The Millionaire Myth

by Jennifer Taylor

  I dropped down onto the couch beside her and sighed as I opened my soda. “Sorry to disappoint you, but it really wasn't a big deal. You remember that couple I told you about? Slick took me along to show them houses? The boyfriend was picky and annoyed the hell out of Slick?”

  She nodded. “Yep, I liked him immediately.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Well, I ran into him at the grocery store yesterday. We ended up leaving at the same time and as we drove home we realized that we live across the street from each other.” I paused and took another drink of my soda, hoping to make it seem like my next sentence was no big deal. “So yesterday he invited me to go camping with him, I didn't have anything else going on, so I went.”

  She sat up straight, her head whipping around to look at me. “You did what? You don't even know this guy!”

  “I know him fine. I met him when we were looking at houses. Besides, he's really nice, and has the most adorable puppy that he dotes on. How evil could he be?”

  “Please tell me you're joking! I know you're not stupid enough to think it's just fine to go off with a stranger. Estelle, what if something had happened?”

  “Nothing happened!” I threw my hands up, annoyed by her overreaction. “I'm fine. It was a nice drive, he even showed me his house, he's fixing it up. I guess that's why he's been so picky about houses, he really doesn't want to buy anything, he wants to live in his house near the lake...” I stopped talking when I noticed Kami's dumfounded expression. “What?”

  She shook her head. “I just can't believe you. What's gotten into you lately? I mean, besides the whole possible danger issue, you aren't the type to do something like this.” I started to argue, but she help up her hand and continued, “I'm not judging. I just mean that you would usually never do something so spontaneous. You are usually more cautious.” She looked at me and a slow grin spread across her face. “This guy must really be something, huh?”

  I shook my head, insulted. “No! Well, I mean, he's cute or whatever, but he's got a girlfriend, remember? Honestly Kami, it was just nice to be away from Slick and out with someone I didn't have to impress, you know?”

  She nodded. “I know. But please do me a favor, if you're going to hop into some random car and go off for the weekend, call me first so that I can be prepared to identify your body.”

  “There you go overreacting again, besides, I hopped in a truck, not a car.”

  It was Kami's turn to roll her eyes. “Oh, well never mind then.”

  Chapter 25

  I let out a long sigh as I let the glass door of Lawson & Stone close behind me. I hadn't fully recovered from my busy weekend yet. Between the camping trip and everything going on with Kami, I was physically and emotionally drained.

  I sat down in my office chair and turned on the computer. Stashing my bag under my desk, I tried to decide if I had enough energy to go to the back and get a cup of coffee. Yes, I saw the irony in the fact that I lacked the energy to get the coffee that would give me energy. Life is cruel sometimes.

  I groaned as I got to my feet and headed for the back. I was mixing sugar into my liquid caffeine when I heard a voice behind me, “Well for a girl who had a three-day weekend, you sure don't look too rested.”

  I winced, taking plenty of time to stir my coffee before I turned to face him. “Morning Mick,” I gave him a weak smile. “Yeah, my idea of catching up on chores and rest didn't exactly work out.”

  I walked past him but he took my arm to stop me. “And?”

  I looked at him with confusion. “And...what?”

  “What did you do this weekend that wore you out? I called you a few times, how come you never got back to me?” Something in his tone told me that he didn't appreciate being ignored.

  “Sorry I didn't return,” I said, deliberately not telling him what I'd done all weekend. “The days just got away from me.”

  When I got back to my desk Slick was right behind me. “Okay, so the weekend got away from you, but what did you do?”

  I looked at him, my face making it clear that I was puzzled -and not pleased- by his questions. “What's the difference, Mick? I just got busy. What else do you need to know?” This was so unlike him. We hadn't seen each other outside of work for a few weeks. Why was he suddenly so worried about my whereabouts?

  “I guess there is no difference.” His tone turned professional, “But I would appreciate it if you'd return my calls. I had an open house this weekend, and it was packed. Handling it by myself was nearly impossible. It would have been nice to have assistance.”

