me again. And he’d be lucky if I let him
camp in the corner of the property with a hole to sleep in, a can of soup to
eat, and only the memory of me and what he lost to keep him warm.
No
one made me a fool.
And Zach
would learn that lesson.
My
father had more assets than I thought.
I knew
he was wealthy, but now I saw the bank statements and investment reports and
property listings. Dad was lucky the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and
future hadn’t paid him a visit.
While
Momma stewed in her declared independence and clipped coupons, Dad sailed away
from his responsibilities on a yacht.
A
yacht that also belonged to Zach.
He could
take the part under the water.
My
phone buzzed. Azariah was the last one I wanted to talk to. She expected a play-by-play
of the magic night I told her about. My father’s funeral wasn’t the
place or time to discuss my sex life, especially around family who might be
less than enthusiastic with my wild oats being of the…paler variety.
But
at lot changed between my night with Zach and now. Azariah was the type
to lend a sympathetic ear only until she thought she could live your life
better.
At
this point, she probably could. I answered the call anyway.
“How’s
my favorite millionaire?” Azariah tapped on her keyboard. Calling from work. Always
the multi-tasker. “Hanging in there?”
“You
wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” I said. “There’s more money than we thought.”
“ More ?”
She screeched and tisked her tongue at someone who must have passed her desk.
She scolded him and then returned to me. “You, mind your business. Shay, I’m
listening. How many more zeros are we talking?”
“Three?”
“ Damn .”
“Look,
it’s really complicated. I’m kinda in the middle of a giant freaking mess, and
it’s only getting worse because I can’t fix much of it until I get the trust
fund.”
“That
sucks. You have all the money in the world, and you can’t touch it.”
“Momma
fought tooth, nail, and weave to make sure of it.”
“I
loved Kaydon to death, but I never understood her.”
I
scattered the investment reports on my desk. “She wanted me to learn
independence. At least I had my car and school paid for.”
“Lucky.”
I knew
it too. That didn’t help the guilt. Because of Dad’s money, I could do whatever
I wanted in life. Which was good. I studied to be a teacher, and they weren’t necessarily
known for their stellar paychecks. But the salary hadn’t mattered. My goal was
to find a job somewhere, anywhere, and I’d teach kids more than letters and
numbers. I’d make sure they never felt alone .
Ever.
But
my textbooks were pushed onto the floor to make room for more boxes, and my student
teaching schedule pinned over my desk. Moving to the mansion meant a long commute. Could I give that up just to stay close to my school? Hard choice.
Until I made it, the books remained on the floor, and my apartment existed in a
state of mess, half-way packed.
“So…?”
Azariah clicked a pen. She’d probably draw some fantastic picture by the end of
her shift. She hated the gig at the sales office, but it gave her time to
sketch. I planned to buy her first piece of art for a ridiculous price to generate
buzz for her name. It’d work, if she’d find the courage to push it into the world.
“Tell me about the guy you met.”
“It’s…complicated.”
“Is there
anything about you that isn’t complicated anymore?” She snorted. “You have all
the money in the world. Cars, houses, mansions, and you got laid. You’re
living the dream.”
Not quite.
I sucked in a breath. “My father married Emily before they died.”
“Who?
His girlfriend?” Azariah breathed into the phone. “ No .”
“She
had a son. And he…” I banished the memory of his lips pressing into my neck.
“Made it into the will.”
“ No
way!” Azariah whooped. “Girl, this is some Lifetime movie shit.”
“It
gets
camp in the corner of the property with a hole to sleep in, a can of soup to
eat, and only the memory of me and what he lost to keep him warm.
No
one made me a fool.
And Zach
would learn that lesson.
My
father had more assets than I thought.
I knew
he was wealthy, but now I saw the bank statements and investment reports and
property listings. Dad was lucky the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and
future hadn’t paid him a visit.
While
Momma stewed in her declared independence and clipped coupons, Dad sailed away
from his responsibilities on a yacht.
A
yacht that also belonged to Zach.
He could
take the part under the water.
My
phone buzzed. Azariah was the last one I wanted to talk to. She expected a play-by-play
of the magic night I told her about. My father’s funeral wasn’t the
place or time to discuss my sex life, especially around family who might be
less than enthusiastic with my wild oats being of the…paler variety.
But
at lot changed between my night with Zach and now. Azariah was the type
to lend a sympathetic ear only until she thought she could live your life
better.
At
this point, she probably could. I answered the call anyway.
“How’s
my favorite millionaire?” Azariah tapped on her keyboard. Calling from work. Always
the multi-tasker. “Hanging in there?”
“You
wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” I said. “There’s more money than we thought.”
“ More ?”
She screeched and tisked her tongue at someone who must have passed her desk.
She scolded him and then returned to me. “You, mind your business. Shay, I’m
listening. How many more zeros are we talking?”
“Three?”
“ Damn .”
“Look,
it’s really complicated. I’m kinda in the middle of a giant freaking mess, and
it’s only getting worse because I can’t fix much of it until I get the trust
fund.”
“That
sucks. You have all the money in the world, and you can’t touch it.”
“Momma
fought tooth, nail, and weave to make sure of it.”
“I
loved Kaydon to death, but I never understood her.”
I
scattered the investment reports on my desk. “She wanted me to learn
independence. At least I had my car and school paid for.”
“Lucky.”
I knew
it too. That didn’t help the guilt. Because of Dad’s money, I could do whatever
I wanted in life. Which was good. I studied to be a teacher, and they weren’t necessarily
known for their stellar paychecks. But the salary hadn’t mattered. My goal was
to find a job somewhere, anywhere, and I’d teach kids more than letters and
numbers. I’d make sure they never felt alone .
Ever.
But
my textbooks were pushed onto the floor to make room for more boxes, and my student
teaching schedule pinned over my desk. Moving to the mansion meant a long commute. Could I give that up just to stay close to my school? Hard choice.
Until I made it, the books remained on the floor, and my apartment existed in a
state of mess, half-way packed.
“So…?”
Azariah clicked a pen. She’d probably draw some fantastic picture by the end of
her shift. She hated the gig at the sales office, but it gave her time to
sketch. I planned to buy her first piece of art for a ridiculous price to generate
buzz for her name. It’d work, if she’d find the courage to push it into the world.
“Tell me about the guy you met.”
“It’s…complicated.”
“Is there
anything about you that isn’t complicated anymore?” She snorted. “You have all
the money in the world. Cars, houses, mansions, and you got laid. You’re
living the dream.”
Not quite.
I sucked in a breath. “My father married Emily before they died.”
“Who?
His girlfriend?” Azariah breathed into the phone. “ No .”
“She
had a son. And he…” I banished the memory of his lips pressing into my neck.
“Made it into the will.”
“ No
way!” Azariah whooped. “Girl, this is some Lifetime movie shit.”
“It
gets
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