Hayes made a gagging noise. “This is too weird.”
Hadley picked up a rubber band from his desk and shot it at him. “Don’t be a jerk, or I’ll tell Everly.”
His lips twitched, but all humor fled as he focused back on the task at hand. “I need all the passwords to your accounts. We’ll have to get the admins involved on that app you’re on. But for now, I think you need to stop posting altogether.”
Hadley winced. “I have people who count on those videos to make money.”
“Toby and Jinx?” I asked.
She nodded. “They have a couple of side-gigs, but most of their respective income comes from their cut of my videos.”
Hayes leaned against the wall. “Just how much money are you making on this site?”
Hadley nibbled on her bottom lip. “It’s decent.”
“Hads,” he pressed.
“More than I could ever make as an EMT.”
I blinked a few times. I honestly hadn’t given much thought to the idea that Hadley could be making a living off her hobby. “You didn’t pay for that house with the inheritance from your grandparents, did you?”
When Hadley had bought the property and had her house built two years ago, her family had warned her to be wiser with her money, not to use all of the cash her grandparents had left to her. Hadley had taken their grief without once fighting back.
“No. The inheritance is still in my investment account.”
Hayes stared at his sister. “Why didn’t you say something? We would’ve been proud to know you’d found this kind of success.”
Hadley met his gaze dead-on. “Do you really think that’s how you would’ve reacted? Seeing me diving off cliffs, flipping my bike, doing skate tricks? Or do you think you would all be telling me how reckless and irresponsible I am? Do you think I wanted to hear Mom blaming me for making her sick with worry?”
Hadley pushed to her feet. “I wanted one thing just for me. No judgments from any of you. Something where I could beme. But it looks like I can’t have that, either.” She flicked her gaze to me. “I need some air. I’m going to walk back to the station.”
“Okay,” I said quietly.
The door didn’t slam behind her, but it wasn’t quiet, either.
Hayes sank into the chair that Hadley had vacated. “Hell. There’s so much hurt there, and every time I try to fix it, I make it worse.”
“I know how you feel.” As Hadley had spilled her challenge to Hayes, there had been so much pain in her words. I had been a part of causing that pain. I’d tried to push her to be someone she wasn’t. To be less than she was.
Never again.
26
Hadley
We were mostlyquiet as Calder and I made the drive out of town and towards my house. The sun hung lower in the sky, casting a golden glow over the landscape.
“Did Addie pick up the girls today?” I asked. My mom got them once a week, and I didn’t have it in me to face her today.
“Yup. They’re making dinner right now so it’ll be ready when we get home.”
Home. A war of emotions started up in me at that one word. Warmth at being included in Calder’s world. Frustration that I had to give up my safe space for the foreseeable future. And there was fear there, too. That someone might somehow be watching, even now.
I’d sent Hayes all of my passwords, and he was coordinating with Mason’s team to do some digging into who could be behind all of this. So far, all Mason’s contacts had found were dead ends of burner cell phone numbers and email addresses.
Calder reached over and linked his fingers with mine. The movement brought more comfort than was safe. I should’ve resisted, but I couldn’t help sinking into the feeling. When he returned to the station after our meeting with my brother, he’d kissed me in front of everyone.
The crew had hooted and hollered so loudly, Cap had come running. There had been lots of uttered, “About damn time” and “Keep him in line, would you?” But, overall, I’d felt joy from them all that we’d found our little piece of happy. I just hoped it lasted.