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Chapter 25
Phin
I lay with Lizzie in my arms, warm and content; I'd never been this happy in my life. The thought of having to leave her soon and not telling her the real truth was killing me. I needed to confess everything; I wasn't sure I could live without her. I had to trust her feelings for me. If she knew what was at stake, she wouldn't betray me. I was falling in love with this woman in my arms, but the thought of facing my parents was still too much to imagine. I had too much to lose now, and it wasn't just about the money. Lizzie was beginning to mean more to me than the millions of dollars, and that was scary and exciting.
Friday morning came, and I got up and made her breakfast like we'd been doing it for years, not just days. She'd had a call from her boss and would to have to go into the office today. We were both disappointed that our routine had been disrupted.
Before she headed into her office to work, I gave her a deep kiss and smacked her on the butt goodbye. She told me to be ready when she got home at six, and we'd leave soon after for a surprise she had planned.
When I went into the bedroom, I found a surprise. I saw an expensive black shopping bag on the bed with a men's designer label on it. I came from money, so I knew this was expensive. When I opened the bag, the clothes were folded nicely in tissue paper and sealed with a sticker from the designer store. I pulled out a beautiful black dress shirt and a pair of charcoal gray dress trousers. I wasn't shocked; Lizzie had impeccable taste in clothes.
I had taken clothes like this for granted growing up, but I hadn't missed them. My mother enjoyed shopping almost as much as she liked her afternoon vodka and tonic, so she always bought me fancy things. They would magically appear in my closet, and I never even had to think about it.
I stood admiring these elegant gifts. Lizzie's generosity overwhelmed me, so I decided to buy my girl something beautiful for tonight too. I had enough money saved up that I could buy her something unique that would always remind her of me.
Heading out into a beautiful early spring San Francisco day, there wasn't a cloud in the blue sky, and there was a lovely smell in the air. The world looks entirely different to me now, Lizzie had changed everything. Having someone to lose was a feeling I wasn't used to, and the thought of losing Lizzie was like a punch in the gut.
After getting Lizzie her favorite tiramisu for tonight, I roamed around looking for a special gift. I imagined the day I could afford to buy Lizzie beautiful things. I knew in my gut that she didn't care about my money; she'd love anything I purchased for her as long as it was from the heart. All my hope was bubbling to the surface, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep it under wraps. Of course, the dark thoughts immediately tried to extinguish the hope that I was feeling. These thoughts were whizzing through my mind, and I was trying to control my breathing. What if my parents found me now? Could I stand up to my father? What if I didn't collect the money? Could I let my family have it? Could I walk away from it for Lizzie?
No! My feelings of needing to hide had to stop. There was no way I would let my father keep what I deserved after everything that he'd done to me. Standing on the street where I had once sat homeless thinking about my future, there was no way I would let him tarnish such a fantastic day. Hope had to win.
Shaking the dark thoughts out of my head, I walked into this boutique like a normal person, which meant people didn't follow me like a shoplifter. My clothes were clean, and I had to remind myself I was an average guy. The ladies asked me if I needed help because I looked like a clueless guy buying a gift for his girlfriend, not a thief.
Looking through the cases, I wasn't sure what I could afford at this place; I'd brought a hundred and fifty bucks with me. Finally, hanging in plain sight, I saw it, the perfect necklace for Lizzie, it was an antique-looking heart-shaped locket with an L on it. I told the salesgirl I'd take that one and asked if she could wrap it up nicely for me. The locket was only eighty dollars, so it was in my budget. The saleswoman did a beautiful job of wrapping it in a little silk bag with red brocade paper and gold ribbon.
I had a little money left, so I stopped at a florist and got her peonies and an inexpensive bottle of wine. When I finally got back to Lizzie’s place in the late afternoon, Lizzie had texted telling me she was looking forward to tonight. I got ready and relaxed, waiting for her to get home from work. We'd not spent this much time apart since last Saturday, and I have to admit I didn't like it. Not having her around made me anxious, so I arranged the flowers in a vase, then put them with some wineglasses and her gift on the coffee table. I wanted to clean, but the house was already spotless.
After I got everything ready, I nodded off on the sofa and woke to the sound of her keys in the door. I scrubbed my face and sat back, waiting to greet her with a kiss and a smile.
Lizzie
I had to go into the office today for an unavoidable emergency with some donated funds that were supposed to come in for a local shelter. When I arrived at the office, Hope was working on her laptop, looking slightly flustered and somewhat guilty.
"Don't worry I won't tell anyone you've been trolling Match dot com again. Sorry that you had to come in too, but I don't want anyone to know I am here. I am like a ghost; let's pretend I am not even here. You keep looking for Mr. Right." Hope typically took this week off too, but had come in to help me sort out the emergency. As I sat down at my desk, she followed me into my office.
"No, it's cool, Mr. Right is more like Mr. Never-Going-To-Happen. I will start using Tinder. Swiping seems more fun. How's your week going?" She raised her eyebrows. I'd texted her to let her know that indeed Phin had come home with me, just in case he turned out to be a murderer. I was besieged with emojis of happy faces and eggplants. She'd have to explain that one to me later.
"I just need to do a couple of things, then I am heading back home."
"Can't wait to get home to the eggplant?"
"Shut up! We are going out on a date tonight."
"Hmm." A flash of something passed across her face. I wasn't sure if it was concern or skepticism.
"What?"
Hope left the room and came back with an inch-thick folder and put it on my desk.
"I hope you aren't pissed at me, but I did some snooping into Phin."
I wasn't sure how I should feel; my emotions were all over the place. "Why?"
"Well, I was bored, and I couldn't have you going home with some strange guy who might have gone missing. He could have been crazy or a serial catfisher, so I did some harmless Sherlocking."
I picked up the large file. "Some Sherlocking? This file looks like you've been busy the whole week. Couldn't you just binge watch The Crown or something? So, what did you find out?" If I was honest, I was scared to open the Pandora's box that I held in my hands.
"Are you sure you want to know?"
I nodded my head, unable to find my words.
