Page 87 of The Billionaire's Wife

“Not really? I just got off the phone with a federal attorney.”

“Oh.” Faith blew out a breath. “Hang on a sec.”

After a few seconds, she came back. “Sorry about that. I ducked into the break room.”

“You’re not alone there, right?”

“No. Megan’s still hanging out the whole day. I thought the point of hiring me was so she didn’t have to work every possible hour, but so far, she’s here not long after I open and just hangs out. Well, that’s not completely true. She does office work and some of the stuff that she says she was getting behind on. Anyway, she took the front for a few minutes for me. So tell me.”

I took a second to filter through everything Faith had said and analyze the tone. She didn’t seem annoyed by Megan being there, so I’d leave it alone. It’d be nice for Faith to make friends with the rest of the group on her own. I wanted her to fit in. To meld, like so far everyone had. So this was good. I cleared my throat and summarized the calls. “So, all told, Allison has it under control, but it may not go away as quickly as I’d hoped.”

“Okay. Don’t get mad.”

“Faith. You know nothing good ever comes after a statement like that.” I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“No. I know. And I also pretty much know this is a dumb idea, but I have to say it.”

I shut my eyes. “Okay?”

“Should I leave? Just go? It would fix all of this for you. And okay, sure, I’d still have the Ortegas to deal with but they were never your problem in the first place. I hate that they are, now. I can walk away if you need me to.”

Her words stabbed like a hundred little knives into my soul. “You can?”

“If you need me to.”

“That’s not what I want.” I wanted her to want to stay. Would we ever get there, or should I give in and cut my losses? I’d thought—hoped—that the time we’d spent sharing my room would have helped her see what it could be like. Honestly, my parents had only left because they said, and I’d agreed, that things were looking up.

“It’s not what I want, either.” She paused. “Did you think it was?”

I paused. “Yeah, actually. You keep offering. So…”

“I’m sorry. That’s not what I’m trying to do. I want to make your life easier. I…care about you.”

Some of the tightness in my chest that had been building eased. “My life is easier, and better, with you in it.”

She laughed. “That seems impossible, but it’s a nice thing to say. Thank you. You’re really not worried about this?”

I hadn’t said that. At all. The truth was that I was worried. But I also knew worrying wasn’t going to change anything. Was it better to be honest about that? Honest was always the right choice, according to my parents. Their marriage had lasted a long time. “I’m worried. But I’m trusting that God is going to work things out. Or I’m trying to, at least. We’ve taken the right steps. We’re praying for Him to make it clear what the next steps are. That’s all we can do.”

“Okay. You’re right. It’s hard.”

“Yeah. It is.” I leaned back in my desk chair. “What time do you get off tonight?”

“Six.”

“I’ll swing by and pick you up. Let’s go out to eat.” Saying it made it sound even better. In fact, maybe I’d see if I could get us a table somewhere fancier than the places in town.

“That sounds nice. But not Italian, okay? We did that on Friday, with the girls, and I may never look at baked ziti again.”

I chuckled. The portions at the Italian place in town were notoriously huge. I always reminded myself to take half home. Because they were also delicious, and I wanted to finish the plate, even though it left me hurting. “Steak?”

“I like steak.”

“I’ll get us a reservation.”

“Reservation?” Her voice took on a twinge of panic. “I’m not dressed for—”

“Don’t freak out. I’ll handle it.” If it meant I had to buy her something to change into and take it with me, well that was just fine. In fact, it might be fun to do. She’d enjoyed shopping in Paris, but hadn’t really bought much. Just two outfits. Even then, she’d dithered because of the price tags. “Trust me?”

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