Chapter 2

Maeve’s POV

Keoni almost choked on his glass of wine. “What did you just say?”

I waved my hand quickly in his face. “It's not exactly like that. I was just warned not to stall on my payment as it seems to be heading towards that line. My rent is due in two days and I can’t get a loan from work as it stands. I seem to have maxed out my collection.” I chuckled in embarrassment.

He bit down on his lip, holding my gaze intently. “And why is that?”

“What? Why do you need to know that?” I blinked, glancing everywhere except at him.

“Look at me, Maeve. What happened?”

A string of curses left my lips as I tried to conjure the right words to say to not piss him off. “My sister needed some money.”

“Maeve!” he raised his voice, causing a few eyes in the restaurant to glance our way.

“Don’t yell like that.” I rebuked in a hushed tone.

Keoni groaned, clenching his teeth. A flash of anger crossed his handsome face. “You are insufferable, Maeve. How many times have I told you to leave Selene to deal with the problems she brought upon herself by herself?”

I scratched my head and shrugged nonchalantly. “This is why I tell you not to get involved in my issues. I brought it upon myself, so I should handle it myself.”

“Can you hear yourself? Is your plan to end up homeless?”

“I could just squat at the hospital and take night shifts.” I let out a throaty laugh, hoping to ease the tension.

He didn’t play along. “It seems you are in more need of rehabilitation than your patients.”

I wouldn’t say no to that. With my sister, Selene, it's beginning to seem like I might be the addicted one. Maybe extending myself is self-destructive or it is a means for me to feel the empty hole in my life. The yearning to be needed aside from grumpy and entitled patients. Selene is the older sibling, but she had always prioritized her well-being over anyone else.

When our mother, the only parent we knew, died, my sister would leave home for months to stay with whichever boyfriend was fulfilling her needs at the time, not caring about how I survived. I took odd jobs to feed myself while struggling to pay the rent for our shabby apartment. I always hoped she would return and wanted her to return to a home.

Maybe I shouldn’t have given her the room to believe there would always be a place for her with me. Years passed with my unending struggle, she got entangled with a drug peddler which ended up implicating her also and she got arrested. I was in my second year in college and had to do crazy work hours to pay for her lawyer. If not for Keoni, I wouldn’t have made it out of college in time.

Selene is always in one trouble or the other and I am the sister she runs to, hoping to be saved. Now that she has a child, the burden has increased. She has never held a job for a whole year and always gets into trouble that leaves the employer no choice but to sack her. Her love for men also increased through the years. My niece, Kiara who I love so much, had fallen really sick some weeks ago and I had to come through as she needed surgery done. I couldn’t just sit back and let the poor child suffer for her mother’s incompetence.

“Keoni, you know I wouldn’t just splurge for no reason.” I tried to pacify him. He hates Selene’s guts and has never hesitated to express himself regarding it.

He was about to say something when his phone rang. “Hold that thought for a moment.” He said, excusing himself.

I sat back, looking around and suddenly feeling out of place. Our food soon arrived, but I couldn’t start eating without Keoni. It's our little ritual of eating together as long as we are with each other.

“Sorry that took long.” He huffed as he sat down.

I noticed the strain on his face. “What’s wrong champ?” I inquired in concern.

Keoni ruffled his hair, kissing his teeth. “I am having difficulty satisfying one of our clients at the hospital. He is tough and he needs rehabilitation so badly. But no physio that I know is willing to take it. The last person I was hoping for just quit. It was the call I went to receive. This is so frustrating, especially now that he doesn’t live around here anymore.”

I plunged my fork into the shrimp, biting into it. “He doesn't live around here?”

“Yeah, he moved to a remote island. And I am certain he did that to avoid getting adequate care. He has sacked over thirty physios.”

“What!” I blurted in shock. “Thirty? What sort of monster is that? If he is unwilling to get better, there is no need to force him.”

“Yeah. But his management is going all out to ensure he gets the needed care.” He shrugged, taking a mouthful of pasta.

“I don’t think someone like that can be helped if he has turned down that many professionals. You know the physio world is quite small. I am sure everyone around must have heard about it and backed out.”

“Exactly. All the hospitals I have contacted want nothing to do with him. and I am reaching my limit too. But the money is good.” he went quiet for a moment before snapping his fingers. “That’s it! I think I know how we can relieve you of this whole financial worry for the meantime. I can have your rent sorted until your return.”

I cut him a side glare. “Are you trying to sell me off to the wolf? Moreover, you said it’s a remote island. I can't leave my job here to go somewhere I don’t know. And if people who are probably better than me have gone there and they couldn’t do it, what makes you think someone like me would?”

A smile that made me concerned appeared on his face as his eyes shone with mischief. “Because they don’t have what you have.”

“And what might that be?”

“Desperation and debt.”

“I do not find that funny, Keoni.”

He snickered. “But you find being homeless funny?”

I eyed him, snorting. “Still, I am not going to a remote island to work for an asshole. Moreover, how long will it take?”

“His recovery process, if done right, should be six months. When you get there, his manager will hand you the report.”

“I haven’t said I would go.”

“You have to Maeve. This is a great opportunity, I promise. You know I wouldn’t push you into anything that will cause you harm?”

“This already looks like it.” I insisted, taking a sip of water. “Let it go. I will find a way to sort my rent; let's just have fun and head home.”

Keoni leaned back into his chair with his arms folded. “You haven’t even heard of the monthly pay yet. Also, it’s a live-in job for the next six months. All you have to do is take a leave of absence.”

“That’s enough, champ. Seeing how desperate you are trying to sell this gig to me, your ass must be burning. A leave of absence means no pay. That implies my student loan is increasing and what about rent? No amount of money can make me….”

“25k.” He cut me short.

My eyes almost jutted out of their socket as the pasta got stuck in my throat. I coughed loudly, chugging down the entire glass of water before I could calm down. “What maniac will pay twenty-five thousand dollars a month? What does he do?”

Keoni laughed, “Let’s just say he is a billionaire. Made his money through sports and ventured into a successful sports business. Got into a fatal accident a year ago which almost claimed his life. He was always pleasant, but now he is just terribly behaved. I guess you can understand why his management wants him to get better so badly. And the payment was raised today in the hope of getting any professional to volunteer. It will also be your opportunity to have a taste of somewhere else aside from New York. What do you say, magnificent Maeve?” he wiggled his brows.

“Do not patronize me.” I chided despite the calculation going in my head. “Are you sure about this though?”

“Of course. You know I don’t do shady business. You will be paid upfront for a month, just so you know this is serious. And if it doesn’t work out, you can still keep the money for your troubles. I have the contract with me. You just have to sign an NDA. Your safety is guaranteed and I will definitely check in every now and then.”

I bit down on my lip doing the hard thinking. This is one hell of an opportunity that I will be stupid to let go. Just because over thirty physios have been turned down doesn’t mean it will end on such a note for me. There are definitely other people more desperate and needy than I am. They won’t hesitate to take the offer. Just a month will bring relief to me not to mention six months of such a huge amount of money. My job wouldn’t earn me that in two years. I have nothing to lose as it stands.

“Knock, knock, Maeve. Do not overthink it, mama. Just trust me on this.” he urged, reaching for my outstretched hand. “I know you enough to be sure you are the perfect person for the job.”

I inhaled deeply, letting the strange words leave my mouth while my heart thumped crazily in my chest. “I will take it.”