the future. You’re doing enough right now. Enjoy the fact that you’re filthy rich. In fact, you should wallow in it. You deserve it.”
“I don’t feel like I do,” he answered as he pushed back from the food, too.
Obviously, he’d finally had enough pizza.
He was quiet for a moment before he added, “My whole life changed in one day, Layla. Before the money, I wasn’t even thinking of coming back to Citrus Beach right away. Even though my family helped as much as they could, and I was awarded scholarships for medical school, too, I was resigned to being a poor doctor for a while because of my overwhelming student debt. I was seriously considering getting into a debt-forgiveness program so I could go work in a rural area that really needed doctors.”
I nodded. I knew about the program. I’d thought about it myself before my mother had gotten ill. “So the whole trajectory of your life suddenly changed. But that’s still a positive, Owen. You can make a difference here. We don’t have nearly enough facilities that provide free and low-cost services.”
He pinned me with his emerald gaze. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad I’m here. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you. But it’s a hell of a lot different than what I’d had planned before this inheritance.”
I let my hand smooth over his muscular bicep before I reluctantly pulled it away from him. “Different,” I agreed. “But not bad. Please don’t feel guilty because you have an astronomical amount of money when so many people don’t. You deserve this after living poor for so long, and it’s never going to change who you are as a person. It’s just . . . money. Okay, it’s a lot of money. Spend it. Enjoy it. And do whatever good you can with it.”
Owen would never be some guy who lived in a wealthy bubble. It was his very nature to look around him, see suffering, and want to do something to help.
He smirked. “How did you know I felt guilty?”
“Because I know you.”
He lifted a brow. “I thought you considered us strangers now.”
“Maybe not entirely,” I confessed. “There are parts of your personality that definitely haven’t changed.”
“So you’ll give in and let me buy you a place. Come on, Layla. It’s not like it would even make a dent in my bank account,” he cajoled.
“Absolutely not, but good try,” I said, amused. “I’m proud of everything I’ve accomplished, Owen. My life wasn’t so great at one time, but I forced myself to overcome all of that, and now I’m doing something worthwhile that pays well, too. When I finally reach my goal for a down payment on a place of my own, I want that to be because I worked hard to do it, too. I do appreciate the fact that you care enough to offer, though. You’re a pretty amazing guy, Owen Sinclair.”
Honestly, I was fairly certain there wasn’t another man like him in the entire world. Sure, his brothers probably gave heavily to charity, but they were still working on building extraordinary companies, too. While all Owen could think about was how to use his money to make a difference in the world, and give his services as a physician away for free now that he could afford to do that.
I folded my arms across my chest as I added, “If you aren’t going to start spending more money on yourself, and doing things that you enjoy, I think I’m going to have to force you to do it.”
“You’re going to have to come up with bigger ideas than me buying you a pizza and a cup of coffee,” he scoffed.
“You think I can’t think bigger?” I teased.
“You’ve always had to watch your money, too,” he reminded me. “But I dare you to try to make even a tiny dent in my bank account. You can’t. It grows in huge numbers every damn day.”
“Okay, fine,” I said. Dammit! He knew I never backed down when he challenged me. “If we have to close down to do changes to the clinic, take me somewhere while it’s being done. Someplace we never could have afforded to go three or four years ago. And I’m not talking about a hop to Catalina Island or something. Think. Big.”
“Paris?” he suggested with a grin.
My heart skipped a beat. Owen and I had talked about going to Paris when we were kids. But that had always just been a discussion