your Heart campaign. Hayley had already interviewed him for his profile piece.
In his fifties and tall with a medium build, Andrew was clear-eyed, friendly, and had a quick smile. An ex-military man, he looked great in the Levi’s and brown leather jacket he was fond of wearing. His thick brown hair wasn’t even peppered with grey … or was it? As the city’s best barber, and a city councilman to boot, he’d never tell.
Hayley brought him a cinnamon bun from the North Star, and he thanked her and set it aside for after the interview. He then introduced her to Cassie Holt, who was setting up for the interview, along with her cameraman.
“Hi, Hayley,” the reporter said. “Call me Cassie. It’s great to meet you.”
Cassie looked like Hayley expected from what she’d seen on TV, although shorter, and she had about the most perfect flip to her blond hair. Hayley had stubborn waves and always envied women with straight hair. But what most surprised Hayley was the big smile Cassie gave her as she said hello. On camera, she came across as all-business. Of course, Hayley reminded herself, warming up an interviewee was her business. In any case, Hayley appreciated it.
“Can I just say what a great idea I think this campaign of yours is?” Cassie said. “It really shows how this whole community is so welcoming, and everyone looks out for each other. It’s a big reason why I decided to stay after—” Cassie stopped, shrugged. “Well, I’m sure you heard all about what happened.”
“I’m glad you decided to stay,” Hayley said, “even after you were out of danger.” Cassie had been the victim of a violent stalker who’d followed her from New York to Golden Falls. He’d been caught and was now in prison.
“Thanks.” Cassie said. “This place won my heart, that’s for sure!”
“Ah, yes—I hear you’re dating a firefighter?”
“Word gets around fast! Cody. He’s ...” She sighed and smiled in a way that said true love.
Hayley couldn’t help but smile, too, and felt a twinge of wistfulness that she herself might have that glowing expression over somebody. Someday.
“Yeah, Golden Falls is one big small town,” Hayley said. “But whatever keeps you here. I know the winters can be brutal to newcomers. I’ve also noticed the station can’t seem to keep female anchors for very long.”
“That’s probably got more to do with my co-host than the weather, to be honest. He’s kind of a douche.”
Hayley laughed. “Michael Driessner.”
“The one and only.”
On a few of the occasions Hayley had actually used her gym membership, she’d seen Michael hitting on some college girls. He was twice their age at least, and Hayley must have counted a dozen eye-rolls between them.
“He looks so squirrelly. How has he not been fired?” she asked. “I can’t imagine he’s got high ratings.”
“He does, actually,” Cassie said. “The old ladies think he’s the cat’s meow. They never miss his newscast. Once I went with him to the senior center, and they flocked to him like he was the reincarnation of Elvis Presley. But enough about him. This interview’s about you. Are you from here?”
“No. I moved here when I was eighteen,” Hayley said.
“From?”
“Hibiscus Island. Near Miami.”
“That’s geographically about as far away as you could go and still be in the United States.”
Hayley smiled. “That was the point. My parents aren’t the nicest people.”
“That’s understandable,” Cassie said. “So you’re a graduate of Alaska State?”
“Yep,” Hayley said. She’d left home the summer after she’d graduated from high school and never looked back. In doing so, she’d given up her ample trust fund, but gained her freedom from a toxic family environment. The glorious feeling of standing on her own two feet in harsh Alaska had only affirmed she’d made the right decision.
Cassie said, “Before we start recording, can you explain if this is an actual business or just a marketing campaign for the town?”
“It’s definitely a business,” Hayley said. “My matchmaking service is a traditional subscription model, but the Bring Your Heart campaign is a mix of sponsorship and referral fees. I work for the Roberts Staffing Agency, and the major local employers are always looking for ways to attract and keep talent, so that’s where referrals come in. Then I’ve secured sponsorships from other local businesses and even a couple cruise lines.”
“How many women do you hope to recruit?” Cassie asked.
“Fifty a year would be great,” Hayley said. “I think we can get even more, because there are tons of job opportunities in the tourist sector during the summer months, as well as decent year-round jobs at the university and the hospital.”
“Are you going after women of certain ages?”
“Not really, no,” Hayley said. ”We need more women, period, and I think the type of woman who’s adventurous enough to take a chance on love by moving to the hip and thriving metropolis of Golden Falls, Alaska, is exactly the type of woman we want. I just have to make sure they make new friends fast and hopefully find a boyfriend right away. If they give me a year, I’ll give them a husband.”
