Page 73 of The Clover Chapel (Jamison Valley 2)
“Just tell me. Yes or no.”
“Yes or no to what?”
He stopped pacing and threw his arms out wide. “Yes or no that you are going to leave me because I don’t have any fucking money!”
“Where is all this coming from?” I asked, shocked by how upset he was. Not long ago we were laughing over dinner and chatting about our days.
“That man’s success was all based on a lie, Emmy,” he said, pointing to the TV, paused on a still of James Stewart.
I had no idea what he was talking about. I mentally tallied the number of beers Nick had drank with dinner. He shouldn’t be drunk after two. Right? Maybe my bat-shit craziness was rubbing off.
“Start over, please,” I said. “James Stewart lied? When?”
“He didn’t shoot Liberty Valance. John Wayne did. But he took all the credit.”
“Spoiler alert,” I muttered. Moving on. “Tell me how you got from that movie,” I said, pointing to the screen, “to me leaving Montana. And while you’re at it, you had probably better explain why you think I’m some spoiled brat that only cares about money. And why you think I would throw my life here away and go running back to the city if I had a zero balance in my bank account.”
Up to this point, I had mostly been confused by his freak-out. But as the words flew past my lips, the hold I’d had on my temper fell apart.
Did he honestly find me that shallow? Had I not made it clear how much I despised my greedy father? That I was nothing like him? And how could he not understand how much I loved living outside the city? I talked about it constantly.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said. “I don’t think you’re a spoiled brat.”
I stood from the couch. “Then explain. Now.”
“In the movie, James Stewart lived his life with regret. I don’t want that for you. Or for me. I thought I’d be clear of it when you came here. That I could stop regretting the choice I made to leave you in Vegas. And I don’t anymore. But I’ve been thinking about this for a while. What if you wake up one day and realize the life you had was better? I can’t give you that, Emmy.”
My temper fizzled when Nick sagged into a chair and his head fell into his hands. “I told you I wouldn’t leave you and that I wouldn’t let you go. But I will. If that’s what it takes for you to be happy. I’ll let you go.”
I walked around the coffee table and stood above Nick. Running my fingers through his hair, I said, “You’re freaking out.”
“I know.” He sighed and looked up at me. “I just don’t want to lose you again.”
“Then stop being an absolute moron.”
When he opened his mouth to respond, I pressed my fingertips to his lips. “My turn,” I said and pushed his shoulders back so I could straddle his thighs. My fingers played with the hair at the base of his neck and I started picking apart his concerns.
“Let’s start with you thinking I will want to move back to the city. Please believe me when I say that I won’t. Ever. Prescott might not be the last place for me, but I won’t call New York home again. And if you’ve been listening to me at all during the last few months, you’ll know it’s true. Understood?”
“Yeah.”
“Next up, my father. From the time I graduated from Yale, he has had not one thing to do with my personal finances. His only influence was on my salary while I worked for his company. He could offer me billions and I would never take it from him. I do not want his money and I never will.”
He nodded.
“Lastly, money. If all I had was my teacher’s salary to live on, I’d be happy. I don’t need riches and fancy things. Yes, I’ve had them my whole life. But I don’t need them.”
“You’ve never been without, Emmy. How do you know?”
“I don’t,” I said. “But I know to the bottom of my soul that it’s true. You’ll just have to trust me when I tell you that money doesn’t matter to me. Yes, it makes life easier. No, it does not guarantee that life will be good. I’ve seen rich people miserable and poor families happy. I know what’s important.” When he didn’t acknowledge me, I asked, “Do you believe me?”
He nodded.
“Crisis averted?”
He nodded again.
“I’m not going to leave you because you don’t have money. I will leave you if you spoil the endings to all the movies we watch.”
