Page 66 of Billionaire Corruption

I couldn’t remember what the coffee shop looked like inside. I hadn’t looked at the walls, not that closely anyway.

“Yeah, that might be a good idea.”

“And we could get new tables?”

I could feel myself being drawn into the conversation, making plans for the coffee shop.

“The window area could be a kind of counter you know, like they have at Manellos?”

“Right, with the hanging plants!”

It was a kind of game we were playing, where he moved one piece and I moved another and we were moving ahead, away from the danger and towards something positive, more attainable.

“I’m serious, Grace,” he suddenly said. “I don’t need this job. I don’t need any of this. What do you say, will you come with me, run the coffee shop with me?”

I knew I needed to think about it, that I shouldn’t react with my gut, simply rush in.

“It sounds so lovely,” I said slowly.

“But don’t you think, they will find us there?”

“Who will find us?”

“I don’t know what I mean,” I said honestly. “But whatever is going on at Ladden, you can’t just run away. They won’t let you.”

For a long time, he didn’t say anything.

Finally, resigned to it, he said, “You’re right, I guess.”

“Because you know stuff, don’t you?”

Again, there was a long pause.

“Paul?”

“Yeah?”

“You do know stuff, right?”

A deep sigh and then he admitted, “Yeah. I mean, obviously. I don’t want to get into all of that over the phone though,” he gave a little chuckle. “Who knows who’s listening.”

“Do you want to come here, I don’t know, for a visit?”

“We could talk, try the muffins at this place down the road? Maybe steal the recipe for the coffee shop?”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” he said.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said, sounding more upbeat determined than he had during the entire conversation.

And, in spite of everything, I was happy knowing I was going to see him tomorrow.

Chapter 26

Paul

I left the city early in the morning, knowing it was a long drive to New Hampshire.

As I drove, my mind wandered to all kinds of places, mostly to the past, as if I was trying to find the turn-off that had brought me to this crossroad in my life. I couldn’t help but feel that I had somehow lost my way. For such a long time, I’d been convinced that I was on the right path, doing what I should be doing. But the past few weeks had been a rude awakening. This was not what I had signed up for.

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