Chapter Four

She looked skeptically at him. His offer seemed good enough and verifiable. However,her gut told her there was more to it.

 "I still think there's more to this than just an apology and a supposed philanthropic act. You want something from me." He checked his wristwatch. "I really wasn't expecting you to drag this this far, Lara.

 It's becoming exhausting." She pressed her lips tightly, and a ghost of a smile tipped them.He rose from his seat and walked toward her. "A loan with a job to pay it back, or a loan that you might not get the chance to pay up in due time; hence, you risk being sold off as a slave. You are smarter than this, Lara. 

 Make a choice now." "Is that really all there is to your terms? You are not going to pull anything out of the blue." He clicked his tongue and nodded. He took out his business card and handed it to her. "Meet me in my office by 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. 

 Let's have this drafted into a document and finalized." She took the card from him. Holding his gaze, she said, "Thank you." It still felt like a dream to Lara. 

 She couldn't take it hook, line, and sinker that the agreement she had with Shane was actually credible.It looked too good to be true. She shook her head and huffed a deep breath to be certain she wasn't caught up in a phantom.

 It really happened!She looked down continually at his business card, scoffing in disbelief at how miraculously her meeting with him had played out.He would really be paying up the loan leveraged over her by George?The logical part of her still played the doubting Thomas, despite his assurance that he meant his words.

 She raked her fingers through her hair and blew out air from her mouth as she flagged her arms out to hail a cab.Her shift at the store would be starting soon, and unless she wanted to be laid off from her job, she would not let her emotions get the better of her.

 She mentally lectured herself to calm down and not raise her hopes too high.She wouldn't yet believe he actually meant what he had promised to do until he did exactly that.

 She earnestly looked forward to sunrise the next day and affirmed his promise.A cab pulled over in a few minutes, and she got in quickly.

 Time moved at a slow pace as she worked through her shifts at the different part-time jobs she held. 

 It was as if it could sense her desperation for it to be morning already andto have her doubts erased about the incredible offer Shane had made.She worked as hard as she could to keep her mind off the worries that were bothering her.

 There was no thinking about George or Shane's offer. Despite her will, her brain was still structuring the new plans for the future if Shane's offer were to be genuine.

 That was exactly the reason she struggled to blank out her mind. She couldn't afford to get her hopes up at the expense of the probable disappointment she might end up having by taking his words into account.

 Her phone's ringtone gave off in her pockets while she cleaned the floors.Wiping off the bead of sweat on her head with the back of her hand, she pulled out the phone from her apron pocket.

 A smile tipped the edge of her lips as she saw the name of the caller: Kyle.She picked up the phone and raised it to her ear."Don't tell me you will be bailing out on dinner tonight again, Lara." 

 Kyle's voice came in disapprovingly through the phone.She choked out a wry laugh. "I won't, Mom." Kyle had been her best friend since high school and had been very supportive in assisting her both emotionally and financially in the little way she could.

 Through her, she had also gotten to know Meredith, Joe, and Laura. The four were as inseparable as a shadow from oneself, and she had immediately been taken into their closely knit group through Kyle's influence.

 And it was through Kyle's persistence that she had been able to attune herself to being friends with them over the years that Kyle had introduced her to them."Don't let me down, alright? Everyone's here already." "I will try not to.

 I will be getting off work soon." "Alright then. I will be expecting you. " She made a noisy, kissy sound on the phone and disconnected the call.Lara asked and put the phone back in her pocket to quickly wrap up her work for the day. 

 She mopped the rest of the floors and disposed of the water.She was in the changing room in record time. She kept track of the time on her watch as she changed out of her uniforms and into her clothes.

 She wanted to meet up with the time she had promised she would be at Kyle's, and if she wouldn't be able to meet up with the time, it wouldn't be an hour later than it was.

 Kyle loved chocolates and cookies, so she mentally noted to stop by the sweetshop after her leave for the day from work was permitted by her boss.How time flew!She pressed a hand to her forehead and sloped her head down her neck in exhaustion as she realized how long she had worked within the day.

 The day had turned into night; the initial glow of the sky was eclipsed by dark gray clouds.She flagged down a taxi immediately. She walked down the road and gave the taxi driver the address she was heading to, then settled in for the ride as the car moved.