Page 96 of No More Heartbreakers

“Let’s go, okay?”

He grinned his agreement, looking absolutely thrilled. “Great.”

I lifted my coat from my chair back, shivering already, and Hale helped me put it on like the gentleman he was.

I’d had only one glass of wine and a sip of champagne, but I nearly staggered down the sidewalk to where Hale had parked his car, dazed by my own idiocy.

How could things have gotten so out of hand? How could Hale’s mindset be so opposite from my own?

How could I not have realized it? Had our communicationalwaysbeen that bad?

The weight of what I had to do next was bone-crushing. As soon as we were away from other eyes, I’d have to straighten this out andhopeit wasn’t already too late.

Our happy table-neighbor might already be posting or Tweeting the photo she’d taken of us. I could see it now.

Fun surprise at dinner tonight. News anchor Heidi Haynes got engaged! #happycouple

Hale opened the passenger door for me then went around to the back of his car to store the corked champagne bottle in the trunk for the ride.

When he joined me in the front seat, he slid his phone into his pocket.

Oh no.Please tell me he didn’t just call his family and friends to give them the “happy” news.

I put my hand on his arm. “Did you just call someone?”

“No. I had the restaurant manager record the proposal. I was just sending the video to your station. I called your boss before I picked you up and told her I was going to pop the question. I offered to give her the video for the news. She seemed really excited.”

He looked at his wristwatch. “I hope it got there on time. Dinner took longer than I expected. Looks like the newscast just started.”

“Did you… you sent the video to thestation? To put on the news? Tonight?” My heart seized.

“Yeah? Why? Are you upset? Is it too personal?”

Grabbing my own phone, I frantically dialed the newsroom number, even though I knew no one would answer now that the news was on. It rang and went to the station’s recorded message.

Of course. I hung up and tried Janet’s number, but naturally, she was on the set, doing the news.

Sugar. Sugar, sugar, sugar!

I hadn’t even had a chance to talk to Hale about his surprise proposal yet—more specifically how I couldn’t actually accept it—and it was about to be seen by all of WPVG’s viewers.

And possibly by Aric.

I turned off my phone and dropped it into my lap. I’d let too many things get in the way of full communication with Hale, and it had led to this disaster.

But oh God,howto tell him?

My hands covered my face as I tried very hard not to hyperventilate. I could only hope the station hadn’t gotten the video in time to put it in the kicker slot at the end of the newscast.

“Heidi? You okay, sweetheart?”

I shook my head, tears already squeezing out through my fingers. Hale’s warm hand settled on my back.

Instead of comforting me it only made me feel worse.

“What’s the matter? Little overwhelmed? It’s okay—we can take it slow—we’ll have a long engagement,” he offered, sounding worried.

It was high time to stop blubbering and start talking. “No. No Hale, it’s not okay.”

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