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ONE
RHIANNON
Rhiannon Foley glanced up from her paperwork as she heard a small thud and yelp coming from right outside of her office. Straightening in her seat, she furrowed her brows, wondering who could have made that noise.
A few seconds later, Gerri Wilder burst into her office with a wide smile. Brushing off the wrinkles in her blazer, she sauntered to the chair across the desk from Rhi and sat.
“So,” Gerri began, clearing her throat. “Are you ready to get some work done? I know I am.”
“Youdorealize you’re thirty minutes late to our meeting. Right, Gerri?” Rhi had a teasing glint to her words that Gerri seemed to catch in an instant.
The white-haired woman scoffed, waving her hand through the air.
“Oh, honey, you should know that I’m a busy woman.”
“I know that, but I would assume that you would put some priority on this project,” Rhi replied, calmly folding her hands across her desk. “It’s my new shelter. Remember?”
“How could I ever forget? You’re an angel for doing this type of work, Rhi. One sent from the heavens above.”
Rhiannon wrinkled her nose. “Where’s all this flattery coming from?” Reaching across her desk for another set of files, she noticed Gerri shrugging in her peripheral vision. “Careful, Gerri. You’re worrying me.”
“Me?” Gerri placed a hand over her chest, eyes widening. “Don’t let little ol’ me get to you. Let’s start. Where are we picking up from?”
Sighing, Rhiannon flicked through the countless documents within the manila folder she held. So many words, so much jargon, and so little time to actually absorb what was being said.
However, she understood the gist of it. Her years as a law student taught her how to skim documents and come away with the main points fairly quickly.
“Well, we still haven’t found a new location for the shelter,” she said, a frown pulling at her lips. “We need a place that’s centrally located since we’re going to be working in the city. At the same time, we need somewhere that’ll fit our budget. We can’t risk bankrupting ourselves by biting off more than we can chew. Are you hearing me, Wilder?”
“Perfectly.” Gerri popped her lips. Then, she rubbed them together for a few more seconds as she observed herself in her handheld mirror. “Those pesky real estate prices, huh?”
“Exactly. They keep skyrocketing.” Rhiannon placed a hand on her forehead, rubbing circles into her temple. “I don’t know how we’re going to find a place at this rate. It seems like every time I find a perfect spot, the monthly price comes along to knock down all of my future plans.”
“The location is non-negotiable,” Gerri replied. “The shelterneedsto be in the city because that’s where it’s needed the most. If you put it too far away, the people who need help won’t get it. And then, our venture will be just about useless.”
“Yeah.” Laughing dryly, Rhiannon shook her head. “Do you see why I’ve started growing gray hairs?”
Gerri hummed softly to herself. Then, her bright eyes lit up with an idea. “I wouldn’t worry about this if I were you.”
“Huh?” Rhiannon’s mouth nearly fell open. What did that evenmean? A viable location was the one thing plaguing her since the problem arose in the first place.
“I have an idea.” Gerri’s smile only widened as she crossed her legs. “And it might be something that you’ll appreciate in the long run.”
“If it gets us the spot we need, then I’m all for it.”
“I have a contact who can help us. He’s a billionaire in the real estate industry. You might have heard his name before.”
Raising a brow, Rhiannon pulled away and thought for a moment. There weren’t many billionaires in Oklahoma City, so that narrowed the possibilities by quite a bit.
“Mars Casey,” Gerri said, just as the image of the man emerged in Rhiannon’s mind. “Once I tell him about our predicament, I’m sure he’d be willing to lend a hand. He’s a great guy, you know.”
“Is he known for his philanthropy?” Rhiannon asked. “Of course, I’ve heard of this guy before, but I don’t remember seeing him at many charity events.”
Gerri ran her tongue along her teeth. Then, she sucked in a breath. “No. He’s not.”
“Then … why are you so sure that he’d help us? If I'm being honest, I don’t have much to offer him.”
“I disagree.” Gerri readjusted her position so that she sat a little taller. “I have a way to get him interested, and it involves you.”
