Chapter 39
“I want to ask you to treat Adam,” he said directly, not bothering with preamble. Better to say it straight and avoid another argument.
“Adam already has a doctor. Why should I be the one to treat him?” Skylar had no interest in inviting more trouble.
She was sure of this. Yosef could apologize for Adam’s sake but if anything ever happened to the boy, he could just as easily turn around and take it out on her.
There was no avoiding a reckoning with Yosef and Elianna eventually, but now wasn’t the time.
“Your medical skills are exceptional. And you seem particularly familiar with this type of condition.” Yosef might not be a doctor, but he could tell from her methods–Skylar wasn’t ordinary.
Skylar chuckled. “What’s in it for me?”
Smart people always cut to the chase. Yosef didn’t hesitate. “What do you want?”
“Anything?”
“Anything,” replied Yosef.
“Even if it’s over the top?” asked Skylar.
Yosef nodded, “As long as it’s not illegal or immoral–yes.”
Outside the room, Elianna strained to hear their conversation. By this point, she couldn’t help but inch toward the door, panic rising.
What if Skylar asked to return to the Stone family? Then what was she supposed to do? Her hand gripped the doorknob, ready to barge in at any
moment.
Inside, the conversation paused.
Skylar stroked her chin, thinking it over for a few seconds. “From now on, you’re to supply me with any medicinal herbs I request–no questions asked. And I get a 70% discount.”
Yosef’s eyes narrowed. “That’s daylight robbery.”
“Mr. Campbell, you said I could ask for anything. Now you’re calling it robbery?” She looked him over slowly. “Men really are fickle.”
He caught the note of disdain in her voice. But instead of getting mad, he actually laughed. “I did say that. Honestly, I thought you’d ask for something
else.”
“This is all I want. Can you agree or not? Be direct–I don’t have time to waste,” Skylar had no time to waste.
Yosef paused, then looked over at the bed where Adam lay.
The little guy seemed to understand what was happening. His daddy was negotiating with mommy to get her to treat his illness. And Daddy looked…
hesitant.
Adam clutched his chest and added his own little push: “Daddy, I want to be healthy.”
His words were a plea for both himself and Mommy. Since he could remember, he’d never been able to run or dance like other kids. He couldn’t go to a
normal school or make new friends.
He’d never told Daddy how unhappy he was–Daddy already had enough on his plate. Adam didn’t want to make it worse.
Yosef felt a sharp pang in his heart. Without hesitation, he nodded. “If you can cure Adam, everything you asked for is yours.”
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Chapter 39
Skylar held out her hand. “Deal”
Yosef clasped her hand firmly. “Deal.”
Outside the door, Elianna almost screamed.
Selling herbs at a 70% discount? That was a loss–making deal, and Yosef just agreed to it? She couldn’t believe it.
What kind of spell had Skylar cast on him?
She rubbed the doorknob nervously, unsure if she should storm in or not.
“I’ll have the lawyer draft up a contract when I get back. Make sure you sign it,” said Skylar.
“Oh, and the divorce papers–sign those at the same time.” Her voice dropped intentionally at the end, so Adam wouldn’t overhear and feel upset.
At the word “divorce,” Yosef’s irritation flared. He took a deep breath, jaw clenched. “We’ll find a time to talk about that in detail.”
Fine. If he wanted to talk, she could talk. As long as they divorced in the end, she didn’t mind dragging things out a little.
“Mommy, what were you and Daddy whispering about?” Adam perked up his little ears, still completely confused about what was going on, and blinked at them with innocent curiosity.
AD
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