Possessive Best Friend

“Does that make them any less real?”

“Not to me,” she says.

“Then there you go. I’m sorry you’re struggling right now. I understand what you feel. I’ve been living in my father’s shadow now for too long, and I’m ready to move past it, but it’s hard.”

“Look at us. We’re quite the pair.”

“True.” I hold her tight and for a while, we just sit and watch the river flow. But soon the night gets cooler, and we’re nowhere near dressed warm enough. So we get up and stumble back to the house. By the time we make it inside, she’s shivering a little bit and the wine mug is empty.

“Come on,” I say, leading her toward the living room. “Let’s get you home.”

“Think the driver’s still out there?” she asks, her voice a little slurred.

“Probably. He wouldn’t leave you, right?”

“Shouldn’t. Not if he wants to keep his job.” She grins at me. “I’m just kidding. You can drive me home.”

I look out the blinds and spot the car still in my driveway. “I can, but he’s there.”

“So reliable.” She sighs.

“Hey, why don’t you ask your siblings?”

She frowns at me. I turn to her, head tilted.

“My siblings? About what?”

“Investing,” I say. “I mean, they all have money, right? Run it by them, see what they say. And maybe your mom might want to pitch in, too.”

“No, she won’t, but my dad might.” She frowns at me. “My siblings, huh…”

“Give it a shot. I mean, they’re the richest people you know, right?”

“Probably,” she admits. “Richest people I know that might give a crap about this town at least.”

“There you go, good enough.”

“You’re smart, you know that?” She walks over and presses herself against me. I can’t help but feel a stirring as her body feels warm against mine. I kiss her softly, just a brush on her lips.

“I know,” I say.

She laughs and pulls away. I watch her leave my house, skip down the steps, and get into the back of the car. The driver pulls off and I see her wave from the back seat as I close my door.11LoraI wake up with a mild hangover the next day, but it doesn’t bother me much. It’s been a while since I drank that much. Probably because I spend all my time moping around the manor and I don’t like drinking alone.

As soon as I’m up, I shower, get some food from the kitchen, and start planning. I curl up in the solarium with my laptop and some coffee for a few hours until it’s a reasonable time in LA.

I pick up my phone and call Shaun. He answers on the third ring. “Hey there,” he says. “How’s it going?”

“Hey, Shaun,” I say. “Is this a good time to talk?”

He laughs. “Since when did you care about that?”

“I have a business proposition for you.”

“Oh,” he says. “Really now?”

“I know, I know. Your loser little sister can’t possibly have something worth your time, right?”

He laughs gently. “Come on, Lora. I don’t think of you that way.”

“It’s not too far from the truth. You’re only a few years older and you’ve done so much more.”

“True, but not because you’re a loser. I’m just extra awesome.”

“Oh, right, I forgot.” I sigh. “Are you going to listen to me?”

“I promise I’ll listen.”

“Okay, so. I mentioned the warehouse, right?”

“You might have, but mention it again.”

I give him the quick rundown of the place. He makes a few interested noises, up until I get to the part with Uncle Ron.

“Wow,” Shaun says. “He is such a dick.”

“I know, right?”

“And he totally forgot he asked for the truck because he was probably wasted when he told you to get it for him.”

“Right, that’s what I was thinking. God, what a dick. Did you know Dean insisted on paying?”

“For the truck?” He whistles. “You might have a winner there, Lora.”

“For once in my life, I actually believe he cares more about me than about my money.”

“That’s great,” he says and laughs. “It feels good to be valued as a person and not just a bank account, right?”

“I imagine this is what you have with Klara.”

“I hope so. Although she thinks I’m a hunk and is using me for my body.”

“Oh, gross.”

“Kidding. She’s sitting right here.”

“Tell her I said hi.”

Shaun says something away from the receiver than comes back. “So listen, I can guess where this is going. Uncle Ron asked for some crazy amount for the warehouse, right?”

“He wants $2 million?”

Shaun makes a noise. “That’s actually… not too terrible. I mean, that place is huge, right?”

“Massive,” I say. “And in good shape, too.”

“Huh. Honestly, I bet that’s what he paid for it. Probably just trying to get his investment back. After all the rent he made, of course, which is probably a lot.”

“But it’s sitting unused in a dying town. It can’t really be worth that much, right?”