Page 55 of The Billionaire Benefactor

“He tells me everything.”

“Oh, well…no. I’m not sure. It felt like things were moving too fast. But I also hate this.”

“Why not slow things down instead of taking a big break and pushing him away?” He held two hands up. “I should be the last person you ask about relationship advice. But I know Roman, and I can see how he feels about you.”

Jenny shifted on her feet, thinking about this. It had been so hard to tell Roman that she needed space and time to pray. It had only been a week and it felt like too long. More than once she’d almost broken down and called him to come see her. Lucy and Matt even asked about him. So did her parents. She didn’t have a great answer for them. Even her prayers had shifted. She had been praying over the list of hesitations she had about the relationship. Oddly, over a few days of praying, she felt a growing sense of peace about each of her worries, as though God were wiping them away. The circumstances were the same, but she didn’t have so much anxiety.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” she said. “It felt right at the time. With my kids and the whole situation. And then his mother—”

“What did his mother say? She is a lovely woman, but like many mothers, can be totally overbearing.”

“She said that Roman sometimes confuses helping people for really caring about them. That his loyalty to me was probably just stemming from the fact that I needed help. Not that he really cared.”

Blake tugged at his ponytail. “She said that? Wow. I don’t think Roman knew that. Did you tell him?”

Jenny shook her head.

“As someone who knows Roman really well, he is not confused about his feelings for you. It’s not some weird sense of hero complex or whatever. He feels very strongly for you. Because of you. Not because you need help. Whatever his mom said. Not true. The fact that he was willing to wait. Sending us to help. Paying off your husband’s mistress. All of that just shows—”

“Wait, what?” Jenny felt like her heart stopped. A clear and sudden rage began to bloom in her chest. “Did you say that he paid off Hank’s mistress?”

Blake’s mouth hung open and he tried to back pedal. “Oh, um, he said that you needed help with a situation concerning your late husband’s mistress. And that he helped take care of it. I’m not sure of the exact details…”

Jenny crossed her arms. “He said he was going to have his lawyer contact her. And when I asked him about it, he made it sound like he never did. She called me today asking for money, acting like she knew that I had money to give. I guess that’s because Roman paid her off?”

Blake held up his hands. “Look, I’m not sure what exactly happened. Maybe you should talk to Roman…”

“Maybe I should.” Jenny stomped off down the hall to her bedroom and pulled out her phone.

She opened her phone, seeing the messages she’d just sent to Roman. He still hadn’t texted back and she wished that she could somehow erase what she’d sent to him.

This reminded her of that first day she’d met him, when he’d showed up all wrong on her doorstep, wanting to just throw money at her and have a photographer document the whole thing. Paying Amanda had been secret, not public, but it was kind of the same thing. He was making plans on his own that involved her without asking what she even wanted. And he had all but lied when she mentioned that Amanda hadn’t called her again. He didn’t say that he had contacted her and given her money.

Now that she thought Jenny had money, she might not ever stop calling. Jenny dialed Roman.

“Jenny? Hey! Everything okay?” He sounded out of breath, like he’d run to the phone.

“Not really, Roman. I just got a call from Amanda this morning, asking for money. More money. She said she knew I could afford to pay it. This was really confusing to me until Blake mentioned that you paid her off. Care to explain?”

She could almost hear him thinking about how to answer this question. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know how you’d react. I had my lawyer contact her and offer her a payment to leave you alone.”

“Roman! How could you do that and not tell me? I specifically said not to give her money. It didn’t work, obviously, because now she’s calling me for more money, thinking that I actually have some!”

“I’ll take care of it,” Roman said. “The contract we wrote up said she’d have to pay back the money with interest if she ever called you again. She’s in breach of the contract. If she’s asking for more money, it means she’s likely wasted what she had and wouldn’t be able to pay back that money. My lawyer will let her know the consequences if she ever tries to talk to you again.”

“The issue isn’t just Amanda thinking I have money. It’s that you did something without my permission. Something I said not to do. And when I told you a few weeks ago that she stopped calling me, instead of telling me why she stopped calling, you just were silent. Like it was a happy accident and not something you did behind my back. Now you’re going to have to take care of this. But I’m not sure that I trust you to.”

“I don’t understand,” Roman said. “You’re happy that I can help you, but you’re mad too? Pick one, Jenny. Take my help or leave it. I’ve told you I’d wait for you, even though you said you couldn’t promise anything. I said I would respect your wishes and stay away, so I sent my friends to help you move. And then you’re sending me messages like you still want me there. Which is it? What do you want from me?”

Jenny’s eyes burned with tears. He was right. Yes, he should have told her what he did with Amanda. But she was sending him mixed signals all over the place. She wanted him, but didn’t feel like she could commit to him, but hoped he’d hang around just in case she felt like she could. That wasn’t fair to him.

“I want you to not wait for me,” she said. “I’m not sure what I was thinking, but that just seems like a bad idea all around.”

The silence killed her. Finally Roman spoke up in a flat voice. “I’ll do that, then. If that’s what you really want.”

Want? No. Need? Yes.

“I’m sorry, Roman,” she said. “Thank you for the all the help. Goodbye.”

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