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“Okay. I’m taking the cake, and I’m leaving. I’m sorry. All of this was a terrible idea. Don’t take it the wrong way. I thought it might be romantic, but I can see how wrong and twisted it was instead. I truly am sorry for invading your home like this.”
Wade takes a step, but suddenly, I’m thrust out of my thoughts. “Wait!” At the sound of my voice, he freezes. “No. Just leave the cake. Please.”
“Okay.” He winces. “I’ll just go then. The icing and everything are made with natural food dyes, so it won’t actually endanger your health to eat it.”
“No! I meant—I meant I don’t want you to go either.”
“No?” One of his brows arches up.
“N–no. I—no. I guess I don’t. You’re here already, and it can’t get much creepier than this.” Wade realizes it’s a joke, and he smiles. Just a shadow of a smile, but it’s there, and it makes my stomach do painful things.
We stare each other down for a few minutes of awkward silence before he seems to think I’m ready to hear whatever it is he needs to say and starts talking.
“You weren’t a distraction, Lu-Anne. I want you to know that. I was serious, even if it was early. I know you couldn’t tell. I said I wasn’t going to let the money change me, and I hope it’s true. I wanted to change other people’s lives instead. I wanted to keep building houses. In addition to working on the low-cost housing and housing for veterans, I’m going to be starting a new company. One that builds modular housing and tiny housing and works with therapists, mental health specialists, and addiction counselors to help get more people off the streets. The whole thing would work together to address the real issues because it’s not just about having a house. It’s everything. This is just the tip of the iceberg, as they say. I want to do so much more. I want to keep growing and expanding.”
“I might have heard something about everything you’re doing. And I got the letter from the spider foundation. That was just as weird as the cake. I mean, I guess they deserve help too. They are living beings.”
Wade grins. “I thought you might like that. It was a genuine gift, though. Spiders are amazing creatures, and they have a purpose in this world too.”
“I would have been happier if you gave the money to a cat or dog rescue foundation or something that’s cute and cuddly.”
“Spiders can be cute and cuddly. Think about how hairy they are.”
I shudder at the thought. I actually haven’t found any spiders in the house lately. I glance at the cake and glance back at Wade. He’s standing there looking so hopeful that it makes my heart hurt. I know there’s something else he wants to say, so I keep quiet.
“I have all these things I want to do and accomplish. I’m starting to put a team of people into place and actually thinking about branching out and creating a corporation that can expand not just in Chicago but across the States. I want to help people everywhere. I put a large chunk of the money into a savings account and invested some, so it should keep making money. I don’t think I’ll run out anytime soon, even though everything I want to do is obviously a non-profit venture. We’re hoping to get people on board, individuals and companies to help with time and donations. It would be great to have all our employees as volunteers or students who need the construction and building experience. It’s a great way to get started in the industry.”
I swallow hard. “It sounds like you have everything figured out.”
Wade runs a hand through his hair. It’s grown out a bit since I last saw him. Honestly, I thought if I ever saw him again, he’d be wearing a three thousand dollar suit and driving a two hundred thousand dollar car. I thought he’d own a helicopter and a yacht, maybe even a castle on a private island. I admit I was wrong, and I’m glad I was.
“Not quite.” Wade’s smile fades into uncertainty. “I was hoping you might actually want to be a part of that. I’ve kept tabs with Leanne, actually. Finding her number wasn’t hard. I wanted her to make sure you were doing okay. I only texted her once a month to check-in. She did happen to mention last week that you were single and that she thought you might miss me.”
“Oh, really?” I fist my hands in the oversized sweater I have on. “Leanne took some liberties, I see…”
“Don’t be mad at her. She was just trying to help. She loves you, and she doesn’t want to see you unhappy.”
“Yeah, well, maybe it’s something completely unrelated that’s making me unhappy.”
