Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 67675 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67675 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“Rich?” I finished blandly. “Yes. I thought you knew.”
She shook her head. “No. Not really. It doesn’t matter, though. I don’t want to take your money like that. I want a fair, honest arrangement.”
I didn’t note the irony of her wanting an honest arrangement after four years of lies. I swirled the wine around in the base of the glass, wondering what the hell the right thing to do was. I wasn’t going to accept these ludicrous terms that kept her indentured to me for the next ten years, at least. No matter how it had come about, she was the mother of my child. I would make sure they were both taken care of. Which brought me to the crux of the matter.
“You also didn’t say anything about custody,” I said. “I hope you don’t think you’re going to keep my daughter from me any longer than you already have.”
Cami shook her head, but I wasn’t done.
“You can’t buy her from me, if that’s what this plan is about. I will pay child support, and I will be in her life. Those terms are nonnegotiable.”
“No, I’m not trying to keep her from you,” Cami said, daring to be incredulous. “That’s not what this is about. I’ve already worked out in my head how we should do it. We’ll spend time with her together at first, and then when she’s comfortable with you, you can take her for whole mornings or afternoons–she still naps between noon and two. Then, after that, weekends, and we’ll see from there.”
It sounded fair enough, but the matter of child support was still an issue. I poured another glass of wine. “I’ll get in touch with a custody lawyer tomorrow. They’ll help us work out what’s fair. Then, if you need a loan on top of that, we can revisit the subject.”
“I’d hoped we could avoid lawyers,” Cami murmured unhappily.
After everything she had been through with the Lavigne Beauty lawsuits, I didn’t blame her. But in my view, she was putting the blame on the wrong party. Lawyers hadn’t ruined her family’s business – Elyna and Robert had done that themselves with their questionable business practices. I studied her, wondering if she knew that. Cami was no fool, but she had a blind spot a mile wide for her parents. And who knew what explanation Elyna had spun to explain why this wasn’t her fault at all. I imagined it was some fairy tale involving wicked consultants who were too lazy to sell their product conspiring with the profiteering lawyers to take down the innocent figurehead.
Either way, it wasn’t my job to break the news to her. My business with Cami started and ended with Emma. “There will be lawyers,” I said firmly. “I’ll have Potts arrange it and let you know when to come in again.”
That brought a glimmer of a smile to her lips. “Potts must have her work cut out for her, working for you.”
I thought Potts had had it pretty easy until Cami reappeared in my life, but I didn’t tell her that. Cami didn’t need to know that I didn’t generally use Potts as my middleman. She didn’t need to wonder why I was so hell bent on keeping her at a distance.
“In the meantime, apply to the program,” I said brusquely. “If you give Potts your banking information, I’ll arrange a one-time transfer to cover the last three years of child support. It should more than cover the application fee.” It would cover a down payment on a two-bedroom condo, too, but I’d let her figure that out.
Our food came then, and we ate in silence. Cami’s face was troubled, and I knew why. Now she was the one wondering if she was being bought. What it would mean if she accepted my money. She would accept it though; I would make sure of that. And as soon as the transfer went through, I would feel entitled to see my daughter.
Maybe I was trying to buy her after all, and she was in no position to turn down my offer.
6
CAMI
When I got home late that night, Emma was in bed, but I could hear the TV playing in the living room. Casey was still up. I walked toward the noise, then stopped at the threshold, overwhelmed. Casey sat on the couch, her legs pulled up on the cushion and her ankles crossed, She glanced over when she heard me and tilted her head questioningly. When I only shrugged, she patted the cushion beside her.
I walked past her and looked out at the pool. It glowed like a square-cut aquamarine against the backdrop of the dark hills.
“Want to go for a swim?” Casey asked, switching off the television.
I shook my head. I could see her reflection in the sliding glass door. Blonde with the long, lithe muscles that came from exercising every day, and a glow that came from an absurdly healthy lifestyle. My opposite in every way, and it went further than skin deep. She would never be in my position. Casey was only three years older than me, but she’d made a name for herself as a Peloton instructor, and then she’d built a lifestyle brand. She’d never have to ask a man for money.