Page 32 of Leo

“I think we can handle it,” smiled Tillie.

The man raised his brow and left them with coffee on the way, and the temperatures finally starting to become tolerable.

Trays of desserts, pastries, cakes, and pies came out, the men diving in almost immediately.

“Hey, uh, I know I’m the rookie here,” said Leo, “but shouldn’t we give Tillie first choice as the only lady in the group?”

“Oh. Yeah, sure,” said Eric. “Sorry, Till. Sometimes, we forget that you’re not one of the guys.”

Tillie just laughed, shaking her head. She grabbed one of the pastries and cut one of the small pies in half, taking that as well. When she gave a nod, the others dove in, devouring the desserts in record time.

“I’m glad we’re walking back,” said Leo. “I don’t think I can sleep until I walk some of that off.”

Tillie felt her phone vibrate and pulled it from her small crossbody bag. She didn’t recognize the number, but it was definitely from France. Staring at the men around her, she answered the call.

“Hello.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Even with her new look, Gemma was feeling panicked every time someone approached her. It was high school and college all over again. Her nerdy, shy personality prevented her from becoming a normal teenager or young adult. She had a few friends, a few acquaintances but no one special in her life. There were no girlfriend sleepovers as a child, only pony birthday parties on mansion lawns.

Blessed with a great education, paid for by her wealthy parents, she’d been able to excel at mathematics and technology. It was the advent of amazing things happening within the tech world, and she was at the beginning of it.

With an interest in computer science and math, she was accepted into MIT and surpassed all expectations. Her future was bright and paved with gold.

Ridiculous thoughts for a twenty-one-year-old girl.

In her final semester of college, she received a call from the registrar’s office to appear in person. Without a clue as to what it was about, she showed up and waited for the appointed time.

“Miss Palmer? Please come in,” said the woman.

“Is everything okay, Ms. Simms?”

“Lenora, have you been in touch with your parents recently?” she asked.

“Yes. Of course. We speak almost daily. I was actually home this past weekend. Why? Are they hurt? Has something happened to them?” she panicked.

“No. No, dear. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that anything had happened to them. Lenora, the check for your final semester here at MIT bounced.”

Gemma, known then as Lenora, stared at the woman and then laughed, shaking her head in disbelief.

“I’m sure it’s a mistake. Just run it through again.”

“Lenora, we’ve tried. Three times. It comes back every time as insufficient funds.”

“I’ll call my parents,” she said, reaching for the phone. The woman placed her hand over hers and shook her head.

“I’ve already done that, Lenora. Your parents asked that you come home when you’re able to.”

“This is ridiculous!” she said, standing and pushing the chair back abruptly. “My parents have millions of dollars. My father is a very influential and powerful man.”

“Lenora, have you not seen what’s happening in the markets these past few weeks and months? Many people are in the same boat. You’re my ninth meeting today, honey. You’re not alone in this.”

“Please, there must be something I can do. This is my last semester. What’s the cost? What do they owe?” she asked.

“It’s more than fourteen thousand dollars,” frowned the woman.

“If-if I can get the money, can I come back?” she asked.

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