Page 35 of Three to Fall

I blinked. “Really?”

He nodded. “Obviously, I’m not an expert, but we’ve all picked up the basics. Kids learn so quickly, and I think it would be really good for all of them. What do you think?”

I loved he wanted to give up his time to make Hayley Jade’s life a little better. “I think it’s a great idea.”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “So if they okay it, you’ll run the class with me?”

My mouth dried at having to tell yet another lie. But they were both staring at me, waiting for a response. I had no choice but to nod.

Hayden clapped his hands and pushed to his feet. “Great. I’ll call the school about it on Monday then. I’ll see the two of you over at Sinners this afternoon.”

Hawk waved a sleepy hand in his direction, and Hayden squeezed the back of my neck on his way past me. “Love you.”

“Love you too.” But my voice got lost in the sound of the door shutting behind him.

I frowned, but then Hayley Jade was tumbling out of her room and needing breakfast, and the day quickly filled up with tasks that needed to be taken care of before we left to go set up the restaurant.

Hawk and I dropped Hayley Jade off at Rebel’s place, where she was spending the afternoon. We’d determined that this party would be child friendly, at least for the first few hours, despite where it was being held. The doors to the maze would be securely locked when kids were in attendance, and I’d be double-checking them myself.

But Hawk had wanted Hayley Jade there, and War had wanted his kids as well. Hayley Jade was going to meet us at the party, driven in with Rebel and her family.

When we got to Sinners, Grayson’s car was already parked outside, right next to Hayden’s.

Hayden had closed the entire restaurant for the night, but we ignored the sign and let ourselves in, finding Grayson manning a vacuum. He turned it off as I wandered over, and he pulled out headphones I hadn’t even noticed him wearing. He stopped in front of me. “I have news for you. Both of you, actually.”

Hawk raised an eyebrow. “Backing out of our foursome tonight? That’s not news. We all knew you’d chicken out.”

I gaped at Hawk and elbowed him sharply. “Stop it. He doesn’t have to do anything he doesn’t want to do.”

What was I even saying? There wasn’t going to be a foursome. At least not with me in it.

The thought of the three of them being mad enough at my leaving to have a foursome with someone else left me feeling sick.

But that’s what would happen when I left, wouldn’t it? If they read the notes I’d left back in my room and did as I asked, I could be back at Ethereal Eden for months. Years. I had no idea how long it would take to find the evidence I needed.

They’d move on with their lives.

They were smart, attractive men who would have no shortage of women to pick from once I was gone. My stomach rolled at the thought.

Grayson pointed the vacuum at Hawk. “Nice try, but that was not what I was going to say. What I wanted to tell you both was I got a phone call last night, offering both of you a paid position at the hospital.”

My mouth dropped open. “What do you mean? I’m not qualified for anything. Why would they pay me?”

Grayson grinned. “Willa and I have been talking with the hospital board about a sort of paid apprenticeship. You’d study to get your nursing degree—” He glanced at Hawk. “Or your EMT and paramedic qualifications, while getting hands-on experience at the hospital on the days you aren’t studying. It’ll take a little longer for you to complete your degrees but is more fitting for adults who can’t afford to go for long stretches without being paid.” He grinned. “All while the hospital gets slave labor!” He winked. “Okay, cheaper labor.”

“You serious?” Hawk asked. “You actually want to pay us? For what we’re already doing for free? How did you sell that to the hospital board?”

“By telling them you’re a special snowflake.”

Hawk flipped him the bird.

Grayson chuckled and leaned on the Hoover. “We need more staff. You’ve seen how it is down there. And you two actually are special, in that you give a huge amount of your time. But most people can’t do that. And the thing is, we want to keep you, and we know we won’t be able to if we don’t start paying you at some point. The volunteer program never worked. What Willa and I need it to be is an entry position into the medical field. We’ve known that for a long time. We just didn’t make it a priority to get it approved until we had the two of you.” He glanced back and forth between us, his eyes brightly shining with excitement. “So? Are you in?”

Hawk’s smile widened, zero hesitation in his voice. “Yeah. I’m in. Absolutely.”

I wanted to cry with frustration. Why now? Why did everything have to fall into place when it was just inches out of my grasp? “It’s an amazing offer,” I hedged.

But that clearly wasn’t enough for Grayson. His gaze felt like it burned right through me in the same way Hayden’s had earlier. “An offer you’re going to accept, right? If it’s not what you want, I’ll go back to the board—”

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