The Gift, Books 1-3 (EBOOK)

“Mommmeeeeee!”

Savannah ran out of the kitchen and almost tripped as she rushed to the living room. Jacob sat, excitedly pointing to the screen.

“What is it, Jacob?”

“Look, Mommmy. I told you.” He smiled his widest, cheeriest smile.

“The billionaire hedge fund wonderkid, Tobias Stone, lost the…” She stared at the screen, still wearing her rubber cleaning gloves. There, in all his glory, was Tobias Stone. A journalist had intercepted him as he was walking towards a building. Watching him, she could see that he barely looked at the camera, choosing to look away, and his responses were concise, to the point. He barely smiled. The all too brief clip showed him then disappear through the revolving doors of the building. The subheading mentioned a multi-million-dollar deal falling through and then the next TV clip showed Tobias Stone with children around a Christmas tree. It looked as if they were in the toy store, the night she had met him.

She stared, speechless.

“See, Mommy. See, see. Told you, told you.” Jacob started to sing.

Savannah walked over to him and sat by him, slowly taking off her wet gloves. “So you did, Jacob. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”

“I like him.”

“You don’t even know him.”

“I know he’s kind.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because he let me come into the toy store. He said I could pick whatever I wanted.”

“He did?”

Jacob nodded.

“That’s not really a good reason to like someone, Jacob.”

“Why not? He was being kind and nice, and you always said be nice to people. I was nice to him and he was nice back.”

“But you don’t know him.”

“I do! He works in the toy store.”

“That’s just it, Jacob. He doesn’t.”

“So why did he tell me to pick what I wanted? Was he lying to me, Mommy?”

“Ah-no, sweetie, he was…uh…he was—”

“Was he lying to those other kids too? One of them told me that he was going to get a present from him, too.”

Savannah’s eyebrows pinched together. “He wasn’t lying, honey. Mr. Stone was going to buy all those children a gift and I think he must have decided to buy you one as well.”

“So he’s really nice then, isn’t he?”

She stared into space, wondering how to explain.

“Isn’t he, Mommy? He’s really nice.” Jacob insisted.

“I guess he is. But you still don’t know him. And you shouldn’t be talking to strangers. You don’t know what people are like. They act all nice to you and then you might find out they’re not so nice after all.”

“Like Daddy, you mean?”

Her heart thudded to a stop.

“Daddy used to be nice, until he turned horrible. I bet Mr. Stone isn’t as nasty as Daddy.”

She nodded her head. “No, I don’t think he is.”

“I don’t ever want to see Daddy again.”

“I know. That’s why we’re here. We’re happy here, aren’t we?”

“I like it here.”

She didn’t want to leave her son with bad memories, the very things she had tried hard to get rid of. “Did you know that I work for Mr. Stone’s company now?”

Her son’s eyes grew large, like green-colored flying saucers. “You work with him?”

“I don’t actually work with him, Jacob. I’m just one of many people there.”

“And one day you’ll marry him and then we’ll be happy. Isn’t that right, Mommy?”

“We’re happy now, aren’t we?”

He nodded.

She got up. “Mommy just works there, honey, and she has no plans to ever get married again. Besides, Mr. Stone is probably already married.”

Even if he wasn’t, the idea was still ludicrous.