Cassie laughed. “That should be your tagline.” She saw her cameraman tap his watch and nodded. “Are you ready for the interview?”
“I think so.” Hayley bit her lip.
“Don’t be nervous. You’ll be great.”
It was easy for her to say. She was a pro. “Do you have any advice for me?”
“Mostly just speak slowly. When people are nervous, they tend to rush their words. This isn’t a live interview, so if you mess up, don’t worry. We’ll only use the good stuff.”
“Alright, I’m ready,” Hayley said. “And thank you for being so nice. I was kind of intimidated to meet you. You’re so polished, and I’m so … not.”
“You’re totally polished!” Cassie said. “Not to mention, your sweater really makes your eyes pop.”
Cassie positioned her where she wanted her, and as the camera light went on and the big fuzzy boom microphone hovered over her head, Hayley’s heart raced. She took a few deep breaths and reminded herself to speak slowly. After a few questions, she found her groove.
And then Cassie asked her about her own love life.
“So a matchmaker like you—how did you find your perfect match?”
It was a lie, and she was sure it came across on camera. The truth was, Hayley was very concerned about her love life, or lack thereof, and the mistakes she kept making in relationships. She just didn’t know what those mistakes were or what to do about them.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that,” Cassie said. “Don’t worry, I’ll cut it.”
She gave her a few softball questions and then moved on to a short interview with Andrew, who turned his gorgeous blue eyes to the camera and charmingly implored the lovely ladies of Anchorage and the Lower Forty-Eight to find their way to Golden Falls—and to him, specifically. Hayley smiled from the sidelines. Andrew was swoon-worthy in a silver fox sort of way, and she was sure more than one woman would answer his call.
After the segment ended, the cameraman began gathering his things. Andrew said his goodbyes and disappeared into his office.
“I’m sorry I got all flustered there,” Hayley said, embarrassed. “I wasn’t expecting you to ask me anything personal.”
“God forbid.” Cassie smiled. “I have a feeling you and I are probably a lot alike. In our jobs, we get to ask people intimate questions, and they’ll tell us almost anything, but they don’t even notice how little we reveal about ourselves.”
“That’s very true,” Hayley said.
“It’s by design, right?”
“In my case, for sure,” Hayley said.
“Mine, too,” Cassie said. “Which is why I think we should be friends.”
“I’d love for us to be friends,” Hayley said, and it was true. Her two closest girlfriends had moved back to the Lower Forty-Eight after college, and Hayley had yet to fill the void.
“Do you need more guys to help promote your campaign?” Cassie asked. “Because I happen to have connections with some very hunky firefighters. Most of the ones on Cody’s crew are single, and they’re pretty good sports. Should I introduce you?”
“That would be awesome—yes!”
“Good, it’s settled. We’ll do it. They might need a little convincing, but between the two of us and Cody, we’ll make it happen.”
“Ooh, I know!” Hayley said. “Do you think you can get them to come to a singles’ event I’m hosting Thursday night at the Sled Dog? I’ll buy them a round.”
“Probably,” Cassie said. “That’s on their four days off. If we can get one of them to come, we can get all of them to come. But we’re going to save one of the single guys for you!”
“I’m haven’t had good luck with men,” Hayley said, feeling her cheeks redden. “Although I’m not sure how much of it’s me and how much of it’s them.”
“It’s all them!” Cassie said. “If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that these Alaska boys need to be tamed. They’ve been allowed to run wild for far too long.” Her green eyes gleamed. “And I have to say, taming them is more fun than I imagined.”
As she put on her coat, she gave Hayley an appraising look.
“I know exactly the guy for you. He’s fun, and funny, and, of course, hotter than hell like all the firefighters are.”
“Thanks, but I’m not really looking,” Hayley said, which of course wasn’t true. She was always looking but never finding.
“That’s even more perfect—neither is he!”
“So it’s doomed before it even starts.” Hayley sighed. “Welcome to the story of my life.”
Cassie laughed. “You need a new story—and Josh Barnes is just the man to give you one.”
…Excerpt from BRING YOUR HEART by Scarlett Andrews ©2017.
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Scarlett Andrews lives with her husband and dogs in Arizona. She has a day job, but her true passion is writing happily-ever-afters. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking (especially baking), fitness, travel, reading, and binge-watching TV. Her first romance series, Golden Falls Fire, features the heroic firefighters of the idyllic, fictional city of Golden Falls, Alaska.
Find her online at www.scarlettandrews.com
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True North (Golden Falls Fire Book 1) Page 24