“Sunshine?” he questions, cracking one eye open.
“Hey. Morning.”
He pulls me down beside him and plants a deep kiss on my lips. “Do we need to get up now? I miss you in bed with me.”
“We do. You’ll be staying over Tuesday to Thursday this week so you can cuddle then. Right now, we need to help E figure out what he wants to do.”
Groaning, he sits up and rubs his face. “Okay. I’ll be out in a few minutes, Sunshine.”
Giving him a quick peck on his cheek, I get up and walk back out to the living room and see Nick on the couch sipping coffee, so I decide to get some tea for myself. “What’cha working on, E?”
“Some wraps for lunch, but I’m almost done.”
“Okay.” I busy myself making tea, and by the time it’s ready, Seb has joined us. Now we just need Bay. As if I summoned him, Bay enters through the door. “Morning, Bay,” I greet.
“Morning,” he smiles. It looks like he was up early, as there’s a grease stain on his shoulder.
I take my tea back to the couch as E and Bay join us. Looking around, everyone seems to be in their own head instead of speaking. “Okay, guys,” I call to get their attention. “Nick needs to show us some stuff first, then E; we need to talk.”
Nick walks us through how to minimize tracking on our phones and offers to set up a VPN network at each of our houses. Once that is complete, I turn to E. “Where is your head at, E?”
“All over the place. I’m not giving up, Seb. That I know for sure,” he says, grabbing Seb’s hand. “I don’t mind living with them. It won’t be fun, but I can do that. As for college, I’m not sure.”
“You’re a chef,” Nickgrunts.
“He’s right. You were born to be a chef, handsome,” Seb says. “You can’t give that up.”
“Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad trying something else.”
“E, can you help me understand why you're even considering this? Money is important, I understand that, but it’s not worth all this.”
“I would be financially secure for life because of my inheritance. That’s hard to give up.”
“But you plan on working, so you’d have a salary. I have money, and Alex does. We’ve both offered to help you. I have no doubt you’ll be successful as a chef. Culinary school isn’t as expensive as a four-year degree. You could manage.”
“I was thinking if I got a regular college degree and moved in with them, then I could become a chef later, after I have the money. It wouldn’t be so bad.”
He sounds desperate, which I don’t understand. “What about Seb? They don’t approve.”
“No, but they’re okay with you, so we could date, and Seb and I would just have to be careful until we graduate.”
Standing up, I begin to pace. I don’t understand why money is worth all this. “No. I won’t do that, E.” What on earth is he thinking? He can’t seriously be suggesting a secret relationship for years with Seb.
“It’s okay, Sunshine,” Seb smiles sadly at me. “E and I talked a lot about it. It’s only temporary, and if it gives him what he wants, then I’ll do it.”
“Well, I’m not okay with it. I don’t like this E. It feels wrong. What guarantees do you have from your grandparents?”
“What do you mean?” His brow furrows in confusion.
“If you move in with them, if you hide Seb, and if you agree to college, when do you get your inheritance?”
“Probably after I finish college, but they'll pay for everything during that time.”
“So,you’re going to hide Seb for years?” I can’t believe he’s considering this. Does he not see how sad Seb is? What is it about money that makes people crazy?
“No, just until we finish high school.”
“What if you go to college here? It would take only one incident for them to refuse your inheritance. One person to see you two together, and it’s all for nothing. Seriously, think more about this E. You’re looking at possibly 5 years without making a mistake. For money.”
