“I never asked you to do that. I never asked you for anything. You offered for me to stay here. Remember? You stopped me at the door and took my bag from me and told me to stay,” I said.
“I did. Is that something Andy would’ve done?”
“It’s something Andy did several times before he tossed me out on my ass at two in the fucking morning!”
I snickered as I shook my head before I drew in a deep breath.
“You’re all the same,” I said. “You want what you want when you want it and you don’t give a damn about anyone else. You don’t give a damn about how you staying behind would’ve affected me. You don’t give a damn about the fact that you took me on my first real date even though we never left Anton’s fucking house. You don’t give a flying fuck about the fact that you’ll be leaving me in the dust after you jet off to your corner of the world and go live in your mansion on a hill.”
His eyebrows hiked up onto his forehead as his fists clenched at his sides.
“Yeah. Google knows a lot about you,” I said. “So since we’re on this tirade of exposing the whole of ourselves to someone we’re not dating, then answer this. Why the hell would anyone hide the fact that they were rich?”
“If your life is none of my business, then my life is none of yours,” he said through gritted teeth.
I locked every muscle in my body to keep from trembling. I tucked away my emotions and sucked up the anger and hurt I was feeling. I could see Grayson wanted to say something else. I saw it running behind his eyes. But instead, he stormed passed me and began walking down the hallway. I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath. I couldn’t believe this was how things would end between us.
His heavy footsteps caused my eyes to rip open before a thump caught my attention.
I looked down onto the kitchen table and saw a rolled up wad of cash with a rubber band around it. The one hundred dollar bills glared at me as I picked it up in my fingertips. I whipped around and looked at Grayson standing in the arch of the hallway, his arms cros
sed over his chest.
He was completely closed off to me. After all we had been through, this was how we were going to end.
“There’s your money for your labor,” he said. “Take it and start looking for another place. I’m selling Anton’s house as soon as I can. Oh, and settling his estate went great today. Thanks for helping me make up my mind about the last decision I had.”
I ground my teeth together as my nostrils flared. I knew there was more money than he needed to pay me in the palm of my hand, but I no longer cared. I backed up and took the long way back to my room. I didn’t want to brush up against him, or even be near him. I stormed into my room and looked at my packed duffle bag, snickering to myself about that gut feeling about packing my shit up and tidying up the room.
Shaking my head, I unplugged my phone and shoved everything else into the bag.
I gathered my purse and slung the handle of the bag over my shoulder. Then I stuffed the wad of cash into my pocket. My first stop was a bank to open up an account, then from there I didn’t know what the fuck I was going to do.
At least I wouldn’t have to call my mother and ask for money.
I slipped into my flip flops, not caring that I was still without a bra and in cleaning clothes. Knowing Anton’s house was going to be sold off by some greedy godson of his made me sick, and I didn’t want any part in it. I headed for the door as Grayson shouted out behind me, but all I did was drown out his voice. I didn’t care what he said any longer. There was nothing he could say. I no longer cared about his life or who he was. I no longer cared about his circumstance or his predicament. I thought maybe Anton had brought us together for a reason. A beautiful reason that would somehow lead to a happy life.
But as I stepped out onto the porch with that cash pressing against my thigh, I realized the reason was more topical than that. Shallower. More hollow.
It tainted everything I experienced with Grayson as I walked down the driveway.
I heard him talking to me from the porch, but I refused to process his words. All I did was put one foot in front of the other and keep on in that direction. I crossed the road as horns honked, drowning out Grayson’s shouting voice.
My first stop was a bank. My second stop was a bed somewhere. And then my third stop was work.
I had my first shift at the diner tonight.
THE END