“That’s incredible,” Blair said. “I think my husband and I could have used something like The Ford Method when we were reconciling our marriage. Tell me a little about your personal coaching? What drew you to venture into that?”
“I love that you mentioned reconciling with your husband, because that’s a huge part of what I do. Life gets hard. It’s stressful. There are stressors that come out of nowhere that can rip a relationship apart. I love relationship coaching because I can come alongside couples or an individual and give them practical advice and encouragement. I’m not a therapist or a psychologist. I don’t claim to be. I’m also not a judge. I’m an objective friend who cares deeply about your relationship. I will do my best to call you out when you need it, encourage you, provide practical steps to foster connection, and point you to reputable professional resources if they’re needed.”
“I think we could all use a friend like that,” she said. “Relationships are hard work.”
“The word I constantly repeat throughout the twelve week Ford Method program is ‘intentional.’ Like anything you pursue in life, you have to be intentional about relationships. Luck is finding your person. Anyone can be lucky. But you have to be ready to seize the opportunity. You have to be ready for that single moment of serendipity.” I laughed. “When I was younger, my mother would say, ‘Get yourself right’ when I was misbehaving. The BetterYou program helps people get themselves right. It helps them get to a place where, when luck happens, they can receive it. The Ford Method helps them nurture that connection into something long-lasting. And when they need more advice, I’m ready to talk.”
Blair’s smile turned devilish. “For the viewers and listeners tuning in, before Ryan and I started recording, we went through the rundown. What I’m about to ask has been given his stamp ofapproval, so keep your comments about me ambushing him to yourselves.”
I knew exactly what was coming.
“Let’s go back to a few months ago when you had a very public confrontation with romance author Willow Winslet, and you challenged her to test out The Ford Method. That’s quite the throw-down. What made you make that dare?”
I just shook my head. “It wasn’t a dare. I was chasing luck.”
Blair’s eyebrows lifted.
“Willow and I ran into each other the night before that panel. I had never believed in love at first sight until that moment.” My heart seized. “Seeing her on the stage the next day was the biggest stroke of luck I’ll probably ever have in this lifetime. I would have done anything to get five more minutes with her, including but not limited to challenging her in public.”
Blair laughed. “So, you’re saying it wasn’t a publicity stunt?”
“It wasn’t a publicity stunt. She and I are both very competitive. It actually took quite a bit of convincing and a very expensive flower arrangement to get her on board with it after the conference.”
“Your twelve weeks are up. Give us the Cliff’s notes. How did it go?”
I took a deep breath. “I had all these big plans of how I was going to pull out all the stops and make her fall in love. And then someone very important to her passed away unexpectedly. We did a 1,500-mile road trip after knowing each other for only a week, then spent two and a half months in her hometown in Kansas.”
Blair’s eyes widened in shock. “That’s pretty intense.”
“Life happens when you least expect it. You have to roll with the punches. Sometimes those punches land and knock you out. She needed someone in her corner, and I was honored to be that one.”
“Where are you two now? Still together? Figuring things out? Madly in love?”
I forced a light laugh to ease the tension I felt inside. Because I didn’t have an answer.
“For the last few months, I got to be in her orbit while she wrote her next book. She’s brilliant. The one thing that she repeated over and over again when I asked about what she was writing was that romance novels are required to have a happily ever after. If they don’t, it’s not a romance.”
Blair nodded.
“But sometimes a story can’t be told in just one book. My story with Willow isn’t over yet. So, for now, I’ll have to leave everyone listening on a cliffhanger.”
37
RYAN
THE DARE
Asparkle emoji.
Willow had left a comment on a social media post from Blair Dalton’s podcast with a teaser for the episode I had been on. And it was a single sparkle emoji.
What the hell was this woman up to?
The tightness in my chest that I was certain was an impending heart attack began to ease. I hadn’t felt this light since before Bev walked into the house and spilled the truth about Shep.
I blinked and looked at the emoji again just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. No, it was there. Plain as day.
Followers had latched on to the comment and were pestering her to death about what it meant. The comment itself had almost as many likes as the post did. Too bad for them; she had probably already logged out.
