Page 27 of Wishing Stone

“Let’s do one o’clock.”

“Perfect.”

Glancing at the wall clock hanging above the table, I saw it was going on three. I had a few things to add to the Beaumont Jewelers campaign. Sheldon Tremaine, the owner, decided at the last minute that he wanted to increase his budget and do a big push the final three days before Christmas. If I got back to my office now, I just might have enough time to put it together before the end of the day.

Standing from my seat at the table, I was about to excuse myself when my cellphone began to ring. Removing it from my pocket, I saw it was Stone’s Hope. A shiver of worry raced across my skin as I slid my finger across the screen to answer it.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Krystina. It’s Claire. I’m so sorry to bother you.”

“It’s okay, Claire. What’s up?”

“I have an update on Hannah.”

“Okay, shoot.”

“The police are still considering this an ongoing investigation, but they have enough information to issue a warrant for her arrest. I just can’t believe it took them two weeks to move on it. She’s clearly guilty, and I’m happy they’re finally doing something.”

“Hmmm,” was my only reply.

I couldn’t say that I shared Claire’s sentiment. It didn’t make me happy to know a struggling single mother was facing jail time right before the holidays. Just thinking about it caused a tightening in my heart.

Then, without warning, I felt my eyes tear up as I was reminded once again about how her poor child may end up motherless at Christmas. I sniffled and the tears continued to well. I hurriedly wiped the moisture away before Vivian could see.

Damn hormones.

Lately, it seemed like everything made me cry. Even things as simple as dropping something on the floor had me all choked up. And forget Hallmark movies—what a huge mistake that was. Their happily-ever-after tear-jerkers did more than make me tear up. It had taken me hours to calm down after watching the last one, and I’d sworn off their evil writers for good after that day.

Seriously. Didn’t they know pregnant women might be watching?

“Mrs. Stone, are you okay?” Claire asked, snapping me to attention.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I told her, fighting to keep my voice even. “We’ll just have to wait and see what happens with the investigation. Have you contacted Stephen to let him know about the warrant?”

“No need. The police are in direct contact with him. He had an investigator here asking questions a couple of times last week, too. He went through our computers and interviewed the rest of the staff and me.”

“Good. Stephen is reliable and competent. I expect that whoever he sent was thorough. The staff cooperated okay?”

“Yes, of course. And well, speaking of the staff,” Claire said hesitantly. “I didn’t only call to give you an update on Hannah. I have a problem, and I was hoping you could help.”

“Sure. What’s going on?”

Claire sighed. “When the staff found out that we were going to cancel Christmas for the women and kids at the shelter, they became very distraught.”

“That’s understandable. I’m upset by it, too,” I told her sincerely. “It’s not like I want to cancel, but until the investigation is complete, we had to make a choice. It was either keep the heat on or buy Christmas presents.”

“No… it’s more than just that,” she said tentatively.

“Go on. What else is there?”

“They are threatening to quit over it. They know how wealthy Mr. Stone is, and well, they think he should be able to personally fund it, saying it would be a drop in the bucket from someone like him.”

I blinked, taking a moment to absorb her words.

“I see,” was all I said, putting forth considerable effort to keep the iciness out of my voice.

I knew it wasn’t Claire’s fault that the staff had these perceptions. Alexandercouldafford to fund just about anything. That was public knowledge. The staff just didn’t understand the legalities surrounding it. However, when I considered how charitable and giving my husband had been over the years to numerous charities around the city, Claire and the staff had no right to judge him. Alexander may have captivated me from day one, but he was more than just a rich sexy suit. I knew the man inside in ways that others didn’t, and I had fallen in love with his sharp intelligence, ruthlessness, and profoundly generous side.

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