Page 133 of Love Me Like You Do

With shaky hands, she opened it to find a check for fifty thousand dollars.

Of course. He’d given her the only thing he had to offer.

Money.

ChapterTwenty-Three

“Are you all right, sweetheart?”her mom asked.

Hailey and the girls met her mom at a diner near Times Square. The place was loud, bright, and had a jukebox. The girls loved it. “I’m just so mad at him.”

With no idea Cole had bailed on them, Evvie devoured her chocolate chip pancakes and Paisley munched on toast. Both kicked their legs in and out under the table.

“How could he do this?” She kept her voice low. “How does somebody change their mind so quickly? One minute we’re planning to sign the papers and the next…” She snapped her fingers. “He’s gone. I thought I could count on him. I thought…” Emotion jammed up in her throat, making it hard to talk.

Her mom reached for her hand. “You thought you’d found The One.”

She nodded, grabbing her napkin and wiping the tears before the girls could see them.

“Can I have a quarter, please?” Paisley asked.

Glad for the distraction, Hailey rummaged through her wallet and pulled out a few coins. “Here you go.”

The six-year-old got up on her knees to scroll through titles that meant nothing to her, looking for another button to push. Her heart squeezed. She loved them so much, and she would be everything they needed. “Let’s change the subject. I don’t want to talk about it in front of them. They pick up on everything.”

Her mom nodded. “Where do you want to raise them?”

“Not here, that’s for sure.”

“So, Calamity?”

“Yeah, I think so. I have my savings, and I know there’s some money from insurance and the sale of the house. I’ll buy a cottage on the lake or something like that.” She was just so damn sad.

“Well, hold on. Isn’t your savings for your business?”

“Mom.” She let out a huff of exasperation. “My priorities have obviously changed.”

“No, yourcircumstanceshave changed. Your passion hasn’t. And running your own business is perfect for the kind of hands-on mom you want to be.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a sheet of paper. “Do you see this?” She tapped the title.Robe Wait List. “Remember that gift shop I told you about? Well, I did it. I set it up, and I hung up one of your robes. Since we opened a week ago, we’ve gotten a hundred forty-three preorders. Honey, you’ve got something here.”

Thatwasencouraging. “It’s something I’ll look at later. Right now, I have to get a roof over our heads, food in our bellies, and a car. Life is expensive, and I have to find a new job.”

“I thought Cole was going to cover those major expenses? You can live in his house and eat his food.”

Irritation bristled on her skin like a rash. “I’m not like you, Mom. I will never be comfortable living off other people’s kindness.”And by that, I mean charity. Because most of the time, they didn’t want to let Naomi and her kid crash at their place. They got sick of having to feed them.

“It’s not kindness. It’s the role he’s chosen to take. Why would you say no to a house for the girls? Let him do what he’s comfortable doing.”

“No. He’s welcome to set up trust funds or pay for their education or whatever helps him sleep at night. But I won’t live off him.”

“Why?”

“Because he could change his mind at any point. He could pull the plug. What if he gets married and has kids of his own, and his wife doesn’t like our arrangement? What if he retires and decides he needs to be more careful with his money? I won’t depend on anyone for my well-being.”

“But you’ll rely on a company for it? Because from where I’m sitting, Abbott’s didn’t turn out to be all that reliable. You want to know what is? You. Your talent. Your passion. That’s something you can rely on to provide for you and the girls.” She leaned forward. “Sweetheart, do it. Take the risk. You won’t believe how happy it’ll make you.”

“I’ve just become a single mother.” She checked the girls, but they were tapping the buttons on the jukebox, totally in their own world. “I’ll be working full-time and caring for them. If there’s time after they’ve gone to bed, I’ll continue to build my inventory.”

“Let me ask you something.” Her mom sat back in her seat. “What are you going to say when Paisley tells you she wants to be an astronaut?”