Grumpy Boss

“Maybe we can help with that,” Millie said, and I frowned at her.

“How?” Kirk asked. “It’s not like Des is about to sell the shop to you.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “But there’s other real estate in this town.”

He laughed and looked at me like I was insane. “Dude, that’s, like, millions of dollars. Shit’s not cheap out here anymore. I know you’re rich, but come on.”

I leaned closer to him and tried on my best smirk. “Trust me Kirk, I’m rich enough that even San Fran real estate doesn’t bother my bottom line.”

He let out an uncomfortable laughed and looked up at the ceiling again. “Ah shit,” he said, running his hands through his hair, sending strays all around. He tugged out the hair tie, then redid the bun twice in a row, almost obsessively. Finally, he said, “I can give you a phone number, okay? But if Des asks, you got it from someone else, okay?”

“Sure, Kirk,” I said, nodding. “I’ll tell him I got it from a reporter.”

He gave me a look. “Think of a better lie. He’s going to be pissed.”

“I’ll do my best,” I said, and held my phone out. “Type it in.”

“Fuck,” he said, but he did it, and saved it under the name Desmond Cell. “That’s all I can do for you, okay? And I’m only helping because I feel bad about the way shit went down, back in the day.”

“But you don’t feel bad about all the slander and lies you’ve been feeding to the press for Des?” I asked, cocking my head, and putting my phone away.

He held his hands out to either side of him and looked at Millie. “It’s just the way things are, you know? What am I supposed to do? He owns the house.”

“I understand,” she said, then touched my arm. “We’ll leave you alone. Thanks for helping, Kirk. Maybe one day I’ll take you up on that surfing.”

He nodded and tugged at his hair. “Yeah, yeah, sure. That’ll be fun.”

He smiled again and pulled me along behind her. I glanced back at Kirk and he stared after us, a haunted look in his eyes. I tried to imagine what life was like over the last decade, living under the thumb of Desmond, worried that someday his friend might have a mood swing and kick him out of his house. It must’ve been hard, playing along with Desmond’s whims, and this was probably the last straw for him.

If Kirk ever reached out, I’d help him. Hell, I had the money. And maybe I owed him. It’d be cheaper than if he’d stuck with me from the start, that was for sure.

“How do you feel about all that?” Millie asked me, back out on the sidewalk.

I shook my head. “It was like seeing a ghost,” I said.

She reached out and touched my face. It was impulsive, and I could tell it surprised even her, but I reached up and held her hand there. I liked the warmth of her palm against my cheek, and I pressed harder against it. I knew there were articles online about our fake relationship, and more posted every day, but none of it mattered in that strange, focused second. I went closer to her and bent down, kissed her on the cheek, and hugged her tight.

“What’s next?” she asked, whispering in my ear. It felt good, to pull her so close.

“Next, we get more money,” I said. “And then we call Des and straighten some things out.”

She let out a little laugh, and let me lead her back into the car.

15

Millie

Instead of flying back home, Rees took us on a little detour to Houston, Texas.

It was a strange contrast to San Francisco. The bay was a rolling mess of hills and ocean scent, while Texas was flat and rocky, a desert expanse. Houston was a newer city, more of an urban sprawl than a concentrated downtown. There was more green space, and more single-family homes.

“You know, the last eccentric rich guy you took me to forced me to eat some bird he killed in his yard,” I said as the driver navigated along a highway that bent away from the airport, and curved gracefully around the skyscrapers that made up the central downtown area.

“That’s true,” Rees said, smiling a little, like that was a fond memory. “But I don’t think we have to worry about that with this guy.” He hesitated, his smile faltering. “Probably not anyway.”

“He doesn’t own a bunch of guns, does he?”

Rees glanced at me. “It’s Texas, Millie. Everyone owns a bunch of guns here.”

I sighed and leaned my head back against the seat as we slowly left the main city, and entered a more suburban expanse, bordering on the rural. I thought about looking at my phone, just to check texts and emails, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.