Cruel Money (Cruel 1)

“Hey, Mel. What’s up?”

“Michael and I got back together,” she unceremoniously told me.

“Wait, what? Why?”

Truly, I wasn’t that surprised. Considering how she’d acted when he started texting her and their history, I’d had a feeling she’d go back to him. I just wished that she hadn’t. That she’d been stronger and held him off.

“I don’t know, Natalie. I thought about how I felt when I was in New York with you, but I can’t stay mad at him. He regrets everything that happened with Kennedy, and neither of us is talking to her anymore. I’ve completely cut her out of my life.”

She could do that to her best friend but not to the douche who had broken her heart on a whim.

“Are you sure about this? I mean, he did just toss you aside so easily.”

“He said it was all Kennedy’s idea.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re not that naive.”

“I know. I know,” she said softly. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you.”

“Because I’d tell you the truth.”

“Kind of.”

I laughed. “Well, it’s okay, Melanie. You shouldn’t worry about talking to me about things. I love you. I just want what’s best for you.”

“I know. I really think that Michael is it. We’ve been together so long.”

“I get it,” I lied. Because I didn’t. If a guy ever treated me like that, I’d throw him to the curb so fast that he wouldn’t have even seen it coming.

I let Melanie talk it out. She really just needed someone to listen as she convinced herself that this was the right move. I wasn’t super great at that, but I also knew that I couldn’t change her mind. She was as stubborn as I was. And she didn’t want me to tell her that she was making a huge mistake. Even if she was.

When I finally got off of the phone with her an hour later, I still didn’t have a text from Penn. It was getting late. Already nine o’clock, and I hadn’t heard a peep. Had he gotten stuck in the city?

I debated between sending him a text and letting it lie. He’d said he was coming back tonight and made the plans for us to celebrate. So, it wasn’t like I expected him to stay in the city. But, if I kept sending texts, would I look like a nagging girlfriend? I sighed and decided against it.

Instead, I pulled my computer up and scrolled through Crew while chatting with Amy about Melanie and Michael as I waited to hear back from Penn.

An hour rolled past.

And then another.

No text.

“What the hell?” I grumbled.

I was irritated that I’d put makeup on to sit around the house. This wasn’t how I’d thought tonight would end up.

I shot him another text to try to check in. At this point, I just wanted to make sure that he was alive. He wasn’t the kind of guy who blew off plans and didn’t text. Or at least…I didn’t think he was like that anymore.

Before in Paris, I would have absolutely said he was that guy. But now? After the weeks we’d spent together, I’d actually been thinking he was an upstanding guy. He warred with who he was because of his past, but overall, he was actually one of the good ones.

So, maybe he had gotten into a car accident. Maybe he’d been taken to the hospital, and no one knew to call me. Maybe…

A million other horrible scenarios ran through my mind.

This wasn’t about our missed night. We could have another night. This was worry. That was all this was. Yep. Definitely.

I pulled my phone out and tried to call him. The number went straight to voice mail. I furrowed my brows. Did that mean it was off? Or dead?

Well, shit. I couldn’t get ahold of him like that.

I scrolled through my phone and stopped on the two numbers that I had who might know where he was and if he was okay.

My finger hovered over Katherine, and then I thought better of it and pressed Lewis’s number instead. If Penn was with Katherine, I really didn’t want to know about it.

“Natalie?” Lewis answered. He sounded surprised.

“Hey, sorry about this. I know it’s late.”

“No, no, it’s fine. You can call me anytime. What’s up?”

“I just…Penn went into the city this morning for a meeting. He told me that he’d be back tonight, but I haven’t heard from him all day, and his phone is off. Normally, I wouldn’t think about it, but he definitely promised to be back. I’m kind of worried he might be hurt or something.”

“Shit,” he said. I heard rustling, as if he were moving around. “Sorry about that. That’s my fault.”

“Your fault?”

“After he finished his meeting, we went out for drinks. He told me he had plans, but one drink turned into a bottle. He’s drunk, and his phone is dead. He’s literally asleep on my couch right now.”