Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 105756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Her expression clouded. She was clearly stressed, and I suspected I knew why. “I’m not sure what time I’ll be done,” she said then peered at me as though studying my expression. “Pinebrook is being sold,” she continued, confirming my suspicion, and I tried to pretend to be surprised even though I’d known about the sale for over a week.
As soon as Ada had mentioned to me that the company operating her care home was considering selling, I’d been monitoring the situation. At first, I wasn’t entirely sure why I was doing it, but then when I saw it was listed for sale, the idea to buy the place took root. I’d been making an obscene amount of money for a very long time, but I’d never really given back to the community. Charity wasn’t exactly on my radar. Sure, I attended the odd gala and donated here and there, but nothing substantial. I’d been too focused on securing my own success, creating the kind of stability that didn’t exist for me when I was younger. But now I saw how I could do something good for a lot of people, and that was through purchasing Pinebrook Lodge and operating the place in a philanthropic manner. For years, Ada’s care home was put under strain to turn a profit, but this way, if it simply broke even, everyone could keep their jobs and the residents their homes.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said softly, and her gaze narrowed the tiniest bit.
“It’s just a lot of upheaval. I’ve been rushed off my feet.”
Seeing how stressed she was, I wished to tell her that everything would be all right in the end, that Pinebrook would continue to operate as it was once it was under my ownership. I wanted to spare her the worry she was clearly going through, but I couldn’t tell her yet, not until everything was finalised. I’d been through enough business deals in the past to know that things could happen along the way to prevent sales or other arrangements from going through.
And that was why I simply replied, “I understand. Let me know if you can come back tonight. Don’t worry if it’s late. I’ll wait for up for you.”
She nodded, and I kissed her softly before walking her to the door. Standing there, I watched as she climbed back into her car and drove away. Something niggled at me, an odd sense that something was off. That same niggle persisted all through cooking dinner and sitting down to eat it. Much later, I returned to my room—well, technically Ada’s old room—where I’d been sleeping for the last few days. You could still sense her presence, and it helped me rest better. I’d left the door open, so Ada might’ve noticed I was sleeping in there when she’d gone to use the bathroom. I sat down at the desk I’d been working from and saw I’d left some paperwork from the sale of Pinebrook on top of a stack of files I’d been working through.
Fuck. Had she seen it?
If she had, this was a mess. And the more I thought about it, the more I believed she had. The way she’d assessed my reaction when she’d told me Pinebrook was being sold. She’d clearly been searching for a reaction, for me to reveal I was considering purchasing it.
I shouldn’t have kept it a secret, but not only did I not want to say anything in case there were hiccups preventing the purchase, I also feared she might try to talk me out of it, that she’d feel uncomfortable with me essentially becoming her new boss. But I had no intention of running the place myself. If anything, I’d be completely detached from the day-to-day operations and would hire someone to manage all that.
Upon further reflection, perhaps it was better to tell her now, whether the sale went through or not. She might feel blindsided if I didn’t at least give her a say in the whole thing.
The following morning, I drove out to Pinebrook, which wasn’t too far from my mother’s house. Ben had been delighted when I’d told him he could take two weeks off with pay while I stayed in Mam’s and worked from home while experimenting with the immersion therapy.
When I arrived at the care home, it looked like the residents were being loaded onto a hired coach, and I remembered the day trip Ada planned for them.
“Oh, hello Jonathan,” the young blonde woman greeted, the same one who was now seeing Ada’s ex-boyfriend. It took me a moment to recall her name.
“Hannah, hi.”
“Have you come to fill in for Lewis? Ada’s been on the phone all morning trying to find someone because, otherwise, we can’t go on the trip. We need at least four people to make it workable. Wow, this is so nice of you to volunteer.” She spoke rapidly, and I found myself nodding along just before Ada appeared, hands on her hips as she blew out a stressed sigh and announced, “I can’t find any …” She blinked, falling silent when she spotted me. “Jonathan?”