  Now he was starting to piss me off. I noticed as he talked to me that Tess walked by. I also noticed she slowed a little as she passed, taking in his words. I didn't appreciate him doing this in front of everyone. I sat up straight and looked directly into his eyes. “Well, Mick, if you needed assistance at your open house on Saturday, then perhaps you should have hired an assistant. Have you forgotten that I don't work weekends? I am not at your beck and call, and I'd appreciate you not treating me as if I am.”

  Slick pulled himself up straighter, his body language making it clear that he wasn't used to being spoken to this way. I expected his response to be some kind of threat. He leaned forward, his voice quiet, “Stella, I wasn't implying that you work for me, I thought because of our relationship, that you wouldn't mind helping me out.” Was I crazy, or did I hear a touch of hurt in his voice? Before he turned and headed to his office he said, “My mistake.”

  I sat there stunned as I watched him move down the hallway. I couldn't remember a time that Slick had ever had his feelings hurt. I wasn't sure what to do, all I knew was that I felt like the biggest jerk on the planet.

  Before I could reconsider it, I jumped up and headed down to his office. The door was open and I could see him sitting at his desk, looking at his cell phone. I closed the door behind me and moved to sit in one of the chairs opposite him. He made no move to look at me, he just acted as if I didn't exist.

  “Mick, I'm sorry about what I said out there, I thought that you were saying I was required to help you this weekend. I didn't mean to be rude.”

  Still not looking up he answered, “Whatever. I don't need you to come in here and apologize. You've been ignoring me for weeks. I don't know what happened, but I think if you cared at all about me you would have talked to me sooner.” I was again surprised by the sound of hurt in his voice. I couldn't tell if he was serious or if this was just another ploy to get me looking for houses. He looked at me, obviously waiting for a response, but when I didn't say anything he continued, “You've got nothing to say, Stella? Jesus, we were sleeping together every night, you were coming with me to look at listings, things were great, then all of a sudden you're nowhere to be found.” He shook his head. “I don't know about you, but usually when I don't want to see someone anymore I do them the courtesy of letting them know.”

  My God. Slick was serious. I couldn't believe that he had feelings. And more than that, I couldn't believe that I'd been able to hurt them. “Mick, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I didn't think you cared about me...like that.”

  “What are you talking about? Why would I sleep with you, and spend time with you if I didn't care about you?”

  We just stared at each other. I debated about what to say next. Maybe the best thing would be to just end it right here. I mean, I had started this whole thing to have a little fun and give Slick some of his own medicine. I had accomplished that, maybe it was time to cut and run.

  But I couldn't do that. Not when I sat here looking at his face, so open and honest. I wanted to be honest too. “Mick, be straight with me, we both know that the only reason you ever paid attention to me was because of my inheritance.” He started to shake his head in protest but I cut him off. “Don't insult my intelligence, Mick. There's no point in lying about something so obvious. Let's just lay it out on the table. You treated me like dirt until you thought I might be useful to you. Suddenly there were yellow roses at my desk, compliments, and dinn
er invitations. Are you seriously going to pretend that's not true?”

  I watched his face closely, seeing his mental deliberation. After a moment he made a decision. “Alright, you're right. When I found out about the money you'd gotten, I did want you as a client. I did start being nicer to you.”

  “Nicer?” I raised my eyebrows. “Mick, come off it.”

  He held up a hand and conceded, “Alright, nice to you. I know that makes me a jerk, but I never meant to be mean to you. I'm just busy all the time with clients. I honestly never thought about you one way or another because I...I just didn't need to I guess.” He took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. “But listen, that changed when we started spending time together. I got to know you, and you got to know me. I thought we were having a good time.”

  I was so lost at this point. Was I supposed to believe him? “Okay, we did have a good time, but do you really expect me to believe that you stopped thinking about a commission?”

