No Turning Back (Breaking the Rules #4) - A.M. Madden Page 0,56

and place it on a shelf to pull out if needed in the future.

I also wanted to project it outward, toward others. The week Ryder had been in California, I used the time to get organized. Until then, I’d thought only of the foundation I’d be running under RMR Inc., filling a notebook with ideas as they popped up. Starting a foundation from scratch felt daunting until Ricky suggested we duplicate Angels on Earth in Florida.

It was a great idea. Not only could I mimic their structural bones and methods, we also could piggyback onto their accounting department to oversee financials.

After confirming with my former employer that a new chapter could be started in Florida, aptly named Angels on Earth II, RMR’s legal department began handling all the necessary steps to register the name. Ricky also appointed a few of his administrative employees to take on my foundation. That left me nothing else to worry about except for the day-to-day operations. I decided when Ryder was at work, I would dedicate a few hours a day to get the ball rolling on my end.

When Ryder dropped me off to go into the office this morning, I set up shop at the kitchen island and downloaded a website-creating software. The sooner I had a domain name secured and a page created, the sooner I could place social media ads to push it out there and solicit donations.

The next step would be to find a location where women would feel safe to come in and accept our resources. I decided to call my old manager and pick her brain.

“Angels on Earth… this is Janie speaking.”

“Janie? It’s Riana.”

“Oh. My. God. This can’t be my good friend, Riana… because I was convinced that she was either running from the law, suffering from malaria in a third world country somewhere, or dead!”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. In my defense, I’ve been very busy.”

“Save it.” A notification appeared on my phone for a video call from her cell. Reluctantly, I tapped on the icon to see Janie’s scowling face. “Seriously, Riana. So many times I wanted to call you but worried things weren’t going well for you.”

“I’m sorry,” I repeated. “But things are going great. I promise. First you. What’s happening in Jersey?”

Taking the opportunity, she filled me in on every detail of her life. In a nutshell, she was still waiting for an engagement ring from Ross and made it very clear his time was running out. She then went on to tell me the guy she’d tried so hard to set me up with was seeing someone. According to Janie she was a skank, and I was to blame for her misery because I should’ve been the one to be dating Jake.

“You yourself said we had no chemistry,” I reminded her.

“Bullshit. When someone is horny enough… bam… sudden chemistry.” Another tirade ensued, and based on the microwave’s clock, she rambled for eight minutes without stopping for a breath.

“So you’re back at Angels?” I asked when she took a pause.

“Yeah. I kind of have something to tell you.” I could only imagine what it was she had to say, when she sighed and added, “They asked me to come back the week after you left. It seems they received a huge donation and were able to bring everyone they let go to resume as normal.” Having no idea that had happened, it took seconds for me to know that donation had Ricky’s name all over it. “I also kind of got a promotion out of it,” she reluctantly admitted. “It should’ve been you, Riana. I’m sorry.”

“Janie, being let go was a blessing, and my life is right where it needs to be,” I assured her.

“What’s happening with the bun-in-the-oven situation?” she asked, only then remembering.

“I’m pregnant… due in December.” Silence. No way would I tell her it was twins. That would send her into a tizzy. Taking her stunned state as an advantage, I quickly went on to say, “So, the reason I called is because I need a favor.” I explained the plan to mimic Angels on Earth in Fort Lauderdale, and that all the legalities have been handled. “Can you pull together the pamphlets, informational flyers, and any other tools we used? I want to look into printers down here to duplicate them.”

“Of course. I’ll throw in anything else that may help.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. And the minute you pop those babies out, you are coming here for a girl’s spa weekend and to get