Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 108623 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108623 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
If I had someone to turn to, someone who could give me some kind of guidance in my moment of need, I wouldn’t be feeling this bereft. But there’s no one. The women of this town have never quite accepted me as one of their own. When Adrienne was alive, they’d tolerated me for her sake, but I didn’t mind. It was better than nothing.
After her death, that had come to a sudden end, and even the ones who’d still given me the time of day had dropped me like a hot potato once the rumors started. Those stupid rumors that have followed me for the last decade. At least Victoria had made a place for herself among their daughters, but that too may have come to an end.
That Adler bitch had blamed my kid in the principal’s office for the girls getting expelled. I’ll never forget her words or the embarrassment they caused. ‘I should never have let my daughter keep company with someone like yours.’ Just what exactly did she mean by that? Our house is as big as hers, and Felix makes more money than her husband, the drunk, so how is my kid any different from hers.
Are they still looking down on us because we weren’t born into money like the rest of them? If that’s not bad enough, the principal, someone I’d known and worked with when I worked for the school years earlier, refused to hear any argument. The expulsion was permanent, with no room for discussion. But how could that be? Felix still makes a hefty donation to the school every year, and now he’s out over fifty grand because tuition is nonrefundable.
If my kid can’t go, then I must find a way to talk Felix into taking Gia out of there as well. How would it look to have one daughter attending a prestigious private school while the other goes to a public one? I’m sure I can get him to see my point. Just a few weeks ago, I could’ve played the sisters card, and he’d have fallen for it.
But with him acting the way he has been, I’m not sure it would work. Whatever happens, if I don’t make this right, Victoria is going to cause trouble. She hates losing to Gia, and I seem to have lost control of her, so there’s no telling how she’d react if things don’t go her way.
The phone rang, almost making me jump out of my skin. The number looked vaguely familiar, and I couldn’t be bothered, but I can’t afford to let any calls go unanswered, not with things so up in the air like this. “Hello.”
“Yes, I’m calling about the car. Have you given it some more thought?” Oh hell, I’d forgotten all about that. The first time he called, I’d been tempted but knew Felix would not be pleased, and it might lead to more trouble than I needed if I sold the car that rightfully belonged to his precious daughter.
But now, after today, in fact, these last few days, I’m not sure I can afford to pass up a deal like this man was offering. “How did you say you heard about the car again?”
“I checked the registry and found one registered to this address. Look, if you’re holding out for a better deal, I have to tell you, you won’t find one. There aren’t that many people willing to pay three hundred grand cash upfront. I don’t have much time for you to make up your mind; if you’re not interested, I’ll look elsewhere, have a nice day.”
“No, wait, wait, let me think a minute.” I bit my nail until it bled. “I’ll do it. How soon did you say you can get me the check?”
“As soon as you give me the okay, I can have someone in your area pick it up and drop off the check.”
“How do I know you’re legit?”
“It’s a cashier’s check., directly from the bank.” I don’t know much, but I know you can’t be swindled that easily with one of those.
“Okay, that’s fine, then; you can pick it up any time before six, anything later, and you’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”
“I can bring cash if you’d prefer.” The magic words. I don’t know much about cashier’s checks, but I know plenty about money. “I would prefer cash if you don’t mind.” He must be loaded if he can come up with that kind of money on such short notice.
“I can have someone there in half an hour. Make sure you have the papers ready.”
“Sure, everything will be ready when your guy gets here.”
I hung up the phone and ran upstairs to the safe, where I knew Felix kept the paperwork for the car.
How is this person to know that my name isn’t on the bill of sale? I doubt he’d be asking for ID. Felix hardly ever looks in the garage, so it might be a while before he notices the car missing. In the meantime, I can wait until some time has passed and report it missing, while I have a nice little nest egg in case Felix wises up before I’ve got all my ducks in a row.