  When he heard my words I saw shock and pain flash in his eyes. “My God, Stella. Is that what you think of me? That I've been with you for months just for some money?” He shook his head slowly, trying to make sense of what I'd said. “Let me ask you something, if that's what you really thought of me, then why in the hell did you stay with me?”

  I didn't know how to answer that last one. Suddenly, I felt like slime. How could I tell him that I'd stayed with him because it was fun? That I hadn't considered the possibility that he had any real emotions? Since I couldn't come up with an answer I sat there staring at him, hoping that he might know what to say. Turns out he did.

  “I'm not looking for you to beg for my forgiveness, I get it. You're over this,” he motioned between the two of us. “Over us. I'm not trying to get you to change your mind. I just wanted to make sure I had it right.” He turned toward his computer, signaling that the conversation was over. “I've got a lot to do Stella. No hard feelings, but get out of my office.”

  Chapter 26

  Gina shut her eyes, shook her head, and held up her hands. “Whoa, whoa, whoa...Are you seriously telling me that Mick developed real feelings for you?”

  I nodded as I took a long drink of iced tea. “You heard it here first. I couldn't believe it either, but yeah, I guess he was no match for my charm and beauty.” I rolled my eyes.

  Gina responded with an eye roll of her own. “Knock that crap off right now. We both know you get your share of looks. Stop acting like you're out chasing cars all the time.”

  “I'm not saying I'm a dog, but come on, Gina. I certainly don't compare to the typical leggy, model-y number that Mick usually has on his arm.” I looked at Gina, silently daring her to disagree with what we both knew to be the truth.

  She stared at me for a second, then shrugged and turned her attention to her salad. “Yeah, I know what you mean.” She chewed thoughtfully on a bite of chicken, then said, “But when you think about it, I know Mick was after you because of the cash, but he would have had no real reason to keep at you. I mean really Stella, that guy pulls in tons of money as it is.” She took a quick sip of water and continued, “Sure he doesn't pass on commissions, but take it from me, an agent isn't going to waste his time on someone who's not interested in buying or selling. Especially if they have other clients who are.”

  I could see her point. “No offense Gina, but this hasn't really helped.”

  “Why not? At least you know you beat Mick at his own game. Wasn't that the point?”

  “Yeah, but now I feel guilty. I always thought of him as this shallow ass hole. Now I see him as a real person. It's not as fun to hurt a real person.”

  She scoffed. “What are you talking about? Everyone is a real person,” she used air quotes around the last two words. “Do-gooder's still piss people off on occasion, and ass holes have people who love them. I don't think you should spend too much time feeling guilty about it. Besides, it's over, right?”

  I winced and spent a minute intensely focused on my own salad.

  “Stella?”

  “Oh, alright! I kind of...made plans with him for tomorrow night.”

  “Why?”

  “I already told you! I felt guilty.” I moaned. “I'm such an idiot. We're just supposed to hang out at his place, he said he wants to cook me dinner.”

  She looked at me with no amusement on her face. “So you're just gonna sleep with him again? Start this whole thing over?”

  “Of course not,” I shook my head. “I mean, yeah I'm definitely going to sleep with him, but I'm not starting this whole thing over.” It was my turn to use the air quotes. After another drink from my iced tea I cleared my throat and sat up straight, ready for a change of topic. “What's going on with you and Steven?”

  She shrugged.“We haven't talked much in the past few days. He's usually out when I'm home, but I've made a decision. I'm going to tell him the truth, that I want kids too, but that I can't have them.”

  “You are?” I was stunned. From what she'd told me, it was obvious that she was embarrassed about not being able to have children. I had a lot of admiration for her bravery. “I hope that you guys are able to make things better once you've talked all this out.”

  “Me too.” Gina shook her head slowly, lost in her own thoughts. “I've given it a lot of thought, and what I'd like to do is adopt. There's a lot of kids who need someone to take care of them, right? Besides, I've never really cared about having a newborn. I'd like to adopt an older child, maybe siblings, so they can stay together.”

