Page 133 of Bling

“I would apologize but I’m not sorry. Student loans are the scourge of the American higher education system. Ask any of my manager level employees, if they give me two years, I pay them off for them. I feel like it’s the least I can do. I just paid yours off in advance.”

“I think that’s really sweet of you,” she said with a smile.

“Talk to him, Isabelle. I think you might just find that you’re missing some pieces to the bigger picture.”

She sighed. “I’ll think about it.”

He stood and kissed her cheek. “We’ll talk again soon,” he said before turning and walking out of the room.

She lay her head against the back of the vinyl chair and closed her eyes. Garrett’s face, with his intense stare, met her there. Was she really missing part of the story?

One of the machines beeped erratically and Isabelle jerked her eyes open. Carmen was clawing at the tubes.

“Woah. Shh. Relax Carmen,” she said, trying to keep the panic from her voice. Leaning over the bed, she pressed the call nurse button just in case they hadn’t already been alerted by the loud monitors still beeping.

Two nurses rushed in and one broke into a grin. “Well, this is an excellent sign. Miss Carmen, we need you to calm down,” she said as her companion gently pulled Carmen’s hands away from her face.

“If you can, slowly open your eyes.”

Carmen blinked as one nurse started pressing buttons on the machines.

“You gave us quite the scare. Let’s get some of these tubes out of you, shall we?”

A nurse turned and held an arm out to the door. “Miss Alvarado, you might want to go get yourself a cup of coffee or something to eat. This part is easier if you’re not in the room. I’m sure you’ve got some family who would like to know she’s awake.”

Isabelle backed out of the room with her cellphone in hand.

“Daddy, she’s awake,” she said when Jacob answered a few minutes later. “The nurses are working on her right now, but she’s awake.”

“Oh, thank God. Let me know when I can bring the girls and we’ll be right there.”

“Let me talk to the nurses and see what they recommend first. I just wanted to give you the good news.”

When she ended the call, she scrolled through her messages until she came to Garrett’s name. She typed a message, but her thumb hovered over the send button for a half a minute or more before she finally worked up the nerve to press it.

I just thought you deserved to know Carmen is awake. I’m sorry I yelled at you about the loans. Hunter told me it was him.

She shoved her phone into her back pocket, unprepared to read a response if he sent one.

---