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I could pack a bag and drive with Davi to the coast. We could go to the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles and spend some time by the beach. That would distract us from the sadness, and David would be gone by the time we come home.
“We need to talk.” Infamous words, nothing good comes after them.
“What’s the matter?” I ask when we are on our way to East County an hour later, even if I don’t want to know. Maybe Elena told him something about her worries. Maybe he’s just looking for a way to end this without being a jerk.
“This one will be a busy week for us,” he starts.
“Yeah, I know. First, we should go to the rental to pick up all our stuff. I don’t know how much you are paying for that house, but it doesn’t seem cheap.”
“I rented the cabin for a whole year, Melanie,” he replies, not a hint of humor in his voice.
“You have to be kidding me!” I shriek in horror, hoping he doesn’t ask me for a refund. “A year! David!”
He’s not joking as he gives me a reply: “We will need it.”
What the heck is he talking about? We don’t need another house. He has a place to stay in Warmer Springs, and I own a house already.
“For what? Mrs. Reynolds fired me,” I remind him. “I’m not allowed to go back to the camp, and that house, it’s too far from town for us to drive daily.”
The way his dark eyes are shining gives me chills. “I told you I would crush her.”
“What?” Seems like my vocabulary has been reduced to a few words.
“She has no power to fire you, Melanie,” he says. “You’re the new owner. Tomorrow morning we are driving there to dismiss that fucking woman.”
“I am what?” Yes, definitely my vocabulary has been scaled-down dramatically. “What did you do, David?”
His mouth tips up as he admits: “Last week, I bought the camp for you through a foundation. Charles, my company’s lawyer, suggested that was the best way to do it. Your new patronage is taking over the board of directors tomorrow morning. The donors have been notified, and the staff have been summoned. The meeting will be at eleven.”
“Wait a fucking second,” I reply. “You bought a camp for me… why?”
“Because I love you,” he blurts out. “Because your safety and happiness mean the world to me. Because I wanted to make sure you had the tools to reach your dreams. Because I was the donor that ensured you got the job in the first place, even though your father told me it could blow up in my face, but I’d do anything for you. You’re amazing, and those elitists wouldn’t give you the job you deserved because you weren’t part of their clic. And I knew you were too stubborn and proud to want me to do it, but I did it anyway. Because you’re a badass with heart. Because I…”
“Shut up, David. Shut the fuck up!”
My brain is unable to process all this information at once. I’m overwhelmed… overwhelmed and stunned.
I close my eyes and scratch my head, giving myself a moment to digest this.
“You bought the camp?” I whisper after a while.
“Yeah,” