Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Her shoulders stiffened, and I recognized the posture. Pride. I’d had a lot of it too when I was her age.
“You don’t have to take it. There are some clothes and household stuff I don’t need. I’ll just give them to Goodwill.”
She relaxed some. “I can take them if you were planning to give them away, anyway.”
“Yeah. I would rather give them to someone I know.” Though I didn’t know her, I hoped it helped my sales pitch.
“Thanks.”
“I’ll drop them by your place or leave them with my mom to give you.”
She nodded just as the bell overhead rang. A trucker walked in. “I’ve got to get back to work.”
The idea blossomed in my chest, and I left feeling good. Paying it forward, just like Sunshine had with me, was now my mission. Only I wasn’t done. I planned to buy a few new clothes and mix them with my old but good ones to give to Amber Raven.
First, I went to the bank and cashed my check. Then I closed my account. There was no way I was depositing Mitchell’s check in our small bank. The town would know my business in minutes. Then, after all of that paperwork was done, I stopped at the small boutique in town. It was part thrift store, part consignment shop as well as some new things. I bought a few new things I hoped Amber would like. The boutique didn’t sell the latest fashions, just the basic things that wouldn’t ever go out of style.
I was practically skipping to Avery’s jeep when I was done. It felt good to be able to give. I was putting the bags in the back when the customer who’d been in the diner came out. I’d only given her a passing glance when I heard the jingle on the door. I was poised to open the driver’s side door when she walked directly up to me.
“You’re Haley.”
I didn’t want to be rude, but the way I grew up, you were wary of strangers. “Who’s asking?”
“I’m Caroline. Agan’s sister.” They didn’t look alike, not really. She was slender and tiny, with delicate features. She wasn’t classically beautiful like her brother, but she was a striking woman. Her hair was bluntly cut above her shoulders, as if she was making a statement that she was more than a pretty face.
All the air left my lungs. “What do you want?” I tripped over my words and hated that she could see how unnerved I was.
“With my brother in the hospital, Dad sent me here to wrap up a few things.”
Now that I was really paying attention, I could make out her accent, which was different from her brother’s. It wasn’t quite Scottish. I wasn’t sure what it was. Probably something native to the island where they lived.
“Is he okay?” As much of an ass as he was, I couldn’t help but worry about his health. If nothing else, I was certain he was in the hospital because he had saved me by not drinking the last of our water.
“He’s doing better.”
Okay, that stung. He was doing better, yet he hadn’t contacted me. While I’d been in the bank, I’d looked through all the messages I’d gotten after losing my phone. There had been none from Agan.
“That’s good,” I said. “I have to go.”
“Before you do…” She pulled out a large envelope. What was up with these today? “Though I’m here at my father’s request,” she began formally, “my brother wanted me to give you this. Inside is a check for what you are due from the trip.”
“But I didn’t work.”
“Maybe not, but if you were an employee, you would have been awarded compensation for a work-related injury.”
“I don’t want it.” I didn’t want anything from Agan except maybe an explanation and apology.
“You are welcome to do with it as you wish, but I can’t take it back. Also, there is a job offer inside.”
I stiffened. “What?”
“He wants you to work with him.”
“Tell him no,” I said, cutting off what she might have said next.
“I can tell him that, too. But you should review the offer. It’s a good one.”
“The answer is still no.”
She didn’t give up, stubbornly holding the envelope in my direction. I finally took it because I needed to get out of there.
“I can see why he’s impressed with you.”
As much as I wanted to dive deeper into what that meant, I needed air. I thought I’d made peace with the idea that Agan was an asshole, and he’d gone and done something like this. I didn’t wait and got in the car. I could have asked her about his fiancée, but she’d report back to him. I didn’t want him knowing I cared enough to ask.
I was pulling out when I was flagged down by someone else.