Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“Okay. I just wanted to make sure.”
I petted the dog, who was shifting in Embry’s arms, and said, “I think Dusty’s getting impatient.”
“Yeah, I’d better go, but please don’t worry. I know we can do this. I also know everything feels weird and uncertain right now, but let’s both try to think of it as an adventure and have fun with it.”
“That’s a good suggestion.”
I walked him out, and after he stepped onto the porch, he turned back to me with a smile. “This is going to be great,” he said. “You’ll see.”
I had no idea if he was right about that. All I knew was that my life was about to change in a big way. Whether it would be a change for the better remained to be seen.
5
Embry
Around noon on Friday, Bryson arrived at the Pink Victorian to take us to the airport. First though, there was the prenuptial agreement to sign. I invited him in, and he looked around curiously as we went into the living room and took a seat.
“I can see why you like living here,” he said. There was nothing fancy about this place, but it was warm and welcoming. I thought it was nice that he could appreciate it.
JoJo and Vee joined us, sitting side-by-side so they could read one of the thin packets of papers while I read the other. When they finished, JoJo took off her red-framed reading glasses and said, “I’m not a lawyer, obviously, but this all seems pretty standard.”
“It basically says if your marriage ends in divorce or annulment, you’re not entitled to any of his shit and he’s not entitled to any of yours,” Vee told me.
I grinned a little. “Good to know my hoodie collection is safe.”
Bryson and I signed both copies, and he handed one to me. I passed it to JoJo, because what was I supposed to do with it?
Then Bryson muttered, “I’m glad that’s over.” He’d thought it was embarrassing, but I totally got it. He was going to inherit a lot of money at the end of this, and according to California’s divorce law, I’d be entitled to half as his spouse. He had to make sure I wasn’t a gold digger looking to fleece him for all he was worth.
He had one more task to take care of, and it ratcheted his embarrassment right back up again. Bryson put an envelope on the coffee table and said, “That’s your stipend for December, in cash.”
Vee picked up the envelope and counted the money before announcing, “A thousand bucks. Nice. Bonus points for not prorating it, even though it’s already the sixth.”
Bryson looked mildly offended. “Of course not. I have no interest in nickel-and-diming your friend.”
I pulled out a few bills and pocketed them before handing the envelope to JoJo. “This is for the back rent I owe you, plus this month’s rent.” She and Yolanda charged me next to nothing, which had always bothered me. They had a mortgage and bills to pay, and in this housing market they could have gotten so much more for my room.
She tried to give the envelope back to me. “You should hold on to this. You mentioned you were pretty tapped out, so put this in the bank.”
I got up and said, “Please take it. I like knowing it’s taken care of.”
Everyone else got up too, and JoJo asked, “Did you keep enough for groceries?”
“I guess we never discussed it, but I intend to cover Embry’s food costs while he’s living with me,” Bryson told her. “It makes sense to cook for both of us, and to buy his groceries at the same time as mine.”
I started to tell him he didn’t need to do that, but just then, Hal hurried down the stairs with a big suitcase and called, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“You’re fine,” Vee told him, when he came to a breathless stop in the doorway. “We just got done signing the prenup. Now I need to go find Clementine, so I can say goodbye to him.”
As he left the living room, Bryson asked, “Who’s Clementine?”
“His parakeet.” I went into the hallway and looked around for Dusty.
Bryson seemed concerned. “Did it get out of its cage?”
“No. He has the run of the house.”
“Isn’t Vee concerned about the bird escaping out an open door?”
“If Clementine wanted to escape, he would have done it a long time ago. I’m going to find my dog, so I can say goodbye. You can come with me, if you want.”
Bryson followed me upstairs to my room, where we found Dusty curled up on my bed with the cat. I picked up the dog and kissed his head while Bryson took a look at the cluster of images on one wall. There were photos, sketches, post cards, and magazine clippings, and while a few were pictures of my friends or pretty shots of San Francisco, the rest were all decorated cakes. “That’s my inspiration wall,” I explained.