Springtime meant driving with the top down, which Charity lived for. She had just dropped Jamie off with Margaret. They were going shopping so Charity was in for a good story to look forward to after her meeting. Elijah had left for the hospital an hour earlier and had promised, barring no major emergency, he would be home for dinner. It was a brief moment when all of the components in her life seemed to be safely tucked away. The wind blew through her hair and she turned up the radio. She should have worn some type of head covering but hadn’t bothered. She stuck it in a pony and checked her watch. She had time to drag a brush through her tresses before lunch with Hal Jaworski. She pulled into the parking lot at Judith’s and quickly fixed her hair before slipping out of the car.

Hal was already waiting for her. She had only seen pictures of him in the press. He was a decent looking man, but she had the feeling he made sure the press photoshopped his pictures. She smiled when he stood up from the table and held his hand out to her.

“Dr. Charity Thompson! I heard through the grapevine you were stunning, but everything I heard was understated,” Hal said with a Cheshire cat grin.

“It’s Thompson-Bennet, but you can just call me Charity.” She smiled. She had a feeling this was going to be a short lunch if Hal thought running his eyes up and down her body was completely professional.

“That’s right. You married that Aussie doctor.” He undid his suit jacket and slipped it over his arm after he’d taken it off.

“Elijah’s actually from New Zealand. How do you feel if we sit outside on the patio? Seems too nice a day to be stuck indoors.”

Hal made the request to the host, who showed them to their table. Hal Jaworski had to be sixty-ish and about sixty pounds overweight. He had wavy dark hair, which was thinning, and greying, around the temples. He made a habit of marrying women and divorcing them. He had done so five times according to the media. The one distinguishing characteristic about Mr. Jaworski that anyone cared much about was his enormous wealth. That and his brilliance. Hal knew how to get what he wanted. Now he was interested in his legacy in the form of an excellent cancer institute. It was not a bad goal and it was Charity’s job to help him achieve it. He might not be doing it for the right reason, but he was doing it, so she’d agreed to take him on.

“With that figure I can tell you’re not pregnant.” Hal chortled. “Should I order us a bottle of wine so we can get the ball rolling?”

Charity sipped on her water, trying to hide her disgust. She would rather be elbow-deep inside a patient’s gut than be sitting with this pig. “Water is fine for me. My two year old gives me a run for my money and I can’t afford to be off my game.” She pulled her notebook out of her briefcase and once the Mac was on, she flipped to the file on Hal. “You mentioned a list of donors, which you think, might be generous to your cause. I’d like to get started with that.”

Hal pushed an envelope across the table. His pudgy fingers were without a wedding ring and they purposely made contact with Charity’s. “Here’s the list.” He leaned forward. “I’m putting my money on the table for a good cause, but it’s just as easily snapped away if St. Luke’s Hospital can’t raise two hundred mill of their own. I know more about you than you know yourself. Certainly more than your husband or father do. I believe we’re going to make an excellent team.” Hal raised his glass of expensive wine to toast.

Charity raised her tumbler of iced water.

What did this fat-ass think he knew? Maybe he realized her relationship with her father was strained and wanted his hospital ward to be bigger than the one at Scott Thompson Hospital. Was she supposed to thrive on competing with her father? It wasn’t a competition. Maybe taking on this job had been a bad idea.

Her personalized ringtone started playing from her bag. Shit, she thought. Forgot to put it on silent. Elijah, just before his mom had arrived, had programmed Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” as his ringtone. Charity frantically fumbled through her purse to put an end to the anthem.

Hal Jaworski laughed. “You are way too young to have a kid, much less be married.”

Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around? She ignored his comment and set her phone on vibrate. She missed working with Dr. Malcolm Parker at Forever Hope Hospital in Atlanta. He had been such a great doctor and hospital chief to work with. She’d heard he had gotten back together with his wife and was very happy for him. She needed to get through this lunch and get focused on the job. She loved a challenge and this definitely was going to be a big mountain to climb. “I’ll give your list of potential donors some consideration. These people will want to know what their donation is paying for. I’ll need some specifics. Is the money going toward research or the acquisition of top-notch doctors? Will you be targeting a specific type of cancer?”

