CHAPTER 18
Choosing Her
Helen
The weeks that followed were the hardest of Helen's life.
Not because of the business — though that was still hard. The creditors were still circling. The board was still nervous. Without the threat of Baylor Acquisitions, other vultures had started sniffing around.
But the hard part wasn't the business. The hard part was him.
Josh didn't disappear. He showed up. Quietly. Consistently. Relentlessly. Not at the hotel — he honored that boundary. He never came to the front desk, never ate in the restaurant, never lingered in the lobby. But everywhere else? He was there.
He sent flowers. Not extravagant arrangements. Wildflowers. Sunflowers. Daisies. Things that looked like they'd been picked from a field. The first bouquet arrived with a note: "These reminded me of the garden. —J"
She threw them away.
The second bouquet arrived three days later: "I'm learning to be patient. It's harder than I thought. —J"
She threw those away too.
The third bouquet arrived a week later: "No need to respond. Just wanted you to know I'm still here. —J"
She didn't throw those away. She put them in a vase on her kitchen counter. And hated herself for it.
He left voicemails. Short ones. Never asking for anything. "Hope you ate something today. You forget, sometimes. I noticed." "The garden looked beautiful in the morning light. Thought of you." "No need to call back. Just wanted you to know I'm still here."
She deleted the first few. Then she started listening. Then she started saving them.
She told herself it was nothing. Just curiosity. Just weakness. But at night, alone in her penthouse, she couldn't stop thinking about him. The way he looked at her in the ballroom. The way he said "I don't want to be empty anymore." The way he'd sacrificed everything.
She thought about the folder in her safe. All that evidence. She could destroy him with a single phone call. But she didn't want to destroy him. She wanted to understand him. She wanted to trust him. She wanted to love him.
And that scared her more than any hostile takeover ever had.