Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96600 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96600 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
With a tearful laugh, I said, “I don’t know. The only thing I have going for me here is you and the rest of the group, my parents, the dispensary—”
“You’re going to have so much money, you’ll be able to come back here and hang with us any time you want,” she pointed out. “And there are dispensaries you can work at in New York, if you like it.”
Damn. I didn’t have a way to argue with any of that. I almost brought up Matt’s thing about travel and lessening carbon footprints to assuage his conscience but immediately dismissed it. He would never deny me visits back home. And while I liked working at the dispensary, I also liked having every one of my needs met without any effort on my part.
But I couldn’t quit arguing against my own happiness. “How do I know this is even permanent, though? I’m supposed to, what, put everything on hold until he’s done with me?”
“What do you have going on that’s so hard to pause?” she challenged me.
“Again, ouch.” But what did I have going on? I still didn’t know what I was meant to do with my life. Was it possible that being with Matt was a part of finding that out?
My phone chimed, and I jumped up, racing to my bed to grab it.
“This is definitely the behavior of someone who is emotionally capable of walking away from a relationship,” Sarrah snarked.
“Shut up. It’s from Scott, anyway.” Disappointment rose like acid in my throat as I opened the text. It was a photo of a…check? A check made out for more zeroes than could reasonably cram into the little box.
I glanced up at Sarrah. “Hang on. I have to call my brother real quick.”
“Do you want me to leave?” She gestured to the front door; there wasn’t anywhere one could have a private call in what was basically a studio apartment.
“No. Stay. Something’s happening.” I didn’t explain further, because the call was already connecting.
“Did you get my text?” Scott asked in lieu of a greeting.
“I did. What am I looking at?”
“I told Matt to write me a check for all of his money or break up with you,” Scott said flatly. “That’s thirty billion, by the way.”
“Wait. Wait.” I pressed my fingertips to my forehead. Sarrah sat up on her knees on the couch.
I should have put the call on speakerphone.
“He figured out why you left,” Scott went on. “With my help, obviously, because he’s as clueless as you are sometimes. I made him write me the check, then told him I would cash it if he didn’t break up with you. He chose you over the money.”
“Okay, but he could have canceled—”
“Will you—” Scott started to scold me, then lowered his voice. “Stop it, okay? You love him. He loves you. Stop inventing reasons why you can’t commit, when it’s clear by looking at the two of you that this is it for both of you. You’ve found your true loves. Be happy about it, instead of trying to sabotage it.”
I covered my mouth and moved the phone so I could bring up the image in the text. There were a thousand holes I could poke into this, at least. Empty gesture. Planned stunt between the two of them. Matt could sell property and make the money back. Cancel the check. There was never any real risk. I had so many options for invalidating what Scott was telling me and what Matt had told me all along.
“Charlotte?” Scott’s voice sounded far away.
I put the phone back to my ear. “Sorry. This is…a lot.”
“It’s not. You’re a lot, and it’s getting on my nerves,” Scott snapped. “Stop trying to ruin the best thing that’s happened to you in a long time.”
“I’m sorry, am I still talking to the brother who didn’t want me to date Matt?” I demanded, but I knew I was stalling. The inevitable, horrible moment during which I would have to admit that he was right was barreling down on me.
“I was wrong.” At least, he had to say it first. “When I spent time with the two of you, together, and I saw how different you both were. How happy… Neither of you have been that way in a long time. Hang up with me, get your ass on the phone, and work things out before you’re both miserable and you both make me miserable about it!”
The call disconnected.
On the bright side, I didn’t have to admit to my wrongness.
“What’s up?” Sarrah asked, folding her arms on the back of the sofa as she stared me down.
“Matt… he…” I almost couldn’t believe it, now that I was saying it. “Scott gave him an ultimatum. He said Matt had to either break up with me or give him all of his money.”