Getting Over It: Sapphire Falls Book Six (13 page)

God, she was so confused.

Monday morning, she went through her normal routine and arrived at her office just after eight. She even managed to get some work done before Tess knocked on her door.

“Yes?”

“Your eleven o’clock is here.”

Hailey took a deep breath. Ty. She hadn’t been sure he would show for the meeting they’d scheduled on Friday. Before…everything.

She was equally pleased that he was respecting the appointment and nervous that he was here.

“That’s great,” she told Tess. “I’m ready.”

Tess ducked out, and a moment later, Ty strode in through the door.

“Morning, Madam Mayor,” he said with a grin.

Madam Mayor
. He’d called her that a million times over the years, but this time it sounded more intimate. Strange.

She cleared her throat. “Good morning.”

He dropped into the chair in front of her desk. “Thank you for agreeing to see me.”

“You didn’t give me much choice.”

His grin grew and she wondered what he was thinking.

“I’m excited about my proposal,” he said.

The word proposal sent a shiver through her. And not a bad one. A very good one. A warm one. And when he put a typed report in a sapphire-blue plastic report cover on her desk, she felt like an idiot.

He actually had a proposal for something. Not that they get married, but something related to her being mayor.

Which was completely appropriate for a scheduled meeting in her office on a Monday morning.

Great.

“Thank you,” she said. She flipped the report open to the first page.

The Tyler Bennett Triathlete Training Center.

She looked up.

He grinned.

Her heart skipped.

God, that grin. It was as if he was a kid waiting for her to open a homemade Christmas gift he’d made in class or something. His excitement and pride were almost palpable.

She closed the report and folded her hands on top of it.

Okay, she was intrigued.

“I’m assuming all of the tiny details are in here for me to refer back to,” she said. “But I’d like to hear you explain this to me in your own words.” She hated reading reports.

Ty leaned in with his forearms on his thighs and met her gaze. He was excited, but she could see he was also completely serious.

“I’ve been developing a training program for athletes wanting to get into triathlons, or those who want to simply up their performance in one of the included sports. I’ve been outlining all of the things I’ve done in my training over the years, analyzing what I’ve done right, things I should have done differently, and I think I have a unique and effective program written.”

Hailey knew Ty was serious about his training. He didn’t even take time off when she was in town visiting. He continued to run and bike when he was visiting Sapphire Falls. She’d witnessed his eating habits up close. His smoothies were to die for. And she certainly knew the shape his body was in personally. But she knew what he did was effective because he won races. Not because they ever really talked about it.

“Okay,” she said. It sounded like a good plan, but she didn’t know why it warranted a meeting with her.

“I’m bringing the program here. And I’m building a state-of-the-art training facility.”

Hailey listened with growing trepidation as Ty outlined his plans for the facility, including use by the town as a fitness club, as well as using his new house as a boardinghouse for athletes coming in and hiring locally for everything from construction to maintenance.

He was bringing this program to Sapphire Falls. He was going to build a training center
here
. A training center. A huge building with his name on it and he was going to spread the word nationally.

“I’m contacted all the time by athletes who want advice or mentorship. I’ve had coaches bring me in for workshops and such. But I want to do more. Reach more people and bring something back here to Sapphire Falls. It will bring people to town,” he said. “Along with some sports media attention, at least at first. Then as our trainees go out and start winning and talking about the program here, we’ll have even more attention and more interest.”

Hailey studied Ty. He hadn’t paused for more than a couple of seconds throughout his presentation and she marveled at how much thought and enthusiasm he put into this.

He’d been planning this for a while.

This was even bigger than she’d realized last night. He’d said he was done competing, but this…if he put money into this, if he announced publicly to the national sports media and his sponsors that he was doing this, he’d have to announce that he was done racing. He couldn’t take that back. He would really be done.

She couldn’t let him do this on a whim during a period of emotional crisis.

He needed to get his body healthy first. Then he needed to look at his options. Carefully and rationally.

She wouldn’t accept a marriage proposal brought about by this accident and physical injury, and she wouldn’t accept a business proposal for the same reasons.

“Well, I can tell you that the city doesn’t have enough money or land available for something like this,” she said, putting finality in her tone.

Ty shook his head. “I met with Levi Spencer this morning. He has agreed to financially back part of the project. I’m also going to allow locals to be investors. It will not only up their engagement in the project and facility, but it will pay them back as things get up and running.”

Hailey wasn’t surprised Levi had agreed. He was a smart businessman, but he also loved quirky ideas that would result in mass entertainment. His family’s business was entertainment. Specifically casinos, but an interesting collection of shows and touring companies as well. A fitness facility may not seem entertaining, but it would have big public appeal and benefit, and bringing world-class athletes to town could be fun.

“What about the land?” she asked. “You’re going to need space.”

Ty nodded. “We’ll make a very generous offer to a couple of the local landowners and see what they say.”

“You seem to have thought this through.”
Dammit.

“It’s a reality that professional athletes can’t be professional athletes forever,” he said reasonably. “And you never know when something might happen that can change it. You have to be ready for it. And I was.”

