“They already left. They just came to check on me. Once they saw I was fine, they went home. I told them you were exhausted from looking after me. They get it.”
Patricia gave him a look. “Seriously?”
Mr. Padilla nodded, all serious. “Seriously.”
That morning, the two of them headed back to Cloud Peak. They didn’t bother with the main hospital entrance, choosing instead to dodge reporters and hop onto a helicopter straight from the roof. Cloud Peak had its own family doctor, so unless something was really wrong, Oliver hardly ever went to the hospital. In his opinion, the whole point of making money was to enjoy life. He never believed in unnecessary suffering. So, whenever Patricia brought up doing things herself, he just couldn’t quite wrap his head around it.
The second Oliver came home, the whole mood at Cloud Peak changed. The place felt lighter somehow. That afternoon, Oliver took his meds and went to take a nap. Patricia, who’d already caught up on sleep that morning, wasn’t even a little tired. She headed to the study and called Colby to check in about work.
Colby filled her in on everything, then mentioned there were a few documents that needed her signature.
“I’ll send Jackson to pick them up soon,” Patricia said.
“Jackson?” Colby sounded genuinely surprised and glanced at the person beside her. “He’s right here next to me.”
Patricia blinked. “Why is he with you?”
Colby sounded just as thrown. “He said he’s interested in finance and wants me to teach him.”
A couple of days ago, Colby had walked into her office first thing in the morning and found Jackson sitting in her chair, grinning up at her like a kid who knew he was about to get away with something. At first, she’d thought Patricia had sent him over for some reason. They chatted a bit. Then Jackson came right out and asked if she’d be his mentor. The coffee cup in Colby’s hand wobbled, spilling onto her desk.
She half-jumped up, scrambling for tissues to mop up the mess. “Wait, what did you just say? You want me to be your mentor?”

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