not to see the scars I kept hidden. It was for this reason that I used the opportunity to act somewhat interested in Jason. I smiled and shrugged. "Even if I decide to give him a shot, I won't tell him I'm rich," I said smiling. "I have to make sure he likes me for me."
"I thought you said he was a player," Zack said.
I shook my head saying I wasn't worried. "He just smells like a player," I said.
Zack laughed and Laney looked confused.
"Expensive cologne," I explained, and she smiled.
We all sat there for a second before Zack took a deep breath and spoke again. "Okay, so the plan for now is to go to work and keep living in the apartment as if nothing happened. Once the money's in the bank, we'll sit down and make a real plan. There's no reason you can't grow that money into something you could live on and eventually pass on to your children and grandchildren. You just have to be patient with it."
I nodded, feeling totally onboard with "growing" the money as he said. It was the children and grandchildren part of that statement that took me off guard. Children never crossed my mind. To have children you had to have sex, and that was something I planned on never doing again.
"I can be patient," I said, ignoring the stab of regret I felt at the thought of never having a family. "I don't really feel like quitting my jobs, and I'm not in a hurry to move out of the apartment—not for now at least."
"Yeah, I don't even know why you thought of her moving," Laney said, looking at Zack like he was crazy for saying such a thing.
I laughed and put my pinky in the air, and using my best Thurston Howell impersonation, I said, "It is pretty tiny for a rich girl like me."
She giggled. "Yeah, I think you should just be patient," she said. "And when you're finally ready to buy something, you can just make it the house next door."
Chapter 7
I found it really difficult to go to sleep that night. It was after 2am by the time I drifted off, and my shift at J.D.'s started at 6. But something about winning the lottery makes a lack of sleep more bearable. I woke up easily and with a smile when the alarm went off at 5:22.
I hadn't checked the schedule to see who was working with me that morning, but I figured it was at least two or three of us who went in on the winning ticket. I wondered if any of the others would be there.
I could tell by the look on the owners face when I walked in the door that the answer was most likely a no. "You decided to show up?" he asked, looking frustrated and thankful at the same time. It wasn't busy in there yet. In fact there were only one or two customers in the whole place.
J.D. was behind the counter, which was rare for him. He was around quite a bit, but he mostly kept to the office. It had been who knows how long since he worked the register or espresso machine.
I smiled. "Who's on the schedule this morning?" I asked.
"Jenny called me last night," he began, looking flustered and ignoring my question. "She told me she enjoyed working here but that she wouldn't be back."
"Ever?" I asked, somewhat surprised.
"Ever," he confirmed. "She told me about the lottery and gave me a list of employees who may or may not be quitting with her."
"Have you heard from anybody else?" I asked. "Justin and Joe were both supposed to work this morning, and they both called in. Justin sent a text saying, 'Take this job and shove it'."
I gasped. "You're kidding!"
He shook his head, but cracked a smile. "He sent a text right after that saying he was sorry and that he'd just always wanted to say that and thought he'd never have the opportunity to do it again. I asked if that meant he was coming to work this morning and he said not a chance." J.D. paused and ran a hand through his hair. "So, assuming you're here to work and not just to quit on me, that puts us down three for the morning shift. I still haven’t heard anything from Meg or Alex who are both supposed to be here at two. I have to think they'll be
"I thought you said he was a player," Zack said.
I shook my head saying I wasn't worried. "He just smells like a player," I said.
Zack laughed and Laney looked confused.
"Expensive cologne," I explained, and she smiled.
We all sat there for a second before Zack took a deep breath and spoke again. "Okay, so the plan for now is to go to work and keep living in the apartment as if nothing happened. Once the money's in the bank, we'll sit down and make a real plan. There's no reason you can't grow that money into something you could live on and eventually pass on to your children and grandchildren. You just have to be patient with it."
I nodded, feeling totally onboard with "growing" the money as he said. It was the children and grandchildren part of that statement that took me off guard. Children never crossed my mind. To have children you had to have sex, and that was something I planned on never doing again.
"I can be patient," I said, ignoring the stab of regret I felt at the thought of never having a family. "I don't really feel like quitting my jobs, and I'm not in a hurry to move out of the apartment—not for now at least."
"Yeah, I don't even know why you thought of her moving," Laney said, looking at Zack like he was crazy for saying such a thing.
I laughed and put my pinky in the air, and using my best Thurston Howell impersonation, I said, "It is pretty tiny for a rich girl like me."
She giggled. "Yeah, I think you should just be patient," she said. "And when you're finally ready to buy something, you can just make it the house next door."
Chapter 7
I found it really difficult to go to sleep that night. It was after 2am by the time I drifted off, and my shift at J.D.'s started at 6. But something about winning the lottery makes a lack of sleep more bearable. I woke up easily and with a smile when the alarm went off at 5:22.
I hadn't checked the schedule to see who was working with me that morning, but I figured it was at least two or three of us who went in on the winning ticket. I wondered if any of the others would be there.
I could tell by the look on the owners face when I walked in the door that the answer was most likely a no. "You decided to show up?" he asked, looking frustrated and thankful at the same time. It wasn't busy in there yet. In fact there were only one or two customers in the whole place.
J.D. was behind the counter, which was rare for him. He was around quite a bit, but he mostly kept to the office. It had been who knows how long since he worked the register or espresso machine.
I smiled. "Who's on the schedule this morning?" I asked.
"Jenny called me last night," he began, looking flustered and ignoring my question. "She told me she enjoyed working here but that she wouldn't be back."
"Ever?" I asked, somewhat surprised.
"Ever," he confirmed. "She told me about the lottery and gave me a list of employees who may or may not be quitting with her."
"Have you heard from anybody else?" I asked. "Justin and Joe were both supposed to work this morning, and they both called in. Justin sent a text saying, 'Take this job and shove it'."
I gasped. "You're kidding!"
He shook his head, but cracked a smile. "He sent a text right after that saying he was sorry and that he'd just always wanted to say that and thought he'd never have the opportunity to do it again. I asked if that meant he was coming to work this morning and he said not a chance." J.D. paused and ran a hand through his hair. "So, assuming you're here to work and not just to quit on me, that puts us down three for the morning shift. I still haven’t heard anything from Meg or Alex who are both supposed to be here at two. I have to think they'll be
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