Page 99 of Forgot to Tell You Something

I bite my tongue so hard I taste blood. Time to get out of here, before I hold one of them down and make them talk. I toss a fifty on the bar, nodding at Dan. “Cover Stefani for the night, too.”

“Thanks.”

I gulp down the last of my beer before turning to Stefani. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not running away, and I’m sure as hell not mad. I love her, and I’ll be there for every single moment. You make certain to tell Tally that message.”

What I really want to scream is that I know Tally is pregnant, but I also don’t want to be wrong. Again. God knows, I suck at reading people lately.

For now, I’ll let it slide.

* * *

Idrive past Tally’s apartment again, but her car is nowhere to be found. I’m out of options.

Time to call it a night.

I notice a car parked in the visitor’s spot when I pull into the parking garage, but it isn’t Tally. It’s a sparkling white Mercedes convertible.

I’m done playing nice. Storming over to the car, I knock on the window with the force of a police officer.

Charlotte jumps, the phone dropping into her lap as her head jerks up. “You scared the hell out of me. Was that necessary?”

“Isthisnecessary?” I counter, drumming my fingers on the roof of her car. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to check on you. Tally seemed very upset earlier.”

“Wouldn’t have anything to do with you mentioning how we are on a break, would it?”

“Aren’t we?”

I bang on the roof of the car, not giving a shit if I leave a dent. “You know damn well we are done.”

“I do now. But, despite any pain that might cause me, I still think this business proposition can behoove you. And Tally.”

“Because of thisbusinessproposition, I have no idea where Tally is, Charlotte. I highly doubt you’re doing anything with Tally’s best interests at heart.”

“May I come up and explain?”

I shake my head, leaning against the concrete column. “No. You can tell me right here.”

“You’re not making this easy, Owen.” She huffs out a sigh when she realizes I’m not caving. I’m being difficult. Obstinate. Both things that Charlotte can’t stand.

Get used to it, sweetheart.

“I’ve done a bit of research on your girlfriend.”

“You’re checking up on her?” My blood boils in my veins. Fucking with me is one thing. Butno onemesses with my tiny vixen.

“Despite what you might believe, I wish her no ill will. But Daddy and I have a vested interest in you. You have an interest in Tally. You see the connection.”

“Get to the point,” I grit out, unsure how much longer I can hold my tongue.

“Since you’re behaving like a barbarian, I’ll give you the lowdown in a parking garage,” Charlotte snaps, waving her hand at the cars surrounding us. “You and I both know that a robotics cath lab is the way of the future. It enables an entirely new playing field for patients and the medical team. But they cost money. A veritable fortune for the facility, the equipment, and the training.”

I nod. This is not new information. The costs are prohibitive, and most hospitals can’t budget tens of millions of dollars for a cardiac cath lab that only one or two doctors can operate. The hospitals that need them the most—inner city and rural—aren’t even in contention. “What does your father suggest?”

“You and I work together to establish another training facility. The first one will open in South Florida. We rustle up funds from the wealthy here and in the West Palm area, network them with our San Francisco connections, and open up avenues for several future locations across the country.”

I hate how good this sounds. The concept of the ultra-rich, all with their eyes on the same prize, is the ultimate aphrodisiac. “What are you going to offer? Naming the facilities after the largest donors?”

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