Grimacing, she wished she would have picked a topic that wouldn't have led them back to Matt. Even in his drunken state, she was concerned that topic would make him turn on her like it always did when she would get a shred of hope that he didn't hate her.

"Now, Matt got a bachelor's degree. He went to the four-year school in Pennsylvania—that's where he met his perfect little wife—but all I could afford was the local community college. We aren't like Leigh and Danielle, we're flipped around," he said, making a rotation gestur

e with his hand.

Unsure of how to proceed, she cautiously said, "How do you mean?"

"I'm the younger brother, but I'm the responsible one. Did Matt ever tell you anything about college?" Before she had time to answer he shook his head and went on, "Probably not, huh? Well, Matt got a scholarship out of high school, a full-ride; all he had to do was maintain his grades and play football. He lost the scholarship—they were going to kick him out, but he had met Emma by that point and he knew he had found a prize, so he wasn't letting go. He managed to get academic probation, but he lost all his money for school, so our parents had to give him the money so he could stay, which, of course, left none for me."

Frowning, Julie thought that didn't make sense. Didn't they come from a wealthy family? She was, after all, wearing Nanette Lapore on her back on the dollar of his family.

"I thought… You mean they didn't have enough for both of you?"

Making a dismissive face, he shook his head. "We never had money. My dad was a plumber, my mom worked part-time as a bank teller—there was barely any money for college. I worked my ass off at a community college and worked a full-time job, 48 hours a week as a manager at Arby's. Very glamorous."

Grimacing, she said, "Eew, that's a rough schedule."

He nodded. "Yep. Not Matt though, no. He worked like 10 hours a week or some shit like that, he was an employee at his college. But he had to court Emma, so he didn't have time for that. Our mom was completely supportive of it, which is why they helped him out financially even though his tuition was literally 10 times what mine cost." Then he shrugged. "Oh well, I guess that's what made us different people. God only knows how I might have turned out if I would have been the one to go off to school." Then, smiling, he said, "Who knows? I could be the one married to Emma right now."

Julie gave an exaggerated grimace, and Aaron laughed, also making a face.

"A fate worse than death," he stated.

She chuckled, gaining just a little confidence that he wasn't going to abruptly turn on her. "So, I take it you're not fond of Emma?"

He shook his head. "Not really. She's a manipulative bitch, if you ask me."

"I can attest to that," Julie stated. "But wait, I don't know why I assumed your family had money, I guess just because Matt does. Does that mean he's completely a self-made man, so to speak?"

Scoffing derisively, Aaron said, "If that's what you call it."

"Well, I mean, his success is his own, right? Because he worked for it, not because it's just always been a part of his life."

Shaking his head, Aaron said, "You didn't figure it out yet, huh? Matt has nothing, Julie. Emma has money—Emma's dad owns the company Matt works for. If he left Emma, Matt would be left penniless sitting in some gutter in an alley somewhere. Matt got where he is by hooking Emma—her family is like super-rich, and they're all stuck up assholes just like her, I don't know how anyone can stand to live with them, but I guess if the price is right…"

Suddenly, more pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. "So it was Emma's money," she said almost to herself.

"What?" he asked, frowning slightly.

Only then did she realize he didn't know that she knew anything about his "debt" to Matt, and she swallowed, hoping he wouldn't get mad.

"Oh… well, I was curious about… the café, and I had asked Matt about it and he said that he had let you borrow the money to open it up and get it going…."

"Oh, that," he said, nodding, and –much to her relief—not looking at all mad. "Yeah, technically I probably borrowed Emma's money, but it's all paid back now, so…"

Julie allowed herself a moment then to wonder if Emma also bought her new Nanette Lapore dress. Strangely, that made her feel less guilty about accepting it.

When she looked back up at Aaron with a casual smile, it dropped right off her face—he was scowling at her again, and she felt a deep sense of disappointment.

"I should stop drinking for the night," he said a little quietly.

"Why?" she asked, still watching him as he watched her almost uncertainly.

"Because," he said.

"That's not a reason," she said, cracking a smile.

"I'm starting to not think clearly," he said.

Tags: Sam Mariano Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net