by Anna Lowe
Hailey gritted her teeth. If only her mother knew.
Jonathan pocketed the necklace, slowly composing himself, then spoke in a strangely flat tone. “Oh, I’m sure she will.”
I already have, Hailey was dying to say. But that would just get Jonathan worked up and make it harder to have a calm, sensible conversation when the time came. The sooner, the better.
“Oh, this is so exciting,” her mother chirped, fanning herself.
Hailey peeked outside. The Royal Hawaiian was a Waikiki landmark that opened onto a golden beach with turquoise waters, all framed by a line of bright pink sun umbrellas.
Where would you have your wedding? Jonathan’s sister Isabelle had phoned to ask a few weeks ago. Somewhere in Hawaii, right?
Hailey had nearly said At home in Montana, but okay. Hawaii would be nice, too. Someplace small and off the beaten track, like one of those tiny missionary-era chapels she’d seen in the in-flight magazine.
Leave it to a member of Jonathan’s family, then, to stage an event in the middle of bustling Waikiki.
Sure, she’d told Isabella. It wasn’t her wedding, anyway.
Outside, a bell chimed, and the crowd bustled to the white chairs set in two long lines. Everyone hushed and craned their heads expectantly. Hailey looked around too. Isabelle must be on her way any minute now with her beau.
“Okay,” Jonathan said, puffing out his cheeks. They were pinker than she’d ever seen. Jonathan was all worked up about his sister’s wedding, which was cute. “They’re ready for us.”
See? she told herself. He did have some redeeming qualities. Not enough to want to stay with him, but enough to make her feel better about getting involved in the first place. She let Jonathan take her arm and guide her out onto the lawn.
“Nice,” she murmured, tilting her chin upward as they stepped into the sun. She’d only arrived late the previous night and had been cooped up in her suite all morning.
A ripple of excitement went through the crowd, which Hailey supposed was par for the course. Isabelle would be next — that’s what they were anticipating, right?
But everyone’s eyes were fixed firmly on her — hundreds of pairs, though few she recognized, because they were all Jonathan’s family, friends, and business partners. Her step faltered, and her stomach churned, because something felt off. Really off.
She touched her hair. Was it a mess? Or, God — she knew she shouldn’t have worn that dress.
Everyone was smiling, but there was a vibe in the air that made her want to turn and run. As if everyone knew something she didn’t. She reached up with one hand, touching her pearl for reassurance. Jonathan, on the other hand, was beaming like a man with four aces up his sleeve.
Hailey took three more steps, then stopped short. Isabelle, the bride, was sitting off to one side in the first row of seats, wearing a yellow dress, and her fiancée was nowhere in sight.
“Uh, Jon—” Hailey started, then stopped as Jonathan sank down to one knee and looked up.
Cameras flashed. Palm trees rustled, and her mother squeaked. The guests seemed to hold their breath, and Hailey did too. What was going on?
Jonathan cleared his throat and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “I know you love surprises, honey…”
She hated surprises — so much, she couldn’t speak or move. She stood like a deer in headlights, knowing doom was a split second away but still not processing exactly what it was.
The crowd chuckled on cue, and Jonathan went on, his clammy hands clasping hers. “The day I met you, I knew you were the one. My one. My only. My princess.”
Hailey wanted to tug him to his feet, but there were too many alarms going off in her mind for her to take action of any kind.
Jonathan held out a tiny black box and smiled at her. No, wait. He was smiling at the box in one of those Aren’t I awesome? looks he flashed from time to time. The crowd gasped when he opened the box, revealing a massive diamond ring.
“I know we haven’t known each other that long, but I don’t need any more time to decide,” he announced.
Jesus, Jonathan, she wanted to bark. I sure do. Or rather, she didn’t need any time to decide because she already wanted out. Really out.
“Are you nuts?” she hissed as quietly as she could.
The women in the nearest seats giggled. Isn’t that cute?
No, it wasn’t cute. It was appalling. Why would Jonathan put her on the spot like this?
