“Aww, I’m so sorry,” Kelly empathized with his loss.
“Thank you. After my brother had passed, both of my parents became very distant, almost detached. During the last few years of my brother’s life, my mom regularly took my brother to doctor appointments for a variety of treatments, which were supposed to delay the disease, but nothing worked. It was very aggressive. As a result, I spent most of my childhood being raised by the nanny. About a year after my brother died, my dad retired and he and mom traveled together extensively.”
“How did you cope with losing your brother? That must have been very tough.”
“Well, I hated being raised by the nanny. I longed for my mother’s attention and affection. Since my brother—and I don’t blame him for it—got most of it, I buried myself in my academics, and later, my work.”
“I guess that’s why you’re so successful today.” Kelly smiled. “Your brother left you that gift.”
“I suppose,” he shrugged. “I still miss him a lot. He was so much fun. He liked to pull pranks on people before he got sick. If there were a way to rig something or set up a trap, he’d do it.” Dave smiled, thinking of some of the pranks his brother pulled on him and his parents.
“Wow. We’ve both gone through so much. It’s crazy, isn’t it?”
Dave nodded his head in agreement. “Very.”
“Would you like another cup of coffee?” Kelly asked, noticing his cup was empty.
“Sure.”
“Okay, let me go check on Emma real quick and I’ll make us some.” She tiptoed down the hall.
As she made her way to the bedroom, Dave snuck into the kitchen and fixed their coffee. It’s ironic, he thought, how much we have in common. Here she was with a great mom whom she’d lost, yet became the perfect mother herself, and he longed for that exact type of relationship. They’d both suffered a great deal of loss and had coped with the deaths of the people they loved the most. On the other hand, they were exact opposites. She was a hardworking waitress at a chain restaurant while he was living on Easy Street as a billionaire. Well, they do say opposites attract. It amazed him how well he connected with her.
As he was making his way back into the living room, he saw Kelly carrying Emma down the hallway. He scurried to help her.
“Do you need some help carrying her?” he offered.
“No, it’s fine. I got her. She was awake and wanted to meet you.”
He peered down at the beautiful little girl and noticed he was right, she did look just like her mom.
“Hi, I’m Dave,” he said with a grin on his face as he looked at a much younger version of Kelly.
“Hi. Did you bring us dinner?”
Kelly and Dave busted out in laughter. “Yes, I did. Are you hungry? Your mom and I made you a plate, but you’d fallen asleep by the time it was ready.”
Emma nodded her head yes. “If you’d like, I can heat her plate up or I can carry her. Which would you prefer?”
“I’ll carry her to the kitchen table and you can heat up her plate.”
“Will do!” he said as he spun on his heel and did a silly march in front of Emma, in hopes of making her laugh. It worked. Emma giggled all the way to the kitchen.
They sat with Emma as she ate her dinner. Dave asked her all about herself, which she proudly and eagerly volunteered a wealth of information. She loved talking about herself, and it didn’t take Dave long to figure that out. As they sat together, he learned that her favorite color was purple, she loved to play Hopscotch, her favorite song was “Trouble” by Taylor Swift and that her favorite holiday was Christmas. Dave doted on the child as he listened to her.
Kelly was shocked to see that she had eaten most of her dinner as she spoke with Dave; it was such a relief to see her eat a whole meal for the first time in weeks.
“Would you like to listen to me sing?” she asked him as she licked the chicken juices off her fingers.
“Sure!”
“Not now, Emma.”
“But mom! He wants to hear me sing. Don’t you Dave?” she looked to him for support.
“Only if it’s okay with your mom.” He smiled at Kelly, nodding his head that he wanted her to.
“Okay, but then it’s time to rest. Got it missy?”
“Okay. Momma, will you get your phone and play my song?”
She grabbed her phone off the kitchen counter and loaded “Trouble”. As it began, she started dancing. Dave was amazed by the way she belted out the tunes; her voice was years beyond her age and very soulful. She entertained her mini audience as the lyrics continued. When the song was over, she bowed her head as they clapped for her.
“I’ve never heard such a rich, expressive and passionate voice come from someone so tiny!” Dave complemented.
Kelly, a very proud mother, smiled at her daughter’s talent while Emma gleamed with pride. “Alright my little pop star, I think you’ve had enough excitement for one night. Let’s get you laid down.”
Emma frowned. “But I like Dave. Can’t I stay up a little longer?” she pleaded with her mom.
“It’s okay. We’ll hang out again soon. Your mom’s right, you need to get some rest.”