Hal shrugged. “I want a big plaque with my name on it.”

She sighed. “You’ll get that on the floor when it’s built or redone, depending on what the hospital wants to do. However, you need to let me know what you want me to focus on.” She softened her voice so she didn’t sound like a stern teacher. “You don’t have to be a physician to know how broad the term cancer is. Different people and businesses may donate towards childhood leukemia while others would focus on colorectal cancers. And then there are those people who would want to put their money toward cancers that concern women specifically.”

“I’m the one with the checkbook, baby. All the specifics will come from doctors like yourself at St. Luke’s.” Hal sat back in his chair and drained his glass of wine.

Did he just call me baby? “Hal,” she said through gritted teeth. “I’m not your baby. Two hundred million is a nice amount of money, but it’s peanuts in the game of cancer treatment.” She wanted to fist pump when she wiped the smug look off his face. “We can make a dent with four hundred million, but we need to work professionally as a team. I’m going to work hard to match the amount needed to raise. When all this is said and done, you will be touched by those affected by cancer and it will change you. You’re not just a checkbook. You’re going to be a life saver.”

He grinned. “Like a superhero? I like that.”

She closed her eyes so he didn’t see her rolling them. She needed to remember this day and then when the work was finished, have lunch here again and see if he had changed. She hoped it would be for the better.

She managed to make it through lunch. Her feet had not been crammed into a pair of high heels in months and they were killing her. She picked at her overpriced lobster salad and drank about three glasses of water. She had to pee like a racehorse, but held it in hoping the luncheon would finish soon. Images of Jamie danced in her head and she couldn’t wait for finger painting and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. Charity wanted to burn her power suit and slip into her yoga pants, never to take them off.

Hal took his last bite of steak au poivre and finished his third glass of Syrah. “Do you have room for dessert? I don’t think a woman like you has to worry about calories. I’m sure you work out like crazy to keep that figure. Lucky man, that Aussie.”

“Kiwi. Elijah’s from New Zealand and no thank you on the dessert,” Charity corrected Hal for the third time. “I’ve got another meeting to attend to shortly.” An ice cream social with her daughter, but he didn’t need to know that.

“Whatever, tell the mate I said cheers.”

Charity knew for certain Elijah would detest Hal Jaworski. He did not get on well with people who boasted about their wealth. Charity stood up to signal the end of their lunch meeting. She extended her hand but Hal decided a hug was in order. Hal gave her a bear hug with a brush on her ass. She cringed and then held back from saying anything in case he had accidently done it. “I’ll be in touch. I’m going to be using a lot of support from Pinnacle so if I’m unavailable, someone will be able to help.” She was going to avoid the man as much as possible.

“I’d prefer working with you directly. We’ll be able to cut through the bullshit more efficiently that way. Starr Inc. didn’t get where it is by working through a middle-man.” Hal pulled his belt up around his swollen belly.

“If you’re unable to reach me, go through Pinnacle. We’ll stay on top of things and be moving quickly. Thanks again.” Charity walked away quickly.

Outside and free, she flipped off her heels when she sat inside the car and slipped on a pair of flip flops she kept under the seat for an emergency. She checked her phone and noticed the missed call from Elijah and two text messages. The first was from Elijah.

Luv…you’re my inspiration. Tonight?

Charity smiled and texted him back: So available!

The next text came from Margaret. It was a photo of Jamie and her. Jamie wore a new dress. Pink of course, with a straw hat. She looked like a doll. She was so stinkin’ cute!

I’m cooking tonight. Scott’s coming to BBQ. Jamie and I are grabbing groceries now.             

The pressure of work diminished quickly.

She sped home. She wanted to change her dress and slip into something sexy underneath it.