He grinned like he thought it was cute too. “You said you wanted more spontaneity in your life.”
“I didn’t mean this.” She jerked her hand at the scene. “What were you thinking?”
Jonathan’s grin stretched. Obviously, it hadn’t occurred to him she might not go along with his crazy plan.
“I was thinking about forever, sweetheart. I was thinking about how much I love you.”
The crowd sighed audibly, but to Hailey, the words sounded stale and rehearsed.
“Hailey Crewe,” he continued. “Will you marry me?”
Chapter Two
No, Hailey wanted to scream. She didn’t want to marry Jonathan. Ever.
She settled for “What — here? Now?”
Glancing around frantically, she saw many bright, hopeful faces in the crowd, but none that were her friends. Some of the guests laughed — nervously in the case of those who realized the spectacle they’d come to witness might not be going according to plan.
Jonathan plunged ahead with confidence — and a little more force. “Of course, here and now.” His hand squeezed hers a little too tightly, and his eyes took on a look of warning.
She’d seen that look before, but only aimed at people negotiating business deals. No wonder Jonathan had made so much money so young. He’d taken the start-up loan his father had given him — a cool million, or so she’d heard — and turned it into a business empire that stretched from coast to coast.
An empire he wanted to pull her into as his next prize. The sinking feeling in her gut turned into an all-out plummet as she looked around. Everyone was in on this trick wedding but her.
She turned to her mother, who wore a stiff smile below viper eyes that said, Don’t blow this.
Hailey cringed, knowing that look all too well. She’d gotten it the first time she’d bussed tables at the diner when she was twelve. Don’t blow this. Her mother had pierced her with the very same look the time the just-passing-through-town photographer called Hailey over to his table on the fateful day that changed her life. Not to mention the time Hailey had signed her first six-figure contract, or the time she’d been interviewed for her recent modeling job with a fragrance line.
Don’t blow this, her mother ordered without saying a word.
It had made sense the first couple of times. They’d desperately needed the money, and Hailey was eager to help as best she could. But now, they were long past worrying about keeping a roof over their heads.
Hailey took a try at her own eye-talk back. It’s not about survival any more, Mom. It’s about my pride. My independence. My life, damn it.
But her mother didn’t so much as blink. In fact, her stare intensified.
Hailey’s jaw swung open. Wait a minute. Her mother knew Jonathan had been planning this all along?
Mom, she wanted to wail. How could you?
A guest cleared his throat, and Jonathan frowned the way he did when a steak wasn’t cooked exactly to his taste.
“I know it’s a surprise, princess, but I love you,” he said in a tone that was half coo, half order.
Did he love her, or did he love the idea of loving her? She studied his eyes and found more I than you in them.
“Jonathan,” she whispered, trying to tug free.
His eyes hardened. When Lamar, the security man, stepped closer, Hailey paled. How far would Jonathan take this? What if she said no?
“Let me just have a word with my mother,” she squeaked, buying time.
It took a forceful yank to get away from Jonath
an, but Hailey turned the momentum into a quick spin toward her mother. But trying to get her mother to budge was like moving a boulder, so Hailey hurried to one side, forcing her mother to follow.
“Are you crazy?” her mother hissed as the crowd erupted into shocked chatter.
“How could you?” Hailey rubbed her eyes. “You knew what Jonathan was planning, and you didn’t say a word.”
“Of course I didn’t. You would have said no.”
Hailey stared. “And you really think I’m going to say yes now?”
“Of course you will. In front of all these people — how could you spoil everything?”
Hailey’s eyes went wide. This could not be happening.
But it was, as her mother indicated by grabbing both of Hailey’s shoulders.
“Think. Just think for a change.”
Hailey’s head snapped up. For a change?
“This is our chance. I mean, your chance.” Her mother corrected herself quickly.
“Chance at…?”
“Securing a future. Making it big. Jonathan’s brother is running for Senate, and you know it won’t be long before Jonathan does too.”
