Page 111 of Fake it For Good
“I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow,” I said when he came in.
“This couldn’t wait,” he said.
I groaned and led him to the kitchen. “What is it? Please tell me there aren’t any more problems with the factory.”
“Nah, got that all taken care of,” he said with a mischievous smile.
“What’s going on?”
He pulled out his phone. “Incoming.”
“You couldn’t have sent it to me from the office?” I asked.
“No, because then I couldn’t see your face when you read it.”
“Read what?” I asked with frustration. “If it’s porn, I’m not opening it. Benji is downstairs.”
“Cool! I get to see my little buddy.”
My phone dinged. It was a link to a news article. I clicked it and saw the headline. “No way,” I said, laughing. “Shit, I shouldn’t laugh. That’s not cool.”
“What’s not cool?” Noelle asked.
I showed her my screen with the headline. “Wow. Am I supposed to be sad for her?”
“Fu—” Denton started and then zipped it. “Where’s Benji?”
“He’s downstairs,” Noelle said, laughing.
“Fuck that,” he whispered. “She deserves everything she’s getting.”
I started to read the article. “Bankrupt,” I said with a shake of my head. “I knew she was bad with money, but damn. I bet you it was that deal she made in December. I knew it was bad.”
“Yeah, keep reading,” Denton said. “She’s part of a lawsuit. Apparently, that business partner was using child labor in some country. The bankruptcy doesn’t absolve her of the responsibility, but she won’t have anything for them to take.”
“I kind of do feel bad for her,” Noelle said.
“I don’t,” I said. “She fucked me over eight ways to Sunday. Do you know how much money she had and blew? The sale of the house alone would have been in the seven-figure range. After all the work I put into it, it was double what we paid. She made out like a bandit.”
“Exactly,” Denton said. “She could have pulled back several times.”
“Is she going to be homeless?” Noelle asked.
“Nah, she’s still got some money,” I said. “She’ll have to get a job and an apartment. That will kill her. Her entire life revolves around what she has. Kelly wasn’t always a materialistic person, but over the years, she changed. This might actually be good for her. She needs to be humbled.”
“Ouch,” Noelle said.
“I’m going to see my buddy,” Denton said. “You two gloat.”
“I’m not gloating,” Noelle said. “Yes, she was a total bitch. Yes, she did some pretty terrible things to you, but do you really feel like you’re worse off than you were when you were with her? Did your life get better? You have a home, a car, and a thriving business.”
“That’s all great, but it’s the family that’s in this home that make it worth a billion dollars,” I said. “That’s one thing Kelly will never have. She will never know what it’s like to love and be loved. She loves herself and her money. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for real happiness.”
She grabbed my face in her hands. “You’re such a beautiful, deep thinker. I love when you get deep.”
“I know you do,” I said and flashed her a grin. “Really deep.”
“Stop,” she said.
