Page 5 of Before the Night Falls
But being around people nonstop for forty days?
It was out of her comfort zone. She couldn’t keep up her facade for that long . . . could she?
Like it or not, she was about to find out.
* * *
Tyson Stone glanced at the blueprints on his desk and frowned.
He still had a lot of work to do if he wanted to get the school he was building up and running.
He’d vowed not to allow himself any distractions. But when the opportunity presented itself to have a media personality try his Forty Days to a Healthy Life program, it had seemed too good of an opportunity to pass up.
The more publicity his program got, the more sales he received.
That meant he had more money to put into his nonprofit . . . and to fulfill his promise he had made to his dying grandmother.
He’d been so focused on keeping his promise lately that he’d hardly done anything other than work. It was already June, and he really wanted the school to open in just over a year—next September.
Every hour had been taken up with his work lately, despite the fact that his mom often scolded him about his workaholic habits. He preferred to think of it as being driven and focused. He was single and not tied down, so he wasn’t neglecting anyone.
However, if he were honest, he’d admit that his obsession with this project had affected everything.
His social life.
His level of exhaustion.
His relationship with Claire.
The two of them had broken up a few months ago when she gave him the ultimatum: It was her or the school.
Tyson had chosen the school.
That wasn’t to say the decision hadn’t been hard—it had been. Claire was a wonderful woman. But being single was the best way to accomplish what Tyson needed to accomplish right now.
He sighed and glanced at his watch. At any minute, Olivia Montgomery and her crew should be arriving.
He’d seen her clips on TV, and he knew that his life was about to get very interesting.
However, he had his boundaries in place. Even though Olivia and her crew were staying at his house, he wouldn’t let that interfere with his plans. He’d make sure to do the workouts and interviews with her. To fulfill all his obligations.
Then he’d focus the rest of his time on his work.
He couldn’t afford to waste even a moment.
Olivia was certainly interesting. He’d done some quick research on the woman. He knew that she was fun-loving. The kind of woman who drew attention whenever she walked into a room—not just because of her porcelain skin and dark hair, but because of her smile and beguiling personality.
She was the type of person you wanted to have at a party because she brought the fun with her.
But Tyson also knew about her past. Knew about her abduction and escape from a serial killer.
As a former psychologist, he couldn’t even imagine how that trauma had affected her. But on TV, she still seemed bubbly, like she’d bounced back with even more pizazz.
When his publicist had suggested that Tyson work with her on this project, he’d known Olivia would be the right fit. She had the charisma needed to make this story interesting.
For Tyson, his health program was more than just about money. He truly did want to see people transform their lives.
He only prayed that none of his own enemies made this more complicated.