Hailey blinked. Apparently, her mother wasn’t just greedy for money. She was greedy for power too.
“But I don’t love him,” Hailey protested.
“Love?” her mother nearly spat. “Love doesn’t keep the repossession team away. Love doesn’t put food on the table. Love doesn’t secure a future.”
Hailey felt all her energy drain away. Did that mean her mother didn’t love her either?
“But you loved Dad…” she tried.
Her mother snorted. “I was young. Stupid.”
A bubble formed in Hailey’s throat. She could barely remember her father, but her grandfather had filled that gap as best he could. He’d read bedtime stories and told her about the grandmother who’d died before Hailey was born. He’d taken her for long walks and let her pretend the dog was obeying her commands, not his. He’d raced her across his fields and let her win every time, cheering Run, Hailey! Run!
Hailey bowed her head as the stark truth lit up in her mind like the old kitchen bulb that used to buzz and blink before blinding her with harsh fluorescent light. Everything she’d learned about love, she’d learned from her grandfather. Everything about survival, she’d learned from her mom.
“We can secure our own future,” she said, trying to use language her mother would understand. “We don’t need anyone else for that.”
Her mother practically bared her teeth. “Now listen to me, and listen well.”
Hailey pulled back, but her mother wouldn’t let her go.
“You will turn around and say yes…” her mother started.
The hair on the back of Hailey’s neck rose. Jonathan was coming up behind her. Soon, she’d be trapped.
Help, she wanted to scream. Help!
“You will do the right thing…” her mother went on.
Hailey twitched, dying to stand tall and release the outburst on the tip of her tongue. No, I will not marry Jonathan just because you’re crazy enough to think I should. Then she would turn to Jonathan, give him a curt, No means no, you got that? and march out of there.
The problem was, she’d had an outburst along those lines at a recent photo shoot when her mother wouldn’t stop harrying the photographer, caterers, and even the hairdresser.
Enough, mother! Enough! Hailey had finally roared.
Unfortunately, there’d been a reporter waiting in the wings, and she’d ended up in all the gossip rags for the next weeks, along with bold headlines like Hailey Flips Out and Ungrateful B*tch. So she forced herself to hold her tongue. Anything she said now was likely to be twisted and misinterpreted. But, Jesus. What could she do?
She looked around in desperation. The beach seemed miles away, but the lobby was right behind her, nearly deserted. The fountain gurgled quietly, and the marble floors gleamed.
“Hailey,” Jonathan said in the same tight, uncompromising voice that uttered orders like Schedule that meeting for three or Get me first class on the seven o’clock flight.
Her heart thumped faster, and the sound of pounding surf filled her ears. Or was that the panicked rush in her veins?
This isn’t happening, she wanted to scream.
But it was happening, and if she didn’t act fast, who knew where it would end?
“You will march right back out there…” her mother continued.
Jonathan touched Hailey’s shoulder, and she flinched.
No, wait. She did more than flinch. She spun and pushed Jonathan away — hard enough for him to stumble back, giving her just enough space to…
Half her mind was blank with fear, but the other half filled with her grandfather’s voice.
Run, Hailey! Run!
Not a playful voice. A panicked one, just like that day out in the fields that started beautifully and ended in such horror. The day he died.
And just like that, she ran. The dull thump of her shoes along the flagstones turned into a sharp tap over the patterned marble floor of a long breezeway. Pink arches blurred by on one side, and yells broke out.
“Wait a minute,” Jonathan snapped.
“Hailey!” her mother barked.
Hailey slowed just long enough to yank off her shoes before pushing through the front door and sprinting onto the bustling sidewalk outside.
She took off to the right and glanced back. Two reporters sprinted out in pursuit along with Lamar, who looked as murderous as ever. She gasped and ran on. God, she’d made it all worse by running. She should have just talked it through.
Jonathan, I’m not going to marry you. Mom, I’m not going to listen to you.
But bullies didn’t listen to mere words, and both Jonathan and her mother were bullies in their own way.