  “Wow, you have given this a lot of thought. When are you going to talk to Steven about it?”

  He should be at home later, I figure we've been avoiding each other long enough. We're talking tonight.” She said the last sentence with such determination, I couldn't help picturing her tying Steven up in a chair to get him to listen.

  That evening, after I got off work I headed to Barnes and Noble. Even though Kami was feeling better, she was still a little upset about the miscarriage. I was hoping to cheer her up with a little gift.

  I wasn't there to get her the newest, hottest novel. Kami wasn't a big reader, unless you counted magazines. She never subscribed to them because she always convinced herself that it was a waste of money. Instead, she was constantly grabbing them in line at the grocery store, spending more than twice the cost of a subscription. She knew it made no sense, but couldn't help herself.

  Enter my brilliant plan. I grabbed the latest issues of Real Simple and Cosmopolitan, her two favorites. I was going to wrap them up and give them to her, and also get her a years subscription to both. I hoped that looking forward to getting them in the mail would lift her spirits a bit.

  After I grabbed the magazines, I turned and headed for the kids section to see if I could find something for LBJ. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a magazine with a mouth-watering kitchen on the cover. Instantly, I gravitated toward it. The white cabinets sparkled against the butcher block counters and hardwood floors. There was a pot rack hanging above the large island, and small colorful bottles lined along a shelf, catching the light from the large window. It looked so homey, and immediately I thought of Drew and his kitchen.

  Tucking Kami's magazines under my arm, I picked up the kitchen magazine and flipped through it. There was a section with seven different “Dream Kitchens”. They were all very different, and very gorgeous. Looking back down at the rack, I saw a bathroom magazine, which boasted, “Six Simple Spa Secrets”. I grabbed a copy of it as well, thinking it might help Drew get some ideas for his place.

  I picked out a couple books for LBJ and headed to the check out. While I waited in line, I thought about Drew, and whether or not I should give him the magazines. Would he think it was strange? No, I didn't think so. He had been so excited about my interest, I thought he'd appreciate me thinking of him. I couldn't pretend not to notice the butterflies in my stomach when I thought of seeing him again, but I convinced myself that my excitement wasn't about Drew. He had a girlfriend. I could
n't be interested in someone with a girlfriend. I just couldn't wait to see Brillo again. Yes, Brillo must be the reason I was so excited.

  I got home at about six, and dropped my purse and shopping bag on the couch, then headed into my room to change. I always changed out of my work clothes first thing. I felt much more comfy in my jeans and old blue tee. I stopped by the bathroom just long enough to throw my hair up into a bun, and then I grabbed the bag from Barnes & Noble, and a couple spools of ribbon.

  I was at my kitchen table, and had just finished wrapping a light blue ribbon around LBJ's books. I placed his little gift right next to Kami's, which was adorned in bright pink, her favorite color. I looked at the two magazines for Drew and smiled. Why not wrap his too? I used the same blue ribbon from LBJ's, though I did consider using the pink, chuckling at the thought of that front door of his.

  Speaking of front doors, there was suddenly a knock at mine. Still smiling about the presents, I opened my door without even thinking to look at who was behind it. And wouldn't you know? It was Charlie. Since he hadn't been around for over a month, I had just assumed I'd seen the last of him. No such luck.

  I tried to slam the door in his face, but my surprise had given him too much time. “Uh-uh,” he shook his head and stepped into my apartment. “Is that any way to treat an old friend?”

  I pushed at his chest, and had absolutely no success at moving him backwards. “I'll let you know, the next time I see an old friend. Get out of my house.”

  He chuckled and moved his hand down to catch mine. “Aw, come on Stella. You know you've missed me.”

  I jerked my hand free of his. “I have not missed you Charlie! I mean it, get out of my house. I will call the police.” I looked him straight in the eyes, hoping he'd see the seriousness in my expression and decide to leave me alone.

  “Why would you go and do something like that? I'm not going to hurt you.” His eyes softened. “Come on, have I ever hurt you?”