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“It would help if we had Rae,” I said to Jack.
“I’ll talk to her.”
“Rae is still my employee,” Lock pointed out.
I headed for the door. “We’ll leave tonight. If we’re lucky, we’ll be back in three days.”
“Hey!” Lock shouted, finally getting my attention. “Are you going to fill me in, or are you just taking the keys to a minivan and leaving?”
I frowned. “Don’t be silly. The minivan would be a dead giveaway. We’ll get a rental.”
“It was a joke!” Lock shouted as we walked out. “I’m still in charge, you know! You answer to me!”
I waved my hand at him.
“I expect a full report when you get back! With color tabs and a slideshow!”
21
IZZY
In the two weeks since Jason took me to get the living room furniture, Vira and Eva had ventured out with me day after day to fill the rest of the house with anything I could possibly need. As much as I hated spending a dime of Zavala’s tainted money, I started to look at the account as something I had earned after years of abuse. Once I settled my mind around that, it made the whole shopping experience easier.
“Please tell me that lamp is staying up here,” Vira said, leaning in the doorway of my bedroom.
I glanced in the corner at my floor lamp, smiling at the bright colors. The base was with bulbs of blown glass in gold and purple, and the shade had a large leaf design with teal, gold, and purple embroidery. It wasn’t everyone’s taste, but I loved it. It was so unique. I’d never seen anything like it before.
“It’s staying right here with me,” I grinned. “Why? You don’t like it?”
“It’s a little too…whimsical for my tastes,” she said, walking in and sitting down on my bed.
“Well, you don’t have to like it. I absolutely love it.”
She shrugged, laying down on my bed. “You know, with a king-size bed, this is plenty big for two people.”
“Yes, me and when I want to roll around.”
“You must get lonely.” She sighed heavily. “Look, I’m not saying I’m bisexual, but for this bed, I could make an exception.”
She wiggled around, getting comfortable. I tossed the remote at her, letting her play with the settings. I was tempted to buy her a bed of her own just to see the look of contentment on her face all the time. But I knew she would never accept it. As much as she teased me, she wouldn’t actually take my money.
“Try the zero G position. It’s so comfortable.”
The bed shifted into position and she snuggled in further to the bed, sighing happily. “Now, this is the life. I could definitely get used to this.”
“For only the hefty price tag of eight thousand dollars,” I chuckled.
“Yeah, I’m not willing to spend that much on a bed.”
“I never thought I would either, but here I am, tossing around money left and right.” The smile on my face hid the devastation I still felt deep inside. With every day that passed, I felt Zavala’s betrayal cut deeper into my soul. I thought I had already lived through the worst of it, but I found that surviving it was just as difficult as being in the middle of it.
The memories were haunting, reminding me that I would always have mental scars. Would I ever be able to move on and be truly happy? Even with all these things surrounding me, I was still barely living—which was exactly what I intended to discuss with my therapist tomorrow.
I stood from my new vanity, walking over to the bed to lay down beside Vira. The bed really was super comfortable. For just a moment, I pretended I was anyone else.
“If you could have a redo, what would you do?” I asked Vira.
“Not much point in thinking about it,” she said, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the bed.