Page 5 of Hearts of Wealth

Timothy

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CLOSING MY LAPTOP, I leaned back in my chair, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. The situation with Paisley had me twisted up. If it wasn’t for Catherine, I wasn’t sure how I would be getting through this. When I told her I would happily take Paisley to a faraway island, I wasn’t really joking. I was desperate. I would do just about anything for Paisley. She was miserable. There had to be something I could do to help her. Regina wanted money. Maybe I could offer her more. Hell, I’d give her ten million if that’s what it took.

The door to my office swung open. I looked up to see Bennet. “Yes?”

“I brought your schedule,” he replied. “You weren’t answering your phone.”

“I needed time to think.”

“About?”

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the conversation that was about to happen. It had been something I’d been thinking about for a while, but now it felt like it was time. Time to make a decision. “I’m seriously considering retiring,” I admitted, watching as Bennet’s eyes widened in shock.

“Retiring?” he echoed, disbelief evident in his tone. “But why? You’re still in your forties, Timothy. You have your whole career ahead of you.”

I shrugged, struggling to put into words the restless feeling that had been gnawing at me for months. Deep down, I’d known this was the plan. I’d renovated the house with the intention of living in it and enjoying small-town living. “I have other priorities now,” I explained, my voice tinged with uncertainty. “I’m tired of constantly driving back and forth between Sleepy Hollow and New York. I don’t want to spend all my time working. I want to settle down here and actually live my life.”

Bennet regarded me with a mixture of skepticism and understanding. “That explains why you put so much time and money into fixing the place up.”

“Yes.” I nodded. “I’m just done with the corporate world. I’m going to have the board elect a new CEO. I’ll still remain a part of the company, but I don’t want to deal with the daily stuff. I don’t want to be the one making all the decisions. It’s time to take a step back.”

“I’m surprised, but not really,” he said. “I had a feeling this was coming.”

“Obviously, I would still like to keep you as my assistant,” I told him. “You’ll just be working a lot less. You’ll have a chance to live your life. Are you still seeing that woman in town?”

He smiled. “I am.”

“Then you’ll be staying,” I said.

“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it,” he answered.

I chuckled. “Because you don’t think I’ll do it.”

“I think you’ve been under a lot of pressure and you might need a break.” He shrugged.

“I do need a break, but if I do manage to get Paisley back, I need to be here. I can’t be going back and forth. She’s going to need a parent at home.”

“I understand.” He nodded.

We went over a few things before he left my office and ultimately the house. Retirement was a scary prospect, but my priorities had changed. I didn’t care if I kicked ass in the boardroom. I didn’t want to put on a suit and tie and focus on making more money. I wanted to hang out in my garden out back. I wanted to learn how to make breakfast for Paisley. And of course, I wanted to spend time with Catherine. I’d done the corporate thing. I’d made money, and now I wanted to enjoy the fruits of my labors.

My absolute top priority was getting Regina to give up Paisley. I needed to find a way to convince her that she could live her life doing whatever she wanted if Paisley lived with me. It was good to know Catherine would be around to help. And Paisley liked Catherine. I could give her the home she needed to be healthy and happy.

I looked at my watch. Catherine should be here any minute. I couldn’t wait to share the news of my decision with her. I assumed she was going to be happy. We talked about our future a little, and it did make me think she wanted to spend more time with me.

I heard her truck pull up and went to the front door to greet her. She walked toward me with an expression on her face that didn’t quite match my excitement at seeing her.

“What’s wrong?” I asked softly, reaching out to gently touch her arm. “Did the meeting go badly?”

She walked inside. I took her bag and left it at the foot of the stairs.

“Come with me,” I said and led her into the sitting room right off the foyer. “What’s wrong?”

Catherine sighed, her shoulders slumping as she met my gaze. “I just spoke to Paisley on the phone,” she said with sadness in her voice. “She thinks you sent her away.”

My heart plummeted at her words, a surge of anger and frustration coursing through me. Regina was not only keeping Paisley from me but poisoning her mind with lies as well. I cursed and rubbed my face. Regina was infuriating.