Page 67 of A Christmas Duet

“Seattle,” the entire room echoed.

“I need to find and talk to Jay.” It was a crazy idea, completely nonsensical, and yet Hailey knew this was exactly what she needed to do. Waiting a moment longer was impossible. She didn’t want to work with some huge conglomerate. If anyone was going to produce her music, she wanted it to be Cantor Music.

Her mother looked more confused than ever. “Is he the young man you were with the night your father and I arrived?”

Hailey smiled. “Yes, that was Jay.”

“But, Hailey,” her sister protested, “the day’s already more than half gone. Wouldn’t it be better to wait until morning and head out then?”

Her sister had a point; this was a ridiculous idea. “Perhaps,” she reluctantly agreed. However, now that she had made her decision, the urgency to speak to Jay made it impossible to remain where she was. Talking some sense into him burned like a fire in her belly.

“Do you even know his Seattle address?” Daisy asked.

“No,” Hailey hedged, beginning to realize her sister’s concerns were valid. “I’ll need to ask Thelma.”

“It wouldn’t be right to interrupt the Cantor family Christmas for an address,” her mother pointed out.

“I doubt Thelma would mind,” Daisy inserted. “Before you and Dad arrived, Jay’s mother had invited us to join them for Christmas Day.”

“How thoughtful of her,” Julia said. “But if you’re heading into town and have a phone number, couldn’t you connect with Jay without leaving in the middle of Christmas?” She darted a look at Daisy, who was sitting next to Charles. “Do you know what this is all about?”

Daisy shrugged and shook her head. “I haven’t got a clue.”

The idea of reaching Jay with a simple call had already occurred to Hailey. That made far more sense than rushing off with no real plan in mind. But from his abrupt dismissal in their earlier conversation, Hailey doubted he’d pick up. She was positive the best way to convince Jay she knew what she was doing would be to talk this out with him face-to-face.

“You’re right,” Hailey agreed. “I’ll wait until morning and leave at first light.”

Her mother frowned. “I do hope you know what you’re doing.”

Hailey did, too.

A restless half-hour later, Hailey decided to make the trek into town and at least try to reach Jay.

“I’ll go with you,” Daisy offered.

“Thanks, but I’d rather do this myself.” She hated keeping her family in the dark, but for now that was best. This was her decision, and input from her family had the potential to cloud her determination. She was convinced they would steer her toward a bigger agency with a well-established record of success.

The five-mile drive into Podunk seemed to take forever. As soon as she had cell coverage, she pulled over and reached for her phone. As she suspected would happen, Jay didn’t answer. Pressing her head against the steering wheel, she sighed with frustration.

She hated that he assumed he was being noble, giving her the opportunity to sign with a bigger producer. Hailey disagreed. She wanted to work with Jay and no one else.

Sitting inside her car, she knew what she had to do. While she would rather not disturb the Cantor family on Christmas, she needed their help so she could find Jay.

Standing in front of the door, she rang the bell and waited.

Thelma greeted her with a wide smile. “I hoped you’d show,” she said, as she took Hailey by the arm and led her into the family room.

Thelma had hoped? Surely she knew Hailey and Daisy would be spending Christmas with their parents. Jay said he’d updated his mother on their plans for Christmas.

Jay’s sister, Ruth, and her two children and husband were absorbed in playing a board game. Their laughter drifted through the living room. When Hailey entered, Ruth looked up and smiled. “Welcome, welcome,” she greeted, as if she’d expected to see Hailey. “I told Mom you’d show up sooner or later.”

What is going on?Hailey wondered.

Just then Jay walked out of the kitchen. His eyes widened when he saw her and he nearly dropped the plate in his hand. “Hailey. What are you doing here?”

She swallowed as emotion made her chest swell. “It looks like I’m saving myself a trip to Seattle,” she managed. “What are you doing here? I thought you said you weren’t coming back to Podunk.”

Thelma stood next to her son with her hands braced against her hips. “My son promised me he’d spend Christmas with us this year, and no way was I letting him off the hook. A promise is a promise,” she explained. “If I taught this boy anything, it’s keeping his word. He put up a fuss, but in the end I reminded him that a Cantor word is solid.”

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