Saving Forever - Part 3 by Lexy Timms, B+r Publishing, Book Cover By Design Page A

disgrace. Even though we talked at Christmas, the man still believes my dropping out of med school is the worst thing I’ve ever done. He thinks I did it to spite him!”
    “Did you?”
    She blinked in surprise.             
    Elijah turned his head for a second to look at her. “I’m not siding with you father. I’m just looking at this as an outside third party. Dr. Thompson is an amazing surgeon and the kind of doctor everyone dreams to be like. He had a hospital named after him! You can’t argue he isn’t good at his job.”
    “I’m not arguing. The hospital was going to close because of government cut backs. Dad took everything he had, his life savings, the insurance money from my mother, everything, and put it back into the hospital. He brought it back to life.”
    “I didn’t know he used his own money.”
    “And mine.”
    “Pardon?”
    “It’s fine. I’m not mad or holding some kind of grudge because of it. My mother’s will stated that everything was to be split equally between me and my father. My mom told me what he was doing with the hospital and I told him to use my inheritance as well.”
    “That’s very generous of you.”
    “Compared to what your family has in New Zealand and what your father’s donated during his lifetime, I’m sure mine is diddly-squat.”
    Elijah pulled off the highway and headed down one of the main streets Charity recognized. It would take them to Ocean Boulevard. “I’m not comparing. However, Charity you do realize there are very few people in this world that would give up their riches for causes or people they don’t even know. My father was one and you are one.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it. “I have no clue how you make money at your job.”
    She laughed. “I am on contract and retain a small percentage. But you’re right, I can barely live off it. However, I was an only child, my mother was an only child and when her parents both passed, they left everything to me. So I use that.”
    “Would you ever stop working?”
    “What do you mean?” She thought the question was odd. Why would he ask that? “Would you? Ever stop being a doctor? It’s not like you need to work to support yourself.”
    “I don’t do it for the money.”
    She smiled. They were having this (what she considered) deep conversation but it felt completely laid back. He was just trying to get to know her and she wanted to do the same. “Please, you choose to be a doctor in America. That’s partly because of the money.”
    He grinned. “You’re probably right. However, I love my job. Shoot, I basically live my job.”
    “That’s why my father hired you. You are simply the younger version of him.”
    “Gee, thanks.” He looked completely disappointed.
    “I thought you said my Dad was one of the most amazing doctors you knew. That should be a compliment.”
    “Sure, if you look at it that way. If you look at it my way, it sounds like you’re dating your dad.”
    “Ew!” She shuddered. “Yuck! Thanks for the horrifying mental image.”
    He laughed. “You started it.”
    “No, you did. You asked if I would ever quit my job.” She gazed out the window as they turned onto North Ocean Boulevard. The beach and ocean lay to their left, hotels giving glimpsing images of the sand and water in between them.
    “I’m just curious. I get the impression you spend six months at one place, a couple of years at the next and then move to the next contracted city. You don’t really have a place that feels like home, do you?”
    The question surprised her. Not because he had the audacity to ask, but because she didn’t have an answer. “I guess I always thought of New York as home.”
    Elijah stopped at a red light. He reached for her hand and in the kindest voice, said, “But you haven’t lived there in how many years? Would you ever consider moving back?”
    The light turned green and his hand left hers to return to the steering wheel. He turned into the parking