Page 118 of Kiss Marry Kill
“I… I can’t believe it.”
She grinned. “Me neither.”
“What do I do now?” I raked a shaky hand through my hair. “I feel like I should thank him or something.”
She bit her bottom lip. “Why don’t we go see Reginald?”
“Is that okay to do?”
“Of course.”
I nodded. “Okay then.”
She laughed. “Besides, I’m dying to know why he made this decision. I thought for sure we were toast.” She hurriedly climbed into her car. “Let’s go, Dr. Thornton. Follow me.”
I turned and made a beeline toward my vehicle, still in a daze. If this was a dream, I’d be extremely sad to wake up. I got behind the wheel and started the car. Mrs. Numi took off down the road, kicking up a cloud of dust that engulfed my car.
When Dr. Johnson opened the door to us, he looked surprised. “Oh, what are you doing here?” he asked, voice wobbling.
Mrs. Numi didn’t wait to be invited in; she sailed past Dr. Johnson. “Reginald, you rascal, were you just toying with us the whole time?”
“No. I wouldn’t do that to you.” He waved me in.
I entered the building and stood near the waiting room chairs. I still couldn’t shake the feeling that this must be a dream.
“You really put us through the wringer.” Mrs. Numi’s tone was chiding.
Dr. Johnson’s face was pink. “I didn’t mean to.”
I swallowed hard and blurted, “You accepted my offer, right?” No matter how many times Mrs. Numi reassured me, I needed to hear it from his lips.
Dr. Johnson gave me a weak smile. “I did indeed.”
“Okay. That… that’s a relief.” I moved to sit in one of the chairs in the waiting area. I was feeling light-headed, so I put my head between my knees.
Mrs. Numi patted my back. “Are you all right, Dr. Thornton?”
“Yes.” My voice was muffled. “I’ll just be a moment.”
“What changed your mind?” Mrs. Numi asked. “I thought for sure you would accept River’s offer.”
“I did too,” he admitted. “That was a tempting offer.”
I raised my head. “But you didn’t.”
“No.”
“Why?” I frowned. “People will think you’re a fool to turn down River’s offer.”
He laughed. “You don’t pull your punches, do you?”
“Sorry.” I grimaced. “It’s just… that was a lot of money.”
He shrugged. “Maybe Iama fool for accepting your offer instead.”
“What made you do it?” I asked quietly.
“Well, I got to thinking about all the years I’d spent working and living in this building.”
