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I gaped at her. She couldn’t be serious. There was no way. “For one thing, he doesn’t do interviews.Ever.”
“He might do one with you.” She raised her right eyebrow—black, well-groomed, and thick with brow enhancer that made it look almost cartoonish in the yellowed mood lighting of the bar. “Look what you’ve done withAmerican Profilesince you started it.”
“That’s kind.” I sipped some more of my wine. My friend was supportive and a huge cheerleader for me, but... “I’m sure the richest man in America under forty has more important things to do than spend his time with me.”
I replaced my glass on the bar and wrinkled my nose as I thought more about him.Landon Sparks. Gross.Apart from his money, and his good looks, Landon was one of the most controversial businessmen in the country. A profile on him would be weird.
“Besides, he’s...well...”
“A jerk?” she asked.
“Yes, and an asshole.” I laughed. Count on Olivia to put a fine point on it, even though I was the one who had a way with words. “An online troll. An arrogant twerp. And that’s if I feel like being nice.”
“Okay, you’re not wrong there,” Olivia mused. “He’s literally the only reason I’m still on Chatter. I hate that app, but he makes it interesting.”
I scoffed.
“You should see the meme he shared this morning. Hilarious.”
“Yeah, but...he’s...he’s destructive.”
That was perhaps a charitable way of putting things, and in line with the conventional wisdom about Landon—that he used his influence to purposely bother people on the internet. I frowned as I considered some of Landon’s most notable posts on social media. Most consisted of him getting into petty fights with other business leaders and shit-posting about whatever he thought counted as violations of “free speech” by so-called coastal elites.
The idea of Landon owning a huge social network wasn’t appetizing.
Honestly, if Chatter hadn’t been almostrequiredas a member of the media, I wasn’t sure I would have been on the platform. Most discourse centered on hateful posts and divisive political content, and I often wondered if spending time there was good for my mental health. But Chatter wasalsoa great place to find out trends and opinions on the next best thing. People often said what happened on Chatter was downstream from culture, and I couldn’t afford to miss any of that. So, I stayed on the site, despite my reservations. It was something I had to do.
“Chatter is so much worse now that Landon owns it,” I added to my friend. “Like his own sick playground.”
“True.” She paused and her eyebrows tightened a little. “But I think some of what he posts is also pretty funny.”
I resisted rolling my eyes at her comment. Being funny was one way he got away with his antics, as if it gave him an automatic pass for bad behavior. “Landon might have all that money. But he’s also a misogynistic creep.”
“And one of the richest men in tech. Honestly, I don’t know why he decided to buy Chatter. Doesn’t he have enough going on with his satellite communications company?”
I sneered. Satellite communications—another thing about Landon Sparks I found insufferable and...stupid. About five years earlier, the guy made seven hundred fifty million dollars on the sale of his online stock exchange, U-Trade. He turned around and put half of it up as collateral for Sparks Innovation, which he said would advance humanity and “make life better on Earth.” He got a lot of press for it, and SI’s contracts with the government had only made him more famous. He also expanded the company, branching out from satellites into applied robotics. It had all made him richer than Midas, and last year, he topped theForbeslist of richest people under forty-five.
“God forbid Landon use any of his money getting rid of poverty or student loan debt.”
I drank some more wine and considered all the flashy stunts Sparks Innovation had pulled over the last few years. Just like Landon, the company seemed to subscribe to the philosophy that all news was good news. Then I added, “I mean, he could probably clear all the student loans in this country in one fell swoop if he wanted to. Just wipe the slate clean for everyone.”
“He could.” Olivia sighed. “Would be a nice thing to do.”
“But he won’t do it. Someone like that doesn’t need more oxygen. At all.”
“Maybe you’re right. Can I get you another one?”
“No, thanks.” Finishing my drink, I glanced at my watch. “I should probably go soon, anyway. I have an important night of takeout and binge-watching to get started on.”
Olivia laughed.
“The perfect way to start the weekend.” I took my purse from the hook next to my legs. “I’ll take the check, okay? I don’t want to miss a minute of my big night ahead.”
Olivia gave me a small nod and moved away to get my check. As she did, I kept my attention on her, ignoring the pain growing in the pit of my stomach, a reminder of what I didn’t want to acknowledge—my life in Cincinnati was lonelier and more monotonous than I’d anticipated. Sure, I got to see my parents often, but the city was colder than it had been when I was in high school. Moving back hadn’t totally been the charmed experience I sold myself during my final weeks in New York. Making new friends hadn’t been easy, and I didn’t relish the idea of hanging out with people I’d known in high school, many of whom were now married with young children. I was thirty, single, and still trying to figure myself out.
Something had changed, and I wasn’t sure what it was. Or maybeIwas the one who had changed.Yes, that’s it. I’m not the same.
When Olivia arrived with the bill, I paid, tipped her, and left, happy to trudge back upstairs and lock myself in my condo. Being alone had its benefits—no fights, no sharing of the TV remote, freedom to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Life was predictable. Orderly. And yet sometimes...sometimes it is incredibly lonely.