Over the weekend, Emma’s fever continued to come on in waves as her body gradually became stiffer. Kelly was scheduled to work Tuesday morning, but there was no way she was leaving her baby. It was exhausting for both of them to do normal daily tasks such as eating and bathing. Kelly grabbed the bull by the horns on Monday and went to speak with her manager. There was no way she was going to be able to come in that week, and he’d already given her three points the prior week—one for each day that she was gone.
“Brian, I’d like to talk to you about my daughter,” Kelly began. “I can’t help that she’s sick and you know that I don’t like missing work. It’s not fair to give me a point for each day that I miss.”
“Kelly, you need to understand that this is a business. I can’t operate a business with employees taking off whenever they want. You can appreciate that, right?” he sneered.
“Yes Brian, but I’d like to point out that the days are all consecutive, for the same reason and again, I almost never call in. Hell, I even come to work when I’m sick. I’m one of the best waitresses that you have. Can’t you cut me some slack and make it one point?”
“If I did that for you, I’d have to do it for everyone. You’ve read what the employee handbook says. I can’t go around bending the rules whenever I want to.”
“Brian, I need this job. I work here because it allows me to work around Emma’s school schedule. The money’s not great, especially as of late, but the bottom line is, I can’t afford to get fired because my daughter’s sick. She’s gradually declining and her doctor is working hard to find out what’s causing all of her symptoms.”
“What do you want me to say?” Brian said, visibly irritated that Kelly was still pleading with him.
“I want you to say that you’ll take back some of the points.” She was on the brink of tears; a lump began forming in her throat out of frustration and anger.
“I’m not doing it, Kelly,” he punched the desk. “I’m not bending the rules for you, or for anyone else.”
Kelly lowered her voice, “Well, I came in to tell you that I won’t be here at all this week; or at least, not until Emma gets better.”
“If you miss a whole week of work, your points are going to rack up pretty fast. You’ll be close to losing your job; the points don’t fall off until their one-year anniversary of the date that they were accrued.”
Kelly swallowed, willing herself not to cry. “So you’re telling me that you’d let me lose my job rather than work with me on this? Brian, I’m doing everything….”
He cut her off; mocking her. “Let me guess,” he rolled his eyes, “you’re doing everything you can. Well so am I! I’m running a business. Rules are rules. If I can’t depend on you, then I’ll have to replace you.”
“I’ll keep you informed,” she whispered, almost
in tears, as she left his office.
Once she was in the safety of her car, she broke down. What the hell was wrong with Emma? When, she thought, would they find out what she had? Why was her boss such a jerk? Suddenly, there was a knock on the driver’s window of her car. She quickly wiped away her tears and looked over. It was her coworker, Sarah.
“Kelly, are you okay?”
“No,” she began sobbing again. “Brian’s trying to fire me. He doesn’t care if I have a sick little girl at home who needs me.” She buried her face in her hands. “There’s nothing else I can do.”
“It’ll get better. I’ll talk to him for you and maybe he’ll change his mind.” Kelly had no idea that Sarah and Brian had been sleeping together for months and she had some leverage on him.
Kelly shook her head no. “He’s never going to change his mind. He’s not sympathetic nor does he give a rat’s ass.”
“Listen, don’t worry about it. He won’t fire you; he’s just trying to get you to come in. You’re the best waitress we have.”
“That’s exactly what I told him.”
Kelly stayed home the rest of the week with Emma. It was difficult to see her daughter in so much agonizing pain. She wished that she could take it away from her and give it to herself. Dave called throughout the week to check on them; she sounded obviously depressed, which worried him.
“Do you mind if I come over tonight after Emma’s asleep?”
“Why after she’s asleep?”
“I just figured you needed some grown-up time and might want to vent.”
“Yeah, I guess. Will you be up that late? She hasn’t been going to bed until almost ten o’clock.”
“That’s fine. Just shoot me a message when she’s asleep and I’ll come over to hang out with you.”
When he arrived, he asked her what was wrong. She explained the situation with her job and told him what her boss said. To him, her boss’s behavior was inexcusable.
“I think you should just quit your job; let him be at a loss on your terms!”
“I can’t do that Dave. I need this job. It pays the bills and allows me to work the hours that I need to work.”
“Would you be able to find another job with similar hours?”
“No, it’s not that easy. A lot of places aren’t hiring right now. Plus, without knowing what’s wrong with Emma, I need the insurance and money to pay for her medical bills.”
“What if I paid for her medical expenses? Do you have enough money saved to pay your basic bills?”
“I can’t let you pay for that!”
“Why not? I have plenty of money; let me do this for you, for her. Please.”
“You haven’t told me much about your financial situation, but my best friend Dawn looked you up on the internet. She showed me that you’re a billionaire, but I never brought it up because I didn’t want you to think I was dating you for your money.”
