No Good Deed by Diane Hester

Author:Diane Hester
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Escape Publishing

Chapter 28

Cass raised her glass of champagne and touched it to the rim of Lyle’s.

‘To your new facilities,’ he toasted.

She forced a smile and took a sip. Despite the wonderful news he’d given her about the donation his associate had pledged, she didn’t feel much like celebrating. Her thoughts were still whirling, her insides still churning over her encounter with Darren in the alley.

She couldn’t deny the attraction she’d begun to feel for him. Nor the moments when simply being in his presence made her heart sing. But the bottom line was she could never give in to or act on those feelings knowing how he felt about the people she loved.

‘Let’s talk about how you’ll spend it, shall we?’

Lyle was leaning across the table. If anything, he was more thrilled than she was over her windfall, yet at the same time he was seeking no credit, even though it would never have happened without his inviting the man.

Her smile came more easily as she gazed across at him. Such a generous soul. A soul who wouldn’t still be on this earth if not for her. In that moment she could honestly look upon saving his life as one of her greatest accomplishments. Perhaps he was right. Perhaps fate had brought them together. Perhaps they were meant to be and she’d eventually feel the same way he did. Perhaps all she needed was time.

‘Well, I thought we could put the money towards the renovations,’ she said.

‘You most certainly will not.’ His tone was mock stern. ‘That’s already taken care of. I told you, I’m paying for all of that.’

‘But, Lyle, it’s so much. Surely we could use a portion—’

‘No, this is a separate donation. It should be earmarked for something else.’

‘Well, in that case I’ll just put it in the bank and use it as we need it.’

He smiled as though struggling to contain another surprise. ‘Would you care to hear my thoughts on the subject?’

‘Seeing as it wouldn’t have happened without you, I think you’re entitled to make a suggestion.’

‘I would use it to hire a part-time employee to run the Kettle. At minimum wage that money should last at least a few months. by which time I’ll have found you some more contributions to keep you going.’

‘Hire someone?’ She laughed at the thought. ‘And what would I do with someone else running the place?’

‘Go to uni and study music.’

Her smile faded; she sat blinking back at him. The thought had never occurred to her. Largely because it had been impossible—the funds had never existed before. But ten thousand dollars would go a long way. She could pay Zoe a part-time salary, and return to help out during school holidays.

‘Your friend Zoe would be the logical choice,’ Lyle went on. ‘And you’d be helping her out at the same time.’

She drew herself up. ‘No, I can’t. It’s out of the question.’

‘But why? If it’s because of your sister …’

‘No, it’s not that. Well, it’s partly that, but … not entirely.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.