Page 85 of Ruff and Tumble

At this point, she doubted anything could.

“You guys came,” she said, sniffling as Paula sprang to her feet and pulled her into a warm embrace. “That’s so nice of you. I’m sure you must have front-row Kickoff Cup tickets that are going to waste right now.”

“Box seats, actually,” Sam said, taking her turn embracing Hailey as soon as Paula was done. “But this is better. We didn’t want to miss your big moment.”

This was a complete and utter lie, but Hailey was too overwhelmed to do more than murmur a feeble protest.

“Cole told us that you probably wouldn’t have anyone here to support you, so we invited ourselves.” Sam’s wife wasn’t as effusive as the Bennetts-by-blood, but she did offer a smile and a warm handshake. “I hope you don’t mind.”

At the mention of Cole, Hailey stiffened. As if by tacit—or possibly well-rehearsed—agreement, no one had mentioned him.

“I don’t mind,” she said somewhat shyly. “It’s…nice to have people. It’s not something I’m used to.”

“Well, get used to it,” Julian grumbled. “If my wife has decided to take you under her wing, you can plan to be stuck there for a while. Breathe carefully.”

Hailey couldn’t help laughing as Cole’s dad took his turn greeting her. In addition to a black suit, he was wearing a black tie, a black shirt, and had even managed to find a black pocket square.

“He’s in mourning,” Regina said as she watched Hailey take it all in. “For the death of Cole’s career. He’s had every mirror in the house covered.”

“I guess he can always be a reality-television star,” Julian muttered as he watched his son cavorting on screen with his team of puppies. It had taken quite a bit of editing to make it appear like Cole had won—Hailey’s puppies had been far and away the clear winners in the footage—but they’d managed it. “What a triumph for us all.”

“Then he told you,” Hailey said, the wine making her feel giddy and indiscreet. Although that wasn’t fair to the wine… She wasalwaysindiscreet. “You know the truth.”

“We know,” Regina agreed. “And as you can tell, we’re all doing our best to cope.”

A giggle escaped before Hailey could help it. There was nothing funny about the things that had passed between her and Cole—even less about how hard it must have been for him to talk to his parents—but the fact that Julian was here, scowling up at the television while holding a beagle puppy who’d been decked out in a black sweater for the occasion, was too much.

“I’m sorry,” she managed. “You must be devastated.”

Julian looked as though he had something to say about that, but one glare from Paula had him clamping his lips shut. “We’re doing the best we can, given the circumstances,” Paula said. “But we didn’t come all this way to talk about Cole. We came to celebrateyou. Tell me all about what happens next. Is it more puppies, or do you have a different project after this?”

Hailey had no idea how much any of the Bennetts or the Wegmores actually cared about her career, but they listened and asked questions and otherwise made her feel as though they were genuinely interested in what she had to say. It was such a new experience for her that she talked too much and too long, failing to notice when the Puppy Cup ended and the television switched back over to the Kickoff Cup. In fact, it wasn’t until Julian elbowed her that she realized the game had begun once again.

“That Marshall kid,” he said. “What do you think about his pre-snap cadence? It’s different, but I like the way it gives the offense its momentum.”

“She doesn’t want to talk about football, Julian,” Paula said with a tsk.

“Of course she wants to talk football. What the hell else is she going to do for the next two hours?” Julian stabbed a finger at the television. “He’s good, right? I’ve been watching some of his college footage. He’s not as strong as Cole, and he’s uncertain of his place, but I like his energy. Hewantsit, you know?”

Hailey nodded her agreement. She hadn’t had much time to develop a firm opinion on Marshall’s game play yet, but this seemed as good a time as any to start. She settled into her seat to talk strategy and watch the game with Cole Bennett’s family—a strange cap to a strange day and an even stranger past five weeks.

The seven-point lead dwindled to a one-point lead as the game wore on, and tensions were understandably high. Most of the puppies and children were exhausted by this time, but the fans were holding strong, all eyes glued to the screen.

“Oh shoot!” Regina jumped from her seat and stabbed a finger at the clock. “Mom, look. It’s six thirty.”

“What happens at six thirty?” Hailey asked, slightly bewildered as Paula also got to her feet with a nervous start. “We booked this place until midnight. You don’t have to hurry away unless you have somewhere else to be.”

At the look that passed between Regina and her mother, Hailey blushed and added, “Oh dear. You have somewhere else to be, don’t you? And I’ve been keeping you all this time.”

It was just like her to monopolize someone else’s family for hours on end, to cling pathetically to the idea that she was the most important thing in the Bennetts’ life—and on Kickoff Cup day of all days.

“He’s probably jumped into the harbor by now,” Regina said, ignoring her.

“Or ripped all his beautiful hair out,” put in Sam.

“Nonsense. He’d never do anything to hurt his hair.”

This last one came from Cole’s mom, who grabbed Hailey by both hands and pulled her up. “I’m so sorry. We were supposed to tell you half an hour ago. Cole’s waiting for you out in his car.”