Page 66 of Saved By A Dark Billionaire
"Hey," he said, nudging me with his elbow.
"Hey yourself." I nudged him back with a smile.
The conversation never faltered with Rachel around. She had a way of steering it in the right direction any time it got off course. Rachel kept the topics light and tried not to let me be the center of the questioning. I was very grateful she was here today. Her presence definitely cut down the tension in the air.
Chapter 23
Olive’s P.O.V.
"Rachel, how are your studies coming along? Are you still on the path to becoming a teacher?" Sarah asked her.
"Yes ma'am, I am. I start my internship next year. Everything is going great," Rachel answered with a smile.
"I wish you would have followed in your father's footsteps and became a doctor. Teachers have such a lousy job with a measly salary." Sarah's words surprised me. Hell, they surprised Rachel, too.
"It's not always about the money. Being able to do something you love everyday and call it your job is a benefit in itself. Being a teacher is noble, and yes they don't have the highest paying job, but they make a decent salary." I am not sure why I wanted to dig my grave today, but I did. Sarah's attention was now fully on me, but it was worth it as Rachel shot me a look of gratitude from across the table.
"Are you studying to become one as well?" Sarah arched a brow at me.
"No, actually, I'm studying to be an aerospace engineer." Sarah looked stunned by my answer as she held her fork, full of food, in the air, halfway to her mouth.
"Very impressive," Kane commented in her stead. "What made you choose such a field of study?"
"I've always loved looking up at the stars, but I knew I would never want to go to outer space myself. I figured why not help build the things that take us there instead? The idea of knowing something I created could one day be floating in space amongst the stars makes me happy."
"So I'm sitting at the table with a future rocket scientist?" Lisa smiled.
"I guess so," I laughed.
"Intelligent and beautiful," Lucas added with a wiggle of his brow, which only worked to widen my smile.
We all finished our lunch, following Sarah out to the shore. There were lounge chairs and beach umbrellas set up for us to use. Sarah kept her hand firmly in place above her head to hold her hat down from the cool, blowing breeze. I had taken my heels off the moment we reached sand, allowing my toes to sink into the soft warm grains.
"I know I apologized in advance already, but let me say it again. I am sorry about my mom. She can be particular about things," Lucas whispered to me as he grabbed my hand.
We made our way to the chairs taking a seat, Lucas shared the lounge seat I had chosen. I clutched onto my purse wondering if perhaps I should leave the small gift inside of it. I can't imagine she'd like it now. I wonder what she would think of it? It's probably best if I keep it.
"Happy birthday, Sarah." Kane pulled out a couple of tickets from his pocket, handing them to her. "They're concert tickets to the symphony. I figured we could go together like old times."
"This is perfect, thank you Kane." She smiled up at him like a small child. It was a sweet scene to see, making me feel a little better about her.
"Here you go, Auntie. It's from Leo and me." Rachel handed over a small, rectangular, velvet black box. Sarah carefully opened it, exposing a beautiful thin charmed bracelet.
"It's beautiful. Thank you guys."
She quickly handed the bracelet to Kane, holding her wrist out for him to clasp it onto her. I could tell Kane and Sarah had a very close sibling bond. He cared for her, and took care of her the way an older brother should. She held her hand up, twisting her wrist as she examined the bracelet now dangling off her. It was gorgeous, with two small thin charms. One charm was of a horse and the other of an ice skate. I wondered what they each symbolized. Were they tied to a memory, or did they stand for something else?
"Lucas and I did not give you something we could wrap. We had a hard time coming up with something to give you. You know, you're very hard to shop for," Lisa said with a playful tone. "We finally decided on a vacation. The three of us haven't gone on a family trip in years. We booked your favorite cabin and planned out a whole vacation for just the three of us."
Sarah's eyes began to turn pink as tears pooled, threatening to spill down her cheeks. She was emotional at the mention of her cabin. It made me happy to see how much she loved her children, despite her odd comments. She held them in high regard, expecting a lot of them, but loving them whether they met her standards or not. Now I feel like I have to give her my gift. I can't be the only one to not give her something. I knew I was coming to a birthday party. What kind of jerk wouldn't bring something?
I guess I'll choose being embarrassed over being an ass. My fingers almost shook from my nerves as I opened my purse and searched for the small gift. It wasn't anything amazing, just a brown leather-bound journal with a heavy gold pen. I held it out to her with a shy smile. I tried to fight the blush of embarrassment from my face, but it was practically impossible.
"Oh, is this for me?" She asked, very surprised.
"I felt wrong coming without a gift. I am sorry it isn't much. I don't know what you like." I told her. "It's a journal for you. I wrote my favorite inspirational quotes on the top of each page for motivation. I've always found it therapeutic to write in a journal. My mother was the one who got me started."
I pictured the millions of journals hidden away in a box in the back of my closet. They haven't been touched or looked at in a while. A lot of those memories are ones I don't want to revisit. Sarah took the journal with a polite smile. She opened it in front of me, running her hand over the saying I wrote on the front page.