“Exactly. Yes, I’m a billionaire and no, I don’t think you’re dating me for my money. Look at us, most of our dates have consisted of me coming over to spend time with you. I’ve known you weren’t in it for the money all along. Please, let me help you with this.”
“Dave, I can’t do that.”
Kelly was frustrated at the entire situation with work, Dave and not knowing Emma’s condition. She politely asked him to leave and give her some time. As he left that night, he began to feel as though he’d made a mistake of offering to pay for things. He only wanted to help; he didn’t mean anything by it. I messed up, he thought, big time as he ran his hand through his hair.
By the end of the week, Kelly’s nerves were getting the best of her. She’d waited all week to find out the results of Emma’s blood work. Battling with her symptoms, very little sleep and a stack of piling bills, she was near the end of her rope. She anxiously waited by the phone all day Friday, hoping the doctor’s office would call.
As she waited by the phone that afternoon, she thought about her and Dave’s relationship. Although they’d only went on one actual date and he’d hung out with them several times, she sensed a deep connection with him. She was able to be herself around him, despite the insane amount of money he had, and she was completely comfortable with him. It was apparent that he obviously cared a great deal for Emma. Still she couldn’t get over the fact that he offered to pay for all of Emma’s medical needs—especially without even knowing what they actually were yet. That was the news she was still waiting for.
She must’ve checked on Emma a dozen times in the last few hours as she nervously waited for the phone to ring with some glimmer of hope that her daughter was going to be fine. As far as Kelly remembered, the only other time she’d been this anxious over Emma was when she was nearing her due date. She couldn’t wait to meet her baby girl, she’d already picked out her name: Emma Renee. Emma because she liked the name and Renee as a tribute to her mother. In some ways, Emma even reminded Kelly of her mom; she certainly had her mom’s sense of humor.
Just after two o’clock, Kelly’s phone rang; it was the doctor’s office. She took a deep breath as she answered the phone. Her heart raced as she responded to the phone and she could hear her pulse pounding in her ears.
“Hi, this is Wendy with Dr. Hinton’s office. May I speak to Kelly, please?”
“This is her.”
“Hi Kelly, Dr. Hinton wanted me to call you regarding Emma’s lab results that came in today.”
Kelly held her breath, “What did they say?”
“Dr. Hinton would like you to come in to discuss them. Can you make it in around 4:30 today?”
“Uh,” Kelly was caught off guard. This had to be bad if they wanted her to come in. “I guess so. I’ll have to call my friend to see if she can come sit with Emma, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”
“Okay, great. We’ll see you then.”
“Wait, are they bad? Is that why I have to come in?”
“There were some things that appeared on her labs that he’d like to explain to you in person and answer any questions you may have.”
“But were they bad?”
Wendy wasn’t at liberty to say. “I’m sorry, you’ll have to come in and see the doctor.”
When Kelly hung up with the doctor’s office, her gut dropped and she felt like she was going to vomit. After she had checked on Emma, she headed to the kitchen call Dawn. As she dialed the number, she began coming unglued.
“Hello?”
“Dawn, the doctor’s office called today,” she stopped. A lump began to form in her throat as her words escaped her.
“What’d they say?”
“They said that I have to come in.”
“Why? Is everything alright?”
“I don’t know. They wouldn’t tell me anything over the phone.”
“Do you need me to come sit with Emma for you while you go or does she need to go to the appointment with you?”
“No, she doesn’t need to go. Would you come over?”
“Sure, I’ll come right now.” She could hear Kelly beginning to break down on the other end of the phone. “It’s going to be okay. We’re here for you guys. I’m on my way.”
“T-thank you,” Kelly finally mustered. “I’ll see you when you get here.”
Within 20 minutes, she was pulling into the driveway. Kelly was waiting for her on the front porch. The fresh air seemed to do her some good and calm her down.
“Are you okay?” she asked, hugging her.
“No. I’m scared, Dawn.”
“Let’s go inside. Where’s Emma?”
“She was sleeping earlier. She might be awake by now.”
They went inside and checked on Emma, but she was still asleep.
“Let’s go in the living room,” she whispered.
Sitting on the couch, Dawn tried to lighten Kelly’s mood and shift her thoughts.
“So how have things been going with you and Dave? I remember you said he’d came over a couple of times.”
“Actu
ally, they’re going pretty good. Emma adores him and I think she’s beginning to wrap him around her little finger. He thinks she’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. The way he looks at her… it’s like he cares for her so much. It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“And what about you two? Have you been hitting it off?”
“Oh my God! Do you know what he said to me? I can’t believe I forgot to tell you about this!”
Dawn raised her eyebrows in anticipation to what Kelly was going to say. She was definitely interested.
Rescued by the Billionaire (Billionaire Romance Novel) Page 7