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She nodded her head as I spoke, clearly busy weighing things out.
“You may wish to talk to Sadie and get her take on things,” I suggested.
“Sadie Hawkins? Why?”
I chuckled. “She’s married to Derek.”
Her face was blank, not cluing in to the importance of what I was sharing.
“And he spanks a lot of bottoms here at Rawhide.”
Finally, recognition dawned. “Oh! Right. Good idea. I will do that.”
I leaned back on my elbows, not feeling confident with leaving things as they were. “Regarding your parents, how do you feel about providing them with a living allowance that allows them to maintain a comfortable lifestyle, but in no way offers anything outlandish, like they’ve been afforded in the past? You can think about how to use the rest. Maybe start something that helps wealthy young people find purpose. Create a scholarship program or start an acting school. Whatever you want, but you don’t have to figure any of that out now. You have a lifetime to decide how to use the money in a way that feels honorable to you. If that suits you, I can work out the details on your behalf with the family lawyer.”
I was pushing her limits, giving her more to mull over. I feared I’d given her too much to process, but we’d both had days to consider the new changes in our lives, I reasoned, and our time to make a move was drawing to a close.
“I like that, actually. I think it’s the best plan. I want to sell the penthouse, though as soon as they vacate. I would demolish it if I could, but as that isn’t possible, I’ll do the next best thing. Sell it, and all the bad memories with it.”
I pulled her onto my lap, rocking back and forth until I felt her body go slack with sleep, then I gently rolled us down on the warm blanket, resting her head on my arm. With my other thrown protectively over her, I allowed nature to take its course and lull me into sleep.
When I woke up, the sun had traveled across the sky and the air had cooled. It was time to wake my princess and make our way down the mountainside. As we walked, I thought about ways I could make Harmony feel more confident and comfortable in allowing me to do my job. By the time we hit the bottom of the trail, I felt confident that her speaking with Sadie was the best thing she could do and made a mental note to invite the couple for dinner at my apartment as soon their schedules allowed.
I fed my girl and put her to bed. She was still tired, and I was sure this was also, in part, her brain protecting her from the overload of information she’d had dumped on her these past few days.
Not long after Harmony fell asleep, I rose from bed to message Derek. When I opened my phone, there was a message from him.
Derek: Sadie and I would love for you and Harmony to come to dinner tomorrow night.
He really did have Jedi mind tricks.
Me: We would love to. How did you know?
Derek: Know what? I shared with Sadie our conversation from our last meeting, and she thinks she can help Harmony come to terms with your job requirements.
Me: You two really are the best!
Derek: We’re just us. But I’m glad we can help. See you tomorrow at 6.
Me: See you then and thank you.
I crawled back into bed with renewed hope that the last piece we needed in place for our plan was in Sadie and Derek’s capable hands.
Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Harmony
I woke up to the sounds of cupboards banging in the kitchen, accompanied by Gray’s happy whistling. I rolled up to sitting, stifling a giggle when he entered the bedroom with a tray laden with my favorite breakfast foods.
“Are we celebrating?”
He placed the tray on my lap, then dropped down beside me on the bed.
“We’re invited to dinner at the Hawkins’ residence. Impeccable timing, wouldn’t you say? Now you’ll have plenty of time to speak with Sadie.”
My appetite was gone. I leaned back and crossed my arms. “Hmph. I don’t want to!” My entire persona screamed defiance, and Gray’s eyes hardened as he clearly didn’t like what he saw.