Nope. She didn’t believe that. She bought that he’d put a plan in place, had been thinking about this as a go-to idea down the road. What she didn’t buy was that he was ready for it now.

Ty liked to be the best and he had enough ego to believe that he was
always
the best. But he got a rush from proving it. He loved having people underestimate him.

She’d just never seen him underestimate himself.

Studying his face and listening to him so calmly tell her that his whole life was now different and he was fine, Hailey realized that she might be exactly the person he needed right now. She could stir him up, fire his competitive nature. There was no way he was ready to be done. He might be talking himself into being ready, telling himself it was fine, throwing himself into this new project so he could
be
fine. But he wasn’t. Not really.

“You’re giving up.” She made sure to put a touch of disappointment in her tone.

“Not giving up. Changing my focus.”

“Because you can’t win anymore,” she said. “Easier to stop doing it and blame it on your newfound goals for happiness and fulfillment than to lose, I suppose.”

He frowned and Hailey felt a thrill of
I know you
.

“If there isn’t even a chance that I can be on top, I’m not sure what the point is.”

She nodded. “You’re probably right.”

“Not competing isn’t the end of my world.”

“Okay.”

His frown deepened. “I mean that.”

She knew he
wanted
to mean it. “It sounds like you have all of these plans firmly in place.”

“I do.”

“Then good luck with it.” She slid the report back across her desk to him.

“You don’t even want to look at it?” he asked, still frowning.

“I don’t need to. You have several steps to complete before you’re to the point where you need permits.”

“That’s the only reason you’re interested?” he asked. “Because I’ll need to come to the town for permits?”

“Is there another reason you
want
me to be interested?” she asked.

He looks good.

The thought hit her all at once and seemingly randomly.

Ty always looked good. He was a very good-looking guy. He oozed charm and sexiness. And of course, she could hardly look at his mouth or hands or ass or…any of him without recalling how those parts felt under her hands and mouth and against her body.

But there was a confidence about him she hadn’t seen before. It was hard to imagine Ty being
more
confident than usual. But his trademark cockiness was different than this assured air.

And now he also looked ticked off that she wasn’t responding with enough enthusiasm.

She would be enthusiastic about it, if she could look at it objectively and only as the mayor of Sapphire Falls. But of course, she was all discombobulated when it came to Ty and she was being anything
but
objective.

She didn’t want it to be easy for him to leave competition, the thing he loved and had dedicated so many years to, the thing that brought him so much reward.

“There
is
another reason I want you interested,” he said.

“What’s that?”

“You’re my girlfriend.”

He was just going to lay that out there. Hailey took a deep breath. “What you mean is, you expect special treatment because we’ve slept together.”

“What I
mean
,” he said, his voice dropping to a near growl, “is that I expect you to give a shit about something that matters this much to me.”

Hailey was a pro at keeping her cool no matter what, at not letting people see when they were getting to her. But this was Ty. And he not only got to her, he would keep it up until he got a reaction. Fine, she’d give him a reaction.

She put her hands on her desk and stood. She leaned in. “I care, Ty. Okay? I care. Too much. I can’t approve your plans or tell you to go ahead because I care about you.”

He stood as well, leaning onto her desk and meeting her eyes. “You don’t have to
worry
about me. I’m fine.”

But he
wasn’t
. And she could not shake the need to make sure that he was.

Dammit
.

How had this happened?

They’d spent years with things the other way around. He’d had a crush first and had slowly won her over. He’d taken over at the river that summer they’d first slept together. He’d turned their business meeting in Denver into more. He’d been the one that had said he wanted to keep seeing her.

It had always been about him pursuing her, him caring more about her, him wanting her more.

And somewhere in the midst of him making her feel like a goddess who deserved romance and seduction, he’d become important to her.

It was sad maybe, but Tyler had given her more genuine attention over the years than anyone else had. His unwillingness to give up even in the face of her repeated refusals to get involved had made her feel wanted. Other than election nights, Hailey hadn’t felt wanted a lot. It was her own doing, of course, but there were times when she’d regretted choosing to be the intimidating bitch over the years.

She knew it was her father’s fault in large part. She’d done everything she could to get his attention, to make him proud, hoping that he would want to spend time with her. And he had. In short bursts. Until something else had come along that was more interesting or important. Then she’d have to start all over again doing something he’d notice.

Ty’s unconditional affection, his desire to have
her
attention, the way he seemed to just want to be with her, had filled her up in a way nothing else had. And had made her determined to at least
seem
like the woman he was crazy about.

And, yes, he’d become important.

Moments when she felt insecure about a decision or nervous about a speech or when she had to deliver an unpopular opinion, she would recall Ty telling her she was amazing and strong and any of the other thousands of compliments he’d paid her over the years.

“What are you thinking?” Ty asked. His voice was still low but the angry edge was gone. Now
he
seemed worried.

She shook her head and straightened. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

“The wheels inside that pretty head are spinning so fast I can hear the whirring out here, Hails,” he said.

“I was reeling from relief,” she said, tossing her hair back and giving him a smile.

“Relief?”

“That this move home was not a big romantic gesture that you’re going to spill to the whole town.” She said the words that she
should
mean. “It’s a business venture. That makes so much more sense.”