Page 22 of Hearts of Wealth

“Oh?” I asked with my back to her. I poured her a glass of vodka, something I knew she preferred.

She took the glass and a big drink. “I spoke to Regina. I’m sorry. I got her number from your planner, and I called her. I wanted to talk to her. She told me we could meet today in the city. That’s where I was when you called. I talked to her.”

“And?” I asked, showing no emotion.

She chewed her lower lip. “Well, she doesn’t like me, that’s for sure. But she did say she would let Paisley come back. I don’t know if she’ll do it. And I’m so sorry if I ruined things. I thought I could appeal to her woman to woman.”

“I know.”

She gave me a funny look. “What?”

“I know,” I said. “She called me.”

Her face paled. “Are you angry with me?” she asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty. “I’m sorry. I should have known she would never listen to me.”

I shook my head, feeling a surge of gratitude wash over me. “No, Catherine,” I replied, my voice choked with emotion. “I’m grateful.”

“You are?”

“I just got off the phone with her,” I said.

“She called you?”

“She did.”

I pulled her into a tight embrace. “Paisley’s coming home.”

Her eyes widened. “What? How do you know? Did she tell you? When?”

“In a week,” I replied. “She bought the ticket already. She’s coming from Italy, and we will be picking her up at the airport.”

She stepped back from me, her face mirroring the incredulity in her voice. “But why the sudden change of heart?”

I shrugged, unsure of how to word it without sounding unkind. “She’s done dealing with Paisley and thinks that we’re biting off more than we can chew. She basically wished us failure.”

Catherine stared at me for a moment before breaking into a wide grin. “Let her think what she wants. We’ll prove her wrong.”

Her determined tone was contagious. “We will,” I agreed, matching her grin with one of my own.

Paisley’s return was going to change our lives. It was going to be hard, trying, and undoubtedly chaotic. But as I looked into Catherine’s eyes, full of hope and resolve, I knew it would also be worth it.

“I hope Regina follows through. It’s the best thing for Paisley.”

“I think she will,” I said. “There was something in her voice. I think she’s fed up with Paisley’s rebellion. Regina is the one that bit off more than she can chew.”

We went to the kitchen to look for something to eat. I popped some leftovers in the microwave and moved back to pull her into my arms. “Thank you,” I said. “I think that took a lot of guts to meet with her. That’s like meeting a barracuda face to face while wearing a meat suit.”

Catherine laughed. “She was prickly, but once I’ve had to deal with her a couple of times, it’s not so bad. She can insult me all she wants.”

“Was she awful?”

She grimaced. “She wasn’t kind.”

“I can’t believe you managed to convince her to let Paisley come back,” I said with total admiration.

“I don’t know how I did it,” she said with a shake of her head. “She was pretty dug in.”

“Thank you,” I said again. “Thank you for putting up with her shit and doing what’s best for Paisley.”