Wash

“Well, since it’s clear that neither of you are in my fan club, is there any way we can make this short and sweet?” Jake asked.

“The pawn shop closed at six,” I said. “What’s your hurry?”

“Number one. I’m a fireman with a nice sized studio, so please quit treating me like a homeless man. Number two. In case you haven’t noticed, you could cut the tension in here with a knife. Then again, I’m more worried that you’re gonna cut me with this guy’s letter opener if I’m here much longer.”

“You never should have come back, Jake.”

“I’m sorry if my presence upsets you.”

“You didn’t even thank my mom for getting those assault charges dropped. Even after everything you did, my mother used her connections and helped you out. She only did that because I begged her to. I loved you so much that I couldn’t bear to see you hauled off to jail. Now, I’d like to put the cuffs on you myself and throw you in a hole where you’ll never see the light of day.”

“I only punched that guy because he nearly tried to rape you. You know that as well as I do.”

“Ahem.” The lawyer cleared his throat. “Are you both ready, or would you like a little bit more time to discuss things?”

“If you don’t mind, Counselor, I’d like to talk to Ashly alone,” Jake said.

I shook my head and vehemently proclaimed, “Not a chance!”

Wanting to get it all over with, the attorney ignored Jake’s request and began with the proceedings. I almost tuned him out as he went over all the legalities of the will. Anger flooded through me like a stormy ocean, and I couldn’t even think straight, let alone focus. I was fuming. What is he doing here anyway? Why in the hell would my mother give him anything? She had begged me to break it off with him countless times. She’d told me constantly that he’d never amount to anything, warned me that he was a loser, and she’d yelled at the top of her lungs, “My daughter deserves better!”

I took a quick peek at Jake as he wiped the water from his brow. My mind drifted back to months after the breakup. I dreaded telling people I was single. Nadia encouraged me, telling me my renewed bachelorette status was going to be a fun and wonderful experience, but I only considered it a punishment, as if I’d committed some terrible crime that had pissed fate off. I was sure nobody could ever love me again. Nadia assured me that wasn’t the case, but I refused to listen. My world had crumbled and shattered all around me. Maybe if I was prettier, sexier, or smarter, Jake would’ve stuck around, I told myself. I felt upset, worthless, and beyond depressed. “What did I do that was so wrong?” I often asked. Nadia was insulted by such questions and made me write down a list of twenty-five things that I loved about myself. Learning to value and accept myself had helped with the healing process, and eventually I did feel a little bit better, but there was no therapy that could help me put my broken heart back together; Jake had, after all, taken some of the biggest pieces with him.

“Are you listening?” he asked. “Did you hear what the man just said?”

“What?”

His eyes were wide in shock. “Your mother left her estate and the sum of fifty million dollars to…us.”

“What!?” I shouted, standing back up. “Why would she leave anything to him?” I pointed to the will. “Check it again. This has to be some kind of mistake!”

“My team and I were the ones who put it together,” my attorney said. “Your mother’s intentions were quite clear.”

“No! My mother would never do that, not in a million years.” The room started to spin, and everything grew hotter. He handed the official documents to me. As I ran my fingers over the raised notary seal and stared down at the words and my mother’s signature, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Why?

“She did not just flatly leave the money to him. There are some, uh…stipulations to getting the money,” my lawyer said.

I sucked in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. I was frazzled, confused, and discombobulated all at once. “What kind of stipulations?”

“I think it’s best that you sit down, Ashly,” Jake said. “Let’s figure this out together.”

I didn’t want to obey a word he said, but I sat down and tried to keep my composure. I knew lashing out at Jake wouldn’t change the instructions my mother had left. I wanted to ask more questions, but at that point, I could barely breathe. I was on the verge of hyperventilating, and the last thing I wanted was for either of those two to give me mouth-to-mouth.

“Take slow, deep breaths, Miss Roberts,” my lawyer coaxed.

“In and out deeply,” Jake chimed in.

I stared into his eyes. “I’m not giving birth here, and even if I was, you sure as hell wouldn’t be my labor coach.”

“C’mon, Ashly. I’m just trying to help.”

“Shut up, Jake,” I said. “I don’t need your help. I don’t need anything f

rom a coward like you.”

He let out a huff and turned back to the lawyer. “What are these so-called stipulations?”

“Miss Roberts’s mother, Virginia, chose several locations around the world that you must visit together. Everything will be paid for, and you will be given an ample allotment of funds for food, personal items, and traveling expenses. In order to fulfill the requirements, you will have to provide a photograph of the two of you together at each destination.” He then turned his gaze to me. “Your mother referred to these as ‘Kodak moments’. When you obtain all the pictures, come back to my office for verification. If they are legitimate, each one of you will be given twenty-five million dollars of your mother’s fortune.”