Sidney’s sincerity and politeness threw everyone for a loop. He was the heir of the prestigious Pauley family, with exceptional medical skills. People would bend over backward just to get an appointment with him.
Sidney didn’t need to kiss up to anyone. He was sitting pretty at the top of the food chain. But here he was, rolling out the red carpet for the Kelleys.
The guy who’d been all high and mighty earlier, giving them the bum’s rush, was totally stunned. He was about to
pipe up to save his skin when Sidney shot him a look that could curdle milk.
“Beat it, you’re not wanted here anymore,” Sidney snapped. With just that, he straight-up fired the dude.
Floored by Sidney’s boss move, Thalia and Eric looked at each other, then both stared at Tiffany, as if asking, “Whoa, how do you know this guy? What’s going on? Is he on our side?”
Tiffany didn’t know what to say. She was as lost as they were she and Sidney were barely on cach other’s radar. They’d crossed paths just once before. So she had no idea why Sidney was suddenly playing Mr. Nice Guy.
She could only think of one explanation – it had to be because of Richard. That was the only thing that made sense.
Following a hunch, Tiffany looked up. A guy was leaning against the wall in the opposite hallway. Tall and lean, with a mysterious and elegant vibe about him.
Even though she could only see his back, she could feel the power radiating off him in waves, an invisible force keeping everyone at arm’s length.
As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Richard spun around. Their eyes locked, and he flashed her a subtle smirk.
Tiffany’s brain pretty much short-circuited. This guy was next-level gorgeous. Perfect face? Check. That “I’m too good for you, but you want me anyway” attitude? Double-check. He had this lazy “I woke up this” swagger that was just… ugh. What girl wouldn’t turn into a like puddle around him?
Tiffany snapped out of it and turned to Sidney. Thanks a lot, Mr. Pauley. Mind giving my mom a check-up?” Then she gave Eric a little nudge. “I gotta hit the ladies’ room. Eric, stick with Mom, okay?”
Tiffany was zooming-off when Thalia called out, “Hey, wrong way! The ladies’ room is in the opposite direction.”
Sidney chuckled and started herding them along. “Alright, Mrs. Kelley, let’s go. We’ll head to my office and get to the bottom of what’s bugging you.”
Tiffany rushed to the other hallway and bam – there was Richard, still leaning languidly against the railing. The overhead lights were doing him all kinds of favors, softening that jawline that could cut glass. He looked like he’d stepped right out of a magazine cover. Tiffany sidled up to him and mumbled, “Hey, uh, thanks again for having our backs.”
Richard glanced at the girl who’d just parked herself beside him. She was still catching her breath from her little jog, cheeks flushed pink. Talk about an accidental glow-up! And those eyes? They were practically sparkling.
Richard’s eyebrow arched as he teased, “Don’t tell me you tracked me down just to ask about dinner again.” He really emphasized that “again, making sure she couldn’t miss it.
Tiffany rubbed her nose, feeling caught red-handed. Clearly, Richard had a memory like an elephant. She’d floated the dinner idea a couple of times before, but always left it hanging. Now it looked like she was backed into a corner.
So, any plans for tomorrow?” she asked, sweet as pie.
Richard was pretty pleased she didn’t hit him with the “uncle” thing this time that always got under his skin. “Why wait? Let’s grab dinner tonight,” he said, jumping at the chance.
Tiffany thought about it for a sec, then nodded. “Yeah, sure.” After they sorted out the when and where, she couldn’t help but ask, “By the way, what brings you to the hospital today?”
Richard pointed at his stomach. Then it clicked for Tiffany – back when she’d turned back the clock, Richard had been seriously injured, even if he didn’t let on. Guess they’d hushed it up good, because she hadn’t heard a peep about it.
Tiffany caught the drift that this was hush-hush, so she didn’t dig any deeper. “Well, I’ll catch you later then. I’d better get going.” She gave a quick wave and hurried away.
As her delicate frame vanished from sight, Richard’s eyes glazed over, lost in thought.
Just a few days ago, he’d helped her track down Stan. He’d also got his guys to keep tabs on her without her knowing. He was kinda curious about what she was really after.
The results caught him off guard, but in a way, he wasn’t too shocked. This girl wasn’t straightforward as she looked. She had some serous depth, enough to keep even him guessing.
By the time Tiffany got back to Thalia, Sidney had already finished the check-up.
–
Good news it wasn’t anything major. Just a little low on blood, which meant her brain wasn’t getting enough oxygen. Sidney wrote her a prescription and said, “Get plenty of rest, and come see me again in a month for a follow-up.”
Tiffany and Thalia gave Sidney a big thanks, then headed out.
On the ride home, Thalia piped up, “So, Tiffany, what’s the deal with you and Mr. Pauley? He seems like quite the gentleman.”
Eric jumped in. “Mom, you missed it. I saw Tiffany talking to this other guy just now. Talk about good-looking- he was next level!”
Tiffany wanted to zip Eric’s lips. She quickly shut down any thoughts about her and Sidney being arritem. “We hardly know each other. He’s just paying back a small favor I did for his friend a while back.”
She kept mum about Richard, aware that dropping his name would rock Thalia’s world, given his pull in Lovell City.
Thalia let it slide, knowing teen girls and their secrets go hand in hand. She just grinned from ear to ear, bursting with mom pride. “Hey, with a knockout daughter like you, the boys must be falling all over themselves!”
“Exactly!” Eric jumped in, laying it on thick. “My sis is one in a million – she deserves all the best stuff in the world!”
Tiffany cracked up at Eric’s goofiness. The three of them shot the breeze and yukked it up the whole way back.
That evening, Tiffany got all dolled up. She told her parents she was meeting a friend and headed out again. She arrived at the restaurant early, so she decided to wander around for a bit.
As she strolled by a bank, she spotted a middle-aged guy down in the dumps, bawling his eyes out – it was a real heartbreaker. Tiffany almost walked right by, but something made her stop. She hesitated, then took a second look at the man’s face.
She recognized him. It was Caleb Foster, who used to own a creative planning company. His business went under because he ran out of money and his accountant embezzled funds.
On top of that, his 4-year-old daughter needed expensive medical care. He ended up having to sell his company. Even though he tried his hardest, he couldn’t scrape together enough money.
In her previous life, Kenneth had been the one to help out. He bought Caleb’s company an paid off what Caleb owed. After that, Caleb had worked for Kenneth for the rest of his caree
The key thing was that Caleb was really talented. After his first business failed, he worked hard to build the company up again. In the end, he made Kenneth a fortune.
Tiffany’s eyes lit up. This time around, the chips had fallen differently. Lady Luck was smiling on her, serving up Caleb on a silver platter before Kenneth could get his mitts on him. If she didn’t strike while the iron was hot, she’d be shooting herself in the foot.
Tiffany made up her mind in a flash. She marched right up to Caleb and, cutting straight to the chase, flashed a card. “There’s 12 million dollars on this. Want to make a deal?”