AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CALLIE
My plan to deal with Eli reached an unexpected hitch.
Regardless of my feelings toward him or the entire situation, my mother was doing better at the new facility. They provided me with daily updates via text, which was a nice touch. Each message included a photo and an update on how her day was going. Within three days, she was smiling in those pictures, and on the fifth, she called me herself.
Hearing her voice say my name made me break down in the middle of my kitchen. I had almost given up that any part of my mother was able to come back to me like that. Whether it was the new medication or the excellent care, I didn’t care because she said my name. She asked me how work was, and she asked after Bianca.
Rich people really did have access to medical care, which was utterly mind-blowing. Since then, it was easier to follow Bianca’s last suggestion of allowing Eli to foot the bill until he asked for something in return. Then, my next steps would be based on what he wanted from me, and in the meantime I would continue to scrape together what savings I could in order to pay him back. Or I’d have to take over the cost of the facility. Bianca and I had googled the amount and it was sickening.
Eli didn’t ask for anything, though.
The days crawled by, and I didn't hear a peep from him. Every email I received made my heart stop, and every call made me jump with the expectation that he was finally reaching out. But he didn’t. I half considered taking that step myself, but the thought of calling him sickened me. So, I settled into my new anxious, confused existence and just waited.
“Callie?”
Sawyer’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. Glancing up from my desk, I let the aggressively chewed pen lid fall from my lips, catching it in my palm as I met his gaze.
“Yes?”
“Could you come here?”
“Mhm.” As I stood, he vanished back into his office. With only a few seconds to spare, I pulled up my calendar to double-check if we had some kind of meeting or something today, but there was nothing scheduled. Sure, I’d been a little bit distracted lately but as far as I was aware, today was a smooth sailing day.
Clutching a notepad to my abdomen, I slipped into his office.
“Close the door.”
I obeyed, then moved closer to where Eli was seated on the couch near the large bay windows overlooking the city. The view was stunning at this late in the afternoon, with the sun stretching its golden fingers around the buildings in a vain attempt to keep from setting. Sawyer was basked in the warm, orange glow, his eyes fixed on me as I stood near the end of the couch.
“Callie.”
“Yes, sir?”
“You’re distracted.”
“Excuse me?” My heart rate ticked up slightly.
Sawyer arched one brow. “I’ve noticed it quite clearly these past few days that you’re distracted and off your game. Is something bothering you?”
The urge to come clean rose like vomit in my throat, and my lips trembled slightly from how desperate I was to keep them closed. I told myself over and over that I couldn’t burden Sawyer with my own mistakes, but his voice was so surprisingly gentle that the temptation was strong. I wanted to sink into his arms and cry. Tell him all about my mother and Eli. The debt. The bills. The tricks Eli pulled.
But I couldn’t. It was too much and I didn’t want to see the disappointment I felt in myself, written all over Sawyer’s face.
“I’m fine,” I lied. “If anything, I’m just tired. We’ve been so busy after all.”
Sawyer’s face didn’t change so it was impossible for me to tell if he believed me or not. He was surely only asking out of politeness, at the very least. He already had so much on his plate with the patent pending, and Kane working out a good deal for the both of them. It was a lot and my disastrous life didn’t compare.
“I’m just focused on the launch of the new drug. I really want things to go well after how hard you have worked, how hard you’ve all worked.”
I was talking to fill the silence when Sawyer still didn’t say a word. When he remained silent for a second time, I held up the notepad in my hand, seeking a distraction away from me as a topic.
“In fact, I’ve been compiling the test data into bite-size portions so that the shareholders can see the benefits at a glance. Everything from cost to the success of the drug is included, and I even included a section on how those under the life insurance we offer would be an investment. There's no need to pay out if people aren’t sick, y’know?”
“Sit down,” Sawyer said. “Drink?”
As I sat down, he stood and moved to the oval drinks cart near the wall unit. Normally, I would decline but given the rising summer heat, it would be refreshing.
“Sure, uh… just water though, thank you.”
