Page 20 of Hearts of Wealth

For a moment, Regina remained silent, her gaze fixed on me with an intensity that made me squirm uncomfortably. What was she going to do? She was going to lash out. She was going to get a restraining order against me and possibly Timothy. He was never going to forgive me. I was going to lose him.

She looked at her nails once again, a passive expression on her face. “Paisley has been a pain in the ass ever since I brought her back to Europe,” she confessed, her voice tinged with bitterness. “If you think you can handle a teenager, fine. She can come stay with you and Timothy as long as she wants. She can go to a grubby public school if that’ll make her happy. She can hang out with trash and go to a shitty school that will never open any doors for her.”

I was taken aback by Regina’s sudden change of heart, my mind reeling with disbelief. But before I could respond, she leaned forward, her eyes practically shooting daggers at me.

“You’ll never fit in to Timothy’s world, Catherine,” she declared, her tone cold and unforgiving. “You’re doing all of this work for nothing. He’s never going to let you into his world. You’re a piece of ass. You’re his country bumpkin, something to pass the time and poke when he’s in town. He’s going to install someone else in New York. You are nothing but a cheap piece of ass that satisfies some weird fantasy he has about fucking some blue-collar chick.”

I bristled at her words, my resolve hardening in the face of her scorn. She was lashing out. I could take her insults if it got Paisley back to Sleep Hollow. “I don’t need to fit in,” I retorted defiantly. “I only care about Timothy and Paisley. I don’t care what people think about me. I have enough confidence in who I am and what I believe. I know I’m not as refined as you and I couldn’t tell you Gucci from Prada. I don’t care. Honestly, I don’t think Timothy cares either. If he dumps me, then he dumps me. We’ll have to deal with that when it happens. I’m not worried about me. My only concern is for your daughter. I know this is the right thing to do.”

With that, I pushed back my chair and stood up, my heart pounding in my chest as I made my way out of the restaurant. As I stepped out into the bustling street, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. Despite Regina’s warning, I knew that I was doing the right thing. I knew I didn’t fit in to Timothy’s world, but from what I had learned about Timothy, he didn’t fit in that world anymore either. I had to take the win where I could get it. I just hoped Regina was serious about letting Paisley come home.

When I met back up with Amber, she immediately noticed the change in my demeanor. “How did it go?” she asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.

I smiled faintly, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. “It went better than expected,” I replied, my voice tinged with relief. “Let’s head back home.”

“What does that mean?” she asked. “You’re not bleeding and I don’t see blood on you, so I assume it went better than the worst possible outcome, but what happened?”

I gave her a tired smile. “Regina’s letting Paisley come home. Not without a fight, of course, but she’s letting her come home.”

Amber’s eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed suspiciously. “Just like that? She just let go?”

I nodded, replaying the scene in the restaurant in my head. “She’s scared, Amber. She’s losing control, and she doesn’t know how to handle it. So she chose to let go.”

“Are you going to tell Timothy?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “Part of me is worried Regina will change her mind. I don’t want to get his hopes up.”

“But you can’t keep this from him, Catherine,” Amber argued. “He has a right to know. Just in case Regina calls him screaming and yelling about you butting in.”

“I know, I know,” I replied, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “I’ll tell him. But I want to wait until we have a clearer plan. Until we’re sure this is not just another one of Regina’s tricks.”

She nodded understandingly. “I get it. Should we get lunch before we head back?”

“Sure.” I smiled and gestured to her bags. “Find anything good?”

“Yes, I did,” she laughed. “I love shopping here. I got the cutest dress for fall at a consignment store. Rich people’s castoffs are freaking awesome.”

I laughed along with her, appreciating the lightness in our conversation after my heavy meeting with Regina. “I’m glad you found something you liked. Let’s grab a bite to eat and then we can start the drive back.”

We ended up at a small café, ordering salads and cappuccinos. After we finished eating and chatting, we settled the bill and made our way back to the car.