AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But having a space all our own.
One that didn’t connect to anyone’s else’s home. Which was really unique for me. The first night there, after breaking in a room or two in very fun, sexy ways, I’d made Seeley put on the TV because I couldn’t sleep with all the quiet.
Everything was changing.
And all of it for the better.
It was hard, sometimes, to feel like I wasn’t just dreaming or hallucinating.
Because it was all I’d ever wanted.
And everything I thought I could never have.
“Dr. Stone,” Teddy’s voice called, making a smile tug at my lips.
He always called me that around other people. In private, it was Amaranta. But if we were in mixed company, he always called me Dr. Stone. Which I found really charming. But, then again, pretty much everything about Teddy was charming.
“Hey, Teddy. Is everything okay?” I asked, glancing over toward Christian, trying to gauge from his face what was going on, but he wasn’t looking in my direction.
“Can I get a moment of your time?” he asked, waving toward my office, making me realize that it was weird that he even knew where that was.
“Sure,” I said, following behind him, even glancing around like maybe I’d missed Seeley’s presence somewhere. But he was nowhere to be found. “I didn’t realize you were acquainted with my… bosses, for lack of a better word,” I said, shooting him a smirk since he knew all about how underfunded and understaffed the clinic was, having heard me mention it a couple dozen times already.
“I wasn’t,” Teddy said, sitting down on the chair in front of my desk. “Not until very recently, anyway. And if I am being honest, it hasn’t exactly been a pleasure.”
“Yeah, I know that feeling. I’ve grown to like Christian since he’s been sticking it out working here, so I get a day off. But the other two…”
“Just like the world to know they are doing something out of the goodness of their hearts.”
“Sure. As long as ‘doing something’ means doing nothing but signing my paycheck and handing over the very tiny contributions they have raised.”
“That’s actually why I’m here, Amaranta,” Teddy said. “I have been… courting this business for a while now.”
“I think it is generous to call this a business. It is more like a charity than anything.”
“That’s true. But it is a good cause. Good enough, in fact, that I decided to make your bosses an offer.”
“What kind of offer?” I asked. “This isn’t really an investment opportunity, Teddy. It’s more of a money pit, if anything.”
“Well, you see, when you start to have the income that I have, your financial planners start to throw around phrases like ‘support charities’ and ‘or you’ll be audited.’ So here I am. Investing in a so-called charity.”
“Teddy, really, you don’t have to do that,” I insisted, shaking my head.
Teddy was a good man.
Beyond good, even.
He was always giving money to some disaster relief, or sending some kid off to college. And, sure, when you were richer than God, I did believe it was your moral responsibility to give back, in fact, it was all of our moral responsibility to do what we could to help others, but I didn’t want him to have to lose money just because he cared about Seeley. And, by extension, me.
“I know,” he agreed, nodding. “I want to. Or I wouldn’t be here. Your bosses, however, are egotistical, small-dick-energy assholes,” he said, making a laugh bubble up and burst out of me.
“Though, I tend to agree that an exception can be made for Dr. Laurier. Whereas Hughes and Miller put on the front of having good hearts, but, in fact, have hollow voids in their chests, Laurier acts like he’s a complete dick, but actually gives a shit.”
“That’s true,” I agreed. “So, they’re being difficult?”
“I wanted to buy them out, but—“
“But then they wouldn’t look like the heroes to their wealthy friends and patients.”
