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I wouldn’t say I purposely hid the specific details about my life from anyone. For the most part, I thought I was rather forthcoming. Of course, I didn’t exactly run off and tell people I’d just met about what I did—or didn’t do—for a living.
Typically, I attempted to find a way to redirect the conversation to something else, because I’d learned things the hard way about how people reacted when I told them the truth. Finding genuine people to have in my life had sort of become an impossibility. Maybe that was why my parents were the way they were.
For some reason, I didn’t have the urge to hold back now, though. Even if there was a small voice in my head telling me to keep my mouth shut, I refused to listen to it. There was a bigger part of me which felt differently.
I liked Forrest. We only had a short time left together, and I thought he was a guy who’d take the news in a way that didn’t make me feel awkward. And if he didn’t, as much as it would suck, we wouldn’t see each other again after the trip was over.
The mere thought of that made something at the center of my chest ache.
After taking a deep breath and sighing, in an effort to prepare myself for whatever the outcome was going to be, I answered, “I don’t think it’s going to be too difficult to return to work.”
Forrest slapped his hand over his chest as a wounded look marred his expression. “Ouch, that stung. And here I thought you were going to miss me just a little.”
“I didn’t mean it like that at all,” I attempted to assure him. “It’s just that… well… I don’t have a job.”
Surprise washed over him. “What?”
“I don’t have a job,” I repeated.
Surprise turned to confusion. “I don’t understand. What do you do for a living? How are you traveling right now? Did you win the lottery?”
Shaking my head, I felt a wave of anxiety move through me. All I could do now was hope Forrest would still want to spend time with me after I revealed the truth. “Believe it or not, I’m a trust-fund baby.”
His eyes widened, my news clearly catching him off guard.
Unsure I liked that look, I ignored it and added, “My parents left a lot of money for me, so not only will I never have to work if I don’t want to, but if I ever have kids, they won’t, either.”
For a long time, Forrest stared at me and quietly assessed me.
I’d said all I could bring myself to say, so it was up to him to speak at this point. But I couldn’t say I wasn’t a mess of nerves while I waited.
When Forrest finally spoke, what he said had caught me off guard completely. “You’re remarkable.”
“I’m sorry. What?”
“If what you’re saying is true about you and your future kids never needing to work, it’s clear you’ve got a substantial sum of money on your hands,” he started. “I would have suspected someone in your position to be the very opposite of you.”
Still confused and unsure about how he felt, I cocked a brow. “And this is a good thing?”
Forrest nodded. “Absolutely. You’ve got to be the most outgoing woman I’ve ever met. Plus, you’re kind, friendly, and know how to have a great time. I think a lot of other people in your position could find it very easy to be rude, obnoxious, and uptight.”
“Where would that get me?”
The corners of his mouth tipped up in a smile. “That’s just it. Most people wouldn’t look at it that way. I’d like to think that most people feel like I do when it comes to knowing you. Granted, I felt the way I did about you before I knew about this, but I’d imagine people love that you’re the kind of woman you are.”
“You’d be surprised,” I mumbled before I had the chance to stop myself.
Forrest had been lifting his fork to his mouth, but he stopped after I’d spoken. Lowering his hand and the fork, he asked, “What makes you say that?”
I bit my lip, wishing I could take back those three words. “I guess I’ve met my fair share of people who would likely act the way you just described—rude and obnoxious. The money I have generally factors into the equation. That’s all.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Daisy. But look on the bright side.”
“I’m not sure there is one,” I told him.
“You’re in this unique position that’s made it possible for you to do the traveling you do. We wouldn’t have met one another, otherwise,” he noted.
I couldn’t deny that was certainly one upside to the situation, aside from the obvious of never needing to worry about where my next meal would come from. “I’m thrilled that I’ve met you, Forrest. That might be the only good thing, because it’s shown me what it’s like to have someone’s time, attention, and affection.”
