Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 85342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
I sit down now, my legs giving out, my stomach feeling like I’m going to throw up. My head is spinning a hundred miles an hour. My hands ache from being in a fist half the time. I close my eyes and hang my head. The sound of her voice echoes, “It’s going to be all gone.”
My eyes flicker open and I look at the drink in front of me. I grab it and take it down in one gulp, it burns all the way down to my stomach. “What are you going to do about it?” Uncle Max’s voice echoes in my ear now. “If you aren’t in the car with her, get out of the car.” My mind spins around as I think of the answer. My mind thinks about where she could be now. I wonder if Michael is there and then I wonder if I should go over there. I look at the crystal glass in front of me, and in the blink of an eye, I hurl it across the room at the wall. It shatters into a million tiny pieces, just like her heart did when she walked out of here.
CHAPTER 19
Julia
I sit on the couch and tell Jillian and Michael the story I told Max and Matthew. This time with a couple of fewer tears because I didn’t want Jillian to know just how bad it is. “They can’t just sue you!” Jillian gasps and stands. Michael puts his hand in hers and pulls her back down on the couch. “They can’t just come and sue her.”
“They sure can,” I say, “and they are.” Staying strong is harder than falling apart. The minute I heard her voice, I just cracked. It took her less than ten minutes to get to me since she was downtown with Michael. I can’t even tell you what we discussed in the car. All I know is I sat in the back with my eyes closed as I pushed away the pounding of my head. I heard Michael call Max and then the next thing I knew we were pulling into their driveway. The whole thing was a blur, fuck, the whole two days was a blur.
Jillian was a wreck beside me and she didn’t let go of my hand for even a second. Michael looked like he was in the most uncomfortable situation he’d ever been in. His face was pale and his finger was tapping his knee as we waited for Max to get here. I thought for sure he would come with Chase following, but it was just the two of them. I couldn’t even look them in the eye this time. I just told my story with my head facing down as I focused, my hand in Jillian’s. “Ten million dollars.” She shakes her head and then takes a deep breath. “We have to sell the house.” She looks at Michael.
“What?” I gasp. “Absolutely not.”
“We don’t have to sell the house,” Michael says. “I just need to move things around.”
“Um…” I release Jillian’s hand. “No one is selling any house and or moving things around, whatever that means.”
“We’ll be fine,” Michael replies, looking at Max who just nods at him. “It’ll be fine.”
“Only in this family do they talk about ten million dollars like it’s fifty bucks.” I shake my head and laugh. “You know what I could do?” I look at Jillian. “Go on Tinder.”
“You are not going on Tinder,” Max and Matthew say at the same time.
“Why?” I ask, shocked, then turn to Matthew. “I might have to borrow the private plane, but then it’s a given they will wire me money.”
“You really need to stop watching Netflix,” Michael suggests.
“I might need a bodyguard to rough them up.” I look at them and see Max looking at me and smirking and something lifts off my chest. “But then the money will just roll in.”
“That’s called prostitution,” Jillian declares. “You think they are going to give you all this money without sex?” She huffs out, “Not a chance in hell.”
“Okay,” Matthew says, getting up and slapping his hands together. “This has been fun.” He looks at Max. “I’m assuming we are staying until things settle.” He just nods his head. “I’ll have the girls fly out tomorrow.”
“Already on it,” Max says, getting up. “They should be here within the hour.”
“I don’t need all this fuss,” I say, getting up. “Honestly, it’ll be fine. It’s too late to call anyone, so I’m going to save all that until tomorrow. But I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“But what if it isn’t?” Jillian asks softly. “We are going to do whatever it is we need to do for you.” She gets up and puts her hands on her hips. “And that is that.”
“Jesus.” I throw my hands in the air. “When did this one become so sassy?” I point at her with my thumb, then look at Matthew. “Is it from you?”