I look at him, impressed with what he’s done. “Looks like that turned out well.”
He turns to me, his gaze meeting mine. His expression weighs down on me. “I still feel like the money isn’t mine.”
On impulse, I reach out and touch his hand. His skin is warm, and tingles zap up my fingers. I withdraw my hand. “You’ve built up quite a business. I googled you. You’re very successful.” He’s a multi-millionaire. I’m not sure what he started with, but he’s made the news quite a bit.
“So, you know my story, since you googled me. But you’re a mystery.” He turns toward me, his gaze intense. “What’s your story?”
CHAPTER 6
KIKI EMMERSON
My mouth goes dry, and I struggle to breathe. Tobias looks at me like he can’t figure me out. I shake my head. “I don’t have a story.”
“I’m a pirate!” Skyler calls up from below. “Watch me, Kiki!”
Grateful for the distraction, I wave and lean over the railing. “I’m watching!”
Skyler runs around the grassy area as Micah runs after her. They play chase for a minute, then Skyler jumps on a large rock by the shore. Tobias stiffens. “Don’t climb on the rocks,” he calls. “It’s not safe. Stay in the park.”
Skyler obediently slides off the rock and runs toward the swings. Micah joins her and they both hop on. They compete to see who can go higher but Micah has a huge advantage being so much bigger so of course he wins. But he jumps off his swing and pushes Skyler. I love to see how much her uncle adores her. She’s growing up surrounded by family and that makes me happy.
The clouds turn orange with the setting sun, and I gaze out at the ocean. “What a great view. I can see why Skyler loves it here.”
“It is nice.” Tobias looks at me, his gaze hooded. “But you evaded my question. Everyone has a story. What brought you to Willow Shade?”
I stare down at the railing. “I was looking for someone.” As soon as the words are out, I regret saying them. I can’t tell him my story. Guilt rises in me, but I swallow it down. I’m doing this for Skyler.
He raises his eyebrows. “Who?”
“A relative.” I turn away. For some reason I don’t want to look at him while I lie. “She’s not here.”
He studies me a moment. “Why were you looking for her?”
I shift, uncomfortable under his scrutiny. “I guess I was seeking a connection.” At least that’s the truth.
He nods and turns, facing the sunset. “I understand. Everyone needs connection. I’m sorry you didn’t find it.” He slides his hands into his pockets. “You must have been searching for a while. It seems like you’re down on your luck.”
For some reason, tears prick at my eyes at how perceptive he is. Down on your luck is a nice way of saying I look like I’m two steps away from stealing a shopping cart and sleeping under a bridge. He’s not wrong. “Yes,” I say quietly.
“What happened?” He doesn’t look at me, but I feel how intently he’s waiting for my answer.
I sigh, knowing what I’m about to say is embarrassing, but at least it’s the truth. “Before I came here, I was scammed.” I pinch my lips together as emotion builds in me.
Tobias exhales and his chin drops. “Wow. I’m so sorry. That’s horrible. How much did you lose?”
“Two thousand dollars. It was half of what I’d saved up ever since I—” I stop mid-sentence. I can’t finish. I was going to sayever since I got out of jail. I swallow trying to come up with a good lie.
“Since you what?”
“Since I started working in childcare. You know, childcare workers don’t get paid a lot.”
“I figured.”
“I’d saved for almost five years.” I seriously need to shut up now. I’m saying way too much. It’s easy to get scammed when you’re hiring shady people to do shady things. It’s a miracle I finally found Skyler. It took the rest of my savings to do it.
The sky is now a deep orange with purple stretching overhead. The gentle lapping sound of the water hitting the rocks just adds to the atmosphere.
I force a laugh. “Wow, that was depressing. I sure know how to kill a conversation.”
