Page 36 of Never Let Go

Like how much does a skyscraper really cost and is it a good investment?

Mild nausea simmered in my stomach, the physical shock still making it hard to really believe it was happening. “Foster?”

At the sound of my brother’s voice, I turned back to him. “Hmm?”

Porter’s eyebrows were slightly drawn together as his eyes searched mine. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Fine.” I released a deep breath and dragged my free hand through my hair while lifting the champagne to my mouth with the other. I took a long sip, focusing on the burn of the bubbles in my throat to ground me to reality. “Did you feel sick? After you sold the patent, I mean.”

His head canted as understanding dawned in his eyes, and he nodded. “Yeah, I did. I also felt, like, untethered. Like my head had been detached from my body and was floating above me. It’ll pass, though. As the shock wears off, it’ll all go back to normal.”

Kane snorted. “Some of us wouldn’t mind feeling that way if it means we just got that amount of money deposited into our accounts. Just saying. Enjoy even the shock, Foster. You’re fucking lucky to be feeling it.”

A bark of laughter tore out of me. “That’s one way of looking at it.”

He smirked. “No, it’s the right way of looking at it. You’ll get used to being stupid rich soon enough, and then the shock will wear off and the fun will start.”

I glanced at the orange glow behind the clouds again. “That’s the problem. I’m not sure I want the fun to start. I don’t want to get to a point where I’m just spending money willy-nilly, but in my head, I keep wondering what to do with it. What’s a good investment? I just feel like I have no fucking idea what to do now.”

Porter chuckled and swallowed another sip of his champagne before he shivered and jerked his head at the sliding door. “Let’s talk about this inside. The champagne is open. We don’t need to worry about it spraying all over your furniture anymore and I’m freezing my balls off.”

Kane peeled off to follow Porter when he started walking and I hung back for a minute, looking out at the city and wondering if it’d changed overnight or if it was just me. Shaking my head at myself as I dragged in a deep breath, I took another gulp out of the bottle before I went inside with them.

Porter slid the door closed behind me, then reached out to pat me on the back as I passed him. “All of this is normal. Everyone wants millions unexpectedly deposited into their account, but it’s not like anyone actually expects it to happen. When it does, it’s disconcerting and that’s okay.”

I swallowed hard, forcing myself out of my weird state of mind and grinning at him instead. “Okay, Dr. Porter. When did you become a shrink?”

The hand that had been patting my back curled into a fist and he punched my shoulder. “Don’t be an asshole. Jeez. You rich guys are such pricks.”

Kane laughed and dropped down on my sofa, kicking his feet up on the coffee table and reclining as he nursed his champagne. “You rich guys really are pricks. If it’ll help, I’m more than willing to take all that money off your hands and you can both just go back to being mere mortals.”

Porter smirked at him as he took a seat on an armchair next to the sofa. “Stop pretending like you’re hurting. We know you’re not. You just got that fancy new promotion. It’s not like you don’t have more than enough to get by.”

“Getting by isn’t alcohol baron money,” he joked, grinning. I knocked his feet off the coffee table to move past him. “What are you going to buy first, then? You still haven’t told me.”

“That’s because I don’t know,” I said honestly as I dropped down on the sofa and kicked my own feet up. When he gave me an incredulous look, I rolled my eyes. “I really don’t know. Like I said, I don’t just want to spend it for the sake of spending it. If I start doing that, I won’t stop.”

“There’s got to be something you want, though?” he argued. “Something you can buy to mark the occasion. A beach house or an airline, perhaps?”

I chuckled. “Nah. I don’t want a beach house or an airline, but I was kind of thinking I might get Amanda a gift.”

He frowned. “Who?”

Porter arched a brow at him. “Amanda. The Sight Unseen girl.”

Kane’s eyes went wide. “Oh, right. Her. Haven’t you only been on two dates with this girl?”

“Yep, but I like her. There’s just something about her, you know.”

He shook his head. “No, I don’t know. Have you told her that you’re a multi-millionaire now?”

“Not a chance.” I stared at him with my chin almost all the way to my chest and my brows high. “It’s not exactly something that comes up in regular conversation, and besides, we’re still just getting to know each other.”

“Sure, but you want to buy her something? You’ve gotten this sudden, unexpected windfall, and buying her a gift is all you want to do with the money?”

I shrugged. “It’s not all I want to do, but it is the first thing that comes to mind. The money isn’t going anywhere. I’ve got time to think about what I want to get for myself, but I’d like to get her something to show her how much I’ve been enjoying our time together.”

Porter nodded slowly, understanding clear in his eyes. “It’s intense, that whole being alone together in the dark thing. It makes things seem like a lot more than they would’ve after only two dates on the outside.”