So she ran, dodging pedestrians, losing hope with every step. Where could she go? To the police? The airport? Would she hide in an alley and hope never to be found?
A glance back showed Lamar was catching up. Jonathan had joined the posse that had taken up the chase. Her mother burst out onto the sidewalk next, screaming at the top of her lungs.
“Hailey, get back here!”
It was insane. And even more crazy was how life-and-death it all felt, like she was the rabbit and they were the wolves, out for a kill.
The wide sidewalks of Kalakaua Avenue stretched ahead with traffic too backed up for her to jump into a cab and make a quick escape.
“Best sale ever,” a teenage girl announced to a friend, swinging a shopping bag that banged Hailey’s arm.
Hailey darted around them and pivoted into the shopping center on her right.
“So rude,” the girl muttered as Hailey raced on.
Hailey scowled. She wasn’t being rude. She was running for her life.
The rough concrete under her bare feet turned to cool tile as she jumped on an escalator just ahead of three big, beefy young men and their giggling girlfriends.
“So rude,” one of the girls snipped.
Hailey rolled her eyes. Would no one give her a break?
As luck would have it, that very group of teens did, because they clogged the escalator, blocking Lamar’s way. Hailey clawed her way upward, making the most of her chance, and turned a tight corner to ascend to the next floor. Then she raced down a long corridor and over an open footbridge that gave her much too good a view of the hubbub below. Dozens of wedding guests were milling around outside, looking for her.
Think, Hailey. Think! she yelled at herself.
At the next escalator, she skidded to a stop, making a split-second decision. She was on the third level, overlooking a food court. A food court with lots of nooks and crannies where a woman on the run might be able to hide. She jumped onto the downward escalator and ducked out of sight. Lamar and the others were far enough back not to have seen her last moves, so she might just slip out of sight. If the tourist couple before her would stop taking selfies long enough for h
er to pass. Finally, she just pushed through.
Rude, I know, she nearly said, but she was panting too hard by then.
She jumped long before her step rolled to the bottom and made a sharp turn as the smell of Chinese cooking hit her. Then she ducked behind a potted plant and looked up. Lamar and several others sprinted along on the upper floor. They might not be tricked for long, but she’d bought herself a minute. But now what? Going down to street level would bring her right into the thick of the crowd. Where could she hide?
Her heart hammered as her eyes swept the area. Suddenly, she froze, catching a stranger at a nearby table staring at her. A big, broad-chested man who sat at one of the ridiculously small food court tables, sipping a drink through a straw. Except he’d stopped the moment their eyes met and started staring at her. Into her, almost.
At first, his frown made him downright terrifying. But instead of going cold with fear, Hailey found herself warming up, and for the next ten seconds, all she could do was register the color of his eyes. Hazel eyes, deep and dark as a forest. A forest with rays of sunlight streaming through it, because those eyes seemed to spark and glow the longer he looked at her.
Her leg muscles twitched with the instinct to keep running, but something told her to wait. So she did, staring into his ever-brighter eyes. Deep, soulful eyes that accomplished everything that silly fountain in the hotel lobby had failed to do. A sense of peace and serenity washed through her. Her heart rate slowed, and she rose out of her half crouch without understanding why. The man wasn’t wearing a police uniform, and she didn’t recognize him. But something about him called to her the way a lighthouse led a boat to a port of refuge, and she found herself taking a step closer.
“There she is!”
Her head snapped up at the sound of Jonathan’s yell, and she broke into a run.
No, something deep inside her cried. Not so soon…
Which was crazy, because that man was a stranger, and she was in a rush. So she ran, winding past a sushi bar, an ice cream shop, and a burger place where the scent of sizzling grease made her think of the diner where she used to work. The memory made her run faster, pivoting this way and that until even she lost track of where she was. Someone was selling watches. Another person was collecting money for a charitable cause. A third manned a stall with perfume samples, surrounded by a pack of teenage girls. Hailey rushed around them and raced down a narrow corridor with a few barely visited shops, a couple of restrooms, and—