Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
In the end, I closed my eyes and nodded. I swallowed hard against the tears of relief that had risen in my throat. “Thank you, Mr. Stern. Could you tell Sebastian that I appreciate the trust for Ronnie and that I will think this over?”
“I will pass the message to him.”
Jacob spent another few minutes walking me through the information packet that he’d brought, showing me a variety of people I could contact if I had questions about how to use the money, how it was invested, and any tax-related concerns. It seemed like Sebastian had thought of everything, but then it might have also been the problem of my brain being overloaded by the shock of what he’d done.
After the lawyer left, Kaylan lingered for another fifteen minutes. Clearly, he was there to make sure that I was okay and wasn’t about to do anything insane like call someone to have the trust dissolved. My gut response might have been to shove the money away as if it were something dirty, but the more time passed, the more all I could feel was relief.
Ronnie was safe. I could move him to the new hospital, and he’d have access to whatever treatments and medication he needed.
Plus, if I wasn’t worried about paying Ronnie’s bills any longer, I could breathe easier about finding a job. When I did, I might even have enough free now to get Mom in an assisted living facility or at least try to get her in another program to help her sober up. This was more help than I could begin to even understand or explain.
The moment I was alone, I sat on the floor in the middle of the apartment and cried. Big, heaving sobs left me, shaking my entire body until I thought my bones were going to break. I didn’t have a job, but my brother was safe. Part of me wanted to run out and find Sebastian. To hug him so tight and thank him a million times for what he’d done.
But I couldn’t. Things were still such a mess between us. There was no way Sebastian would want me back if he thought for a second it was only out of gratitude. Sebastian hadn’t created this trust to buy my love. That was not his style.
No. It was all too much right now.
Yet…later…after things were quiet and settled, could we really find our way to each other?
24
BYRON GRAHAM
Don’t panic.
Everything is going to be fine.
Just don’t panic.
I’d been repeating this to myself the entire drive up to Blue Ash. The job interview had come out of nowhere. I’d woken up to a phone call from a recruiter asking if I could head to the Stanton Holding corporate headquarters for an interview for a management position that promised a much higher six-figure salary. The only problem was that I needed to be there in ninety minutes. That gave me zero time to research anything about the company.
I rushed through my morning prep, jumped into a suit, grabbed my briefcase, prepped with my résumé and a stack of reputable references, and raced out the door. Of course, morning rush hour heading north was a bear, and I arrived at the shining glass building with less than five minutes to spare.
As I walked into the lobby to find a receptionist or a directory that would point me to the correct floor, my feet stopped as a barrage of rainbows hit my eyes. And not the typical rainbow flags hanging or draped over random surfaces, but subtle things like several bouquets in crystal vases were arranged to form a rainbow. There were a couple of end tables and a coffee table in the waiting area that had a flourish of pamphlets that were fanned out to form a rainbow.
And it wasn’t even June. It was July. Pride month was finished, and they were displaying rainbows. This had to be more than a simple LGBTQIA+-friendly company.
“Mr. Graham?” asked the woman sitting at the round desk in the center of the lobby with a smile on her lips.
“Hello. Yes. I have an appointment with Mrs. Heather Culver.”
“Wonderful. If you would like to have a seat, I’ve already sent her a message that you’ve arrived.”
I nodded and walked to the pleasant seating area with plush white couches and elegant glass tables. The second the receptionist’s attention was on her computer, I leaned in to take a peek at the pamphlets that were set out. One looked to be for a counseling service that specialized in helping parents of LGBTQIA+ children. Another one was for a program to support homeless LGBTQIA+ kids. I was reaching for another when the clack of heels across the marble floor jerked my attention up to the smartly dressed woman walking toward me.
I stood and ran a hand down the front of my suit while tucking my portfolio under my arm.