I sat up straighter. “What kind of cancer hospitals do they have in Willow Harbor?” I asked. Was her mom getting the bestcare money could buy? Or were they just doing what they could afford? Did she even have insurance?
Chloe tapped away on her phone and then winced. “One chemo center two towns over, then a cancer hospital three hours away with a low rating.”
I shook my head. “That won’t do. Offer to fly her mom out to Seattle for the rest of treatment. We can get them a rental unit. If she says no, send the best doctor you can find for whatever cancer her mom has out to Willow Harbor to consult with the staff at her local chemo center.”
Chloe raised one eyebrow. “I have gotten used to your…quirky philanthropy, but this is a little extra even for you, no?”
“No,” I countered. “I have billions of dollars sitting in the bank, and her mom is dying. If money can help save her life, why would I just keep it there?”
The thought of anything bad happening to Hannah made my chest tighten. She was so sweet and innocent. I could tell by the way she’d begged for her job in front of everyone that her boss was a class A jerk. But I didn’t worry she’d get taken advantage of after watching her dump my spaghetti on his head.
She could be tough when she needed to, and that was a good trait to have or life would walk all over you. I wanted to help her. It didn’t hurt that she was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever laid eyes on. I’d buy her the entire state of Idaho if she asked me to.
Chloe’s head reeled back, and I knew that my words had been too harsh.
“I’m sorry. I can do it.” I waved her off. “I shouldn’t be getting you involved in this stuff anyway if you don’t like it.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Of course I’ll do it, and I do love it. You change lives. But Jack…Don’t you think you’ve done enough for people? It’s time to let the guilt go.”
Anger rolled through me. How could she say that? How could she even look at me, knowing what I’d done? She was one of the few people who knew about my past because she was my assistant. She had to remind me when to schedule visits with my probation officer.
“It willneverbe enough,” I growled at her.
She frowned. “Okay. I’ll make the calls. Anything else?”
“No, thank you,” I told her, and she shut my door.
I leaned my head into my hands and rubbed my temples.
Guilt washed over me for being angry with Chloe, and I immediately texted her.
Jack: Sorry I was short tempered with you. You just poked my wound.
Chloe: You call that short tempered?! You should see Roberto when I try to cook pasta. You’re forgiven.
I laughed. Chloe was engaged to an Italian in marketing. He was very serious about how pasta should be cooked.
I stared again at the subject line of Hannah’s email.
Thank you.
I didn’t deserve whatever was in this. But it would be rude not to at least respond with a quickyou’re welcome, so I opened the email. The first few lines had my heart dropping into my stomach.
Dear Jack,
This is my nightly prayer for you. “May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” Psalm 20:4
I have rewritten this letter a million times. But the essence of what I wanted to say is this.
What you did changed not only my life, but my mother’s. When you gave me this restaurant, you gave me a future, you gave me hope, and you gave my mother life. I’m no longer worried about how to feed her. I’m not afraid of losing the house. I’m not scared of never amounting to anything and being sixty years old with no retirement in sight. I’m…no longer afraid.
Jack, you took the fear from my life and gave me a peace that I’ve only known with God. That’s how I know He sent you.
So, thank you. Though no words can ever adequately convey what I want to say, I thank God for you.
Hannah
P.S. I named a dish after you. Well, renamed it would be more accurate.
