Page 31 of Always Be an Us

It takes me a second to make sense of what they’re saying. "Wait, you mean he covered my Grandpa's bill?"

"Yeah. Paid for the whole thing. Told me to put his card on file too in case you need something else."

"But that’s..." I’m too stunned to speak or even think of an adjective to describe what he just did.

"Yeah." The nurse grins as though she can hear my thoughts, then turns to the younger woman. "And of course, he’s not her boyfriend. Ain’t nothingboyabout him. That is a man."

I shake my head slowly, still in shock. "He's not my man."

"You sure about that? 'Cause not to be nosy but we saw you guys hugging earlier."

"Yeah, but that was...he's just a friend," I finally land on.

The nurse doesn't look like she believes me. "Whatever he is hon, I hope you keep him around."

"Yeah. Anyway, thanks for letting me know." I walk away conflicted.

Declan paid the hospital bill.

He's trying to pay for the surgery, too.

I stop in the middle of the hallway, rendered still by my amazement.

On one hand, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

On the other hand, I feel burdened with a weight of another kind. One big question runs through my mind.

Why?

I know Declan is wealthy but that still isn’t a reason. I've seen a bunch of rich stingy people.

And the last thing I said to him before this all happened was that he was a control freak.

I blush just thinking about it.

I’ve not been very nice to him since we met. But he held me and comforted me when I cried. He even brought Grandpa to the hospital. I would have been too much of a wreck if he hadn’t done that, if he hadn’t been there.

Nevertheless, the suspicious part of me has to wonder if this is all part of some sick plan. I mean he kissed me at my doorway with little prompting. And then there’s the heated way he looks at me sometimes, when he’s not being dismissive that is. It’s clear that he’s attracted to me even though he doesn’t want to be.

Is that why he’s paying the hospital bill? So that I’ll sleep with him?

That’s what a lot of the wealthy, older men back in California would do. In college, if you were pretty enough, they would spend obscene amounts on you in hopes of tethering you to them.

Some of them had an almost disturbing penchant for barely-legal girls, I remember with a shudder of disgust.

But I’m not barely legal, and Declan, despite everything, doesn’t seem like the type to pay for it. Plus, even though he’s rude and lacks charm, he’s handsome enough to get women without having to resort to those schemes.

Either way, I can’t just accept this money from him. I have to find a way to pay him back.

I stay with Grandpa for a few more minutes, then I head out.

It’s not hard to find out where Declan is. Hal Rojas mentioned yesterday that Declan set up his office in the guest house at the Pink Hotel. Getting there is the problem. The town bus doesn't go that far. Grandpa's truck isn't great for distances farther than the grocery store.

As I step on the bus outside the hospital parking lot, I mentally run through a list of people who I can ask for help.

I get off at the town center but instead of going to the Tiki Bar, I head right opposite to My Fair Lady Steakhouse.

Lou, the owner, is wiping down tables and moping at the same time when I walk in. The large, Rubenesque beauty glances up, strands of hair escaping from the short, ponytail at the nape of her neck.

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