Things Money Can't Buy (Discontinued)

Chapter 16

~*~

"What did you do?" I demanded.

Jason was grinning. "What makes you think I was involved?" 

His tone may have sounded innocent, but his eyes were twinkling and his expression was mischievous like he was a kid that stole a cookie from the cookie jar.

It wasn't helping his case.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, jeez, I don't know," I began sarcastically. "My entire family is poor, and suddenly, my brother gets one of the best lawyers in the country. It also happened only a few hours after a nosy billionaire overheard me arguing with my brother's crappy lawyer over the phone."

He laughed. "Good work, detective."

I bit my tongue from giving a sassy comeback. "What did you do?" I repeated.

He shrugged dismissively. "Something was interfering with your work, which interferes with my work, so I fixed it. You should be happy."

"Happy?" I echoed. "It must be nice being able to hire one of the best lawyers in the country at a moment's notice... and wave your money around like a magic fairy wand and fix other people's problems without asking."

I was upset and frustrated and relieved all at the same time. He was helping me, but it was just another reminder how I would have been broke and powerless to help my brother if it wasn't for Jason. First, he helped me by hiring me and giving the money upfront for being his assistant, and now by paying for an amazing lawyer for my brother.

It stung that I was so helpless, even when I was working so hard to help Evan. I felt so overwhelmed that my eyes started to sting as tears started to form, which made me turn away from Jason because I didn't want him to see.

He seemed to notice that I was crying because his voice was soft and gentle when he spoke, which made me look up at him. "Anna, I'm not trying to wave my money in your face." The expression on his face was so sincere, and it warmed my heart. "I know you were upset that I snooped on your family before, but you've been through a lot. I have the money, and you're my employee. It's my job to take care of my employees."

I grabbed a tissue from his desk and wiped the tears from my eyes. This was so embarrassing, especially since this was now the second time I had cried in front of him in the last few days. "I promise that I usually don't cry this much," I mumbled.

He had an amused expression on his face but didn't say anything.

"Thank you for everything, but I need to repay you somehow. Let me know how I can do it."

He chuckled. "Take better notes during meetings and we'll call it even."

I laughed. "Maybe it'd help to fill me in on what the meetings are about beforehand so I'm not clueless. I couldn't find anything about this meeting."

"Deal."

He took a step towards me. It looked like he wanted to give me a hug, but he was resisting. It probably crossed some kind of line into being unprofessional. He gave me a questioning look as he slowly lifted his arms out.

Grinning, I said, "I'm HR, and I think a hug is okay."

He chuckled and enveloped me in his strong, muscular arms for a hug. He briefly pulled me closer against his hard chest, and I wrapped my arms around his waist because that was all I could reach on his tall frame. This hug felt so... so... comforting, like I'd never felt before. Breathing deeply (though I tried to be subtle), I inhaled the scent of his dress shirt. It was a clean, comforting smell, like laundry detergent and dryer sheets. 

At the same moment, we both seemed to realize the hug was going on just a bit too long, so we pulled apart. 

It was amazing how genuinely concerned he looked right now. Even after always being so demanding, annoying, and bribing me, I realized that he did have a sweet part to him. That realization sure made my feelings, emotions, and hormones confused.

Jason cleared his throat. "Okay, back to work. I need you to draft an e-mail for me. It's too crowded on the 55th floor now, so I'm sending HR back down to the 31st floor."

"You're what?" I was shocked. "Why did you even move HR in the first place?"

"Spacing issues."

That was the same answer he had given before. It made me want to slap him across the face whenever he said it because it made no sense. Sweet or not, he also drove me insane sometimes. "Now there's not any spacing issues?" I clarified.

"Correct. It seems to have been resolved. I want HR moved by tomorrow, so let maintenance know, too," he said. "They need to move the desks tonight."

I shook my head in disbelief. "You're unreal."

He smirked. "You have no idea."

~*~

Later that day, I talked to Evan's new lawyer, Anthony Newsome. He seemed like he was on top of his shit, which was refreshing. Evan's bail was now paid. Together, we organized a flight for Evan tomorrow to come stay with me in New York. Evan was going to grab some of his clothes and other belongings from my Aunt Laura's house tonight, and then come to me tomorrow.

It was going to be weird having Evan live with me now. I only had a one-bedroom apartment, so I was giving him my couch to sleep on. It wasn't much, but it was going to have to work because there wasn't an alternative.

After getting off the phone with his lawyer, I headed home. I dug through my linen closet for a spare pillow and blanket, which I set up on the couch for him. I had a small closet that I didn't use, which would have to work for his clothes and other belongings.

My already tiny apartment was about to feel a lot smaller.

I made some phone calls for Evan to get set up with a caseworker, who could help him with getting set up with school and work here in the city. They were also going to help him get set up with the mental health and addiction counseling. It was a relief to have someone else helping to take some of the load off of me.

The caseworker mentioned an intensive program that seemed perfect for him as it was targeted towards young people with a criminal record. They wouldn't let me sign him up unless he consented to the program, so I told Evan about it. He called them and set up an initial appointment for later this week.

I felt like I was doing a lot for him. I was glad to be helping my brother, but I was also working and busy with my own life. It felt like I was being pulled in several different directions trying to balance everything.

When my head hit the pillow that night, I couldn't stop my brain from buzzing with a billion thoughts. I was grateful for the help that Jason had given me. It hurt to admit it, but I wouldn't have been able to afford any of this without his help. If it weren't for him, my brother would still be in prison right now.

It bothered me, though, to accept help. I had been forced to be independent my entire life. It became my new normal, and I had a sense of pride about it. Even when my parents were still in our lives, they were high on drugs most of the time. I was left to take care of myself and Evan.

I'd always had to figure things out on my own. Aunt Laura did her best once we moved in with her, which definitely helped alleviate some of the burden. She was very sweet and caring, but when I moved away for college, I felt like the distance made my bond with her drift apart.

It felt like there weren't many people left that cared about me.

Now, Jason had forced himself into my life, learning about my past and helping me when I didn't ask. He said he was doing it because he took care of his employees.

Even though I was just an employee to him, he was still looking out for me. It was a weird, foreign feeling that I wasn't quite used to. I wasn't used to feeling... cared for? He made me give up my pride, though I continuously fought him on it because I never wanted to rely on anyone.

Just as I was starting to drift off to sleep, I realized:

Maybe, in some ways, Jason wasn't so bad. 

~*~