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The counseling made me think of Grace. I dropped my head. Even that was getting too heavy to hold up. “Yes. That’s helped.”
“I hear you do yoga.”
I had a small laugh. “I did. I haven’t been in a while.”
“You should come to my class.”
I shook my head. “Chase would kick my ass.”
“Why?”
“For him, you and yoga is like foreplay, I think.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks blushed. “He does like to join me sometimes.”
“I’m sure you’re not here to invite me to yoga.”
“No. I came because I was bored.”
“And I can help with that?”
She nodded. “I think Raven Industries should start a foundation. It would offer some tax perks, but even better, you’d be helping people in need. Programs like the children’s center I volunteer at are always at risk of having to close down because of a lack of funds.”
“Sounds good to me. How can I help?”
“Chase is on board, but because of the baby, I won’t have a lot of time soon. And I don’t have experience in foundations. I don’t have much experience in work, in general.”
“Chase didn’t say that, did he?” I asked. Sara was young and didn’t have a lot of worldly experience, but she was smart and did have a knack for marketing.
“No, that’s me. I’ve done some reading, and there’s a lot involved. I haven’t found anyone to work with me yet, but that’s not why I’m here. I’m hoping you’ll get behind this idea and encourage Ash and especially Kade to support it.”
“What about my dad? He’s still the head of Raven Industries, and he’s tied our hands in terms of accessing money.”
“I think your dad will be on board.”
I suspected she was right. My father had a soft spot for her. I couldn’t imagine Ash having any trouble. Kade would be snarky as usual, but I couldn’t see him fighting it either. “Whatever you need, I’m behind you.”
Her smile was bright, and I could see why Chase was bewitched by her.
“You seem to be the man who knows people, and I was wondering if you knew anyone who would be able to help me?”
“Start a foundation?”
“Not a lawyer. We’re not there yet, but with the planning and deciding how we want it to run and the types of organizations to support, that sort of thing,” she clarified.
“I’ll have to think on that. My area of expertise is along a different line.”
“What about Grace?”
The mention of her name made my heart clench in my chest. Would that organ ever stop hurting for her?
I cleared my throat and stood to get some water. “I don’t know. You’d have to ask her.”
“Is everything alright? Chase told me that you and her were together. I was so happy to hear it, Hunter. I want you to be happy.”
I pulled out the water bottle and took a drink. “Turns out, I’m not very good at relationships.” The minute I said it, I wished I hadn’t. Sara would want to talk about it, and the last thing I wanted was to talk about Grace.
“I don’t believe it, Hunter. You’re such a caring man. Maybe a little rough on the outside, but deep down, you have so much love to give.”
I shrugged.
“Is this about her license? Chase told me he’d gotten a call about her. He told them he didn’t know anything about you two.”
I nodded, remembering that was what he told me. “I know. It was Yvonne who reported her.”
“I told you I didn’t like her.”
“I wish you’d told me sooner,” I sighed.
“So, what happened? She’s upset because your secretary told on her? That’s not your fault.” I loved how Sara stuck up for me. She was a Raven now, through and through.
“She’s upset because I tried to fix it. It was my fault—”
“Not everything is your fault, Hunter. No wonder you have a hard time if you go through life feeling like you’re responsible for everyone and everything, and to blame when it goes bad.”
“It was my fault. I pushed her to be with me even though she told me it could hurt her career. I tried to support her at her hearing, but they still suspended her license, and when we left, she told me I made everything worse.” When did I become so chatty, I wondered as I looked down on Sara. She didn’t need to hear my woes.
She stood and walked over to me, setting her hand on my forearm. “Then she doesn’t deserve you. Any woman who doesn’t appreciate a man that would fall on the sword for them doesn’t deserve him. I’ll admit, it can be hard to have an overprotective Raven brood, but I know what it’s like to not have anyone and I’d rather have you four oafs any day.”
I laughed. “I’m glad Chase found you.”
She grinned. “Me too.”
I inhaled a deep breath as it seemed like a century had passed since my last. “I’ll keep my eyes open for someone who can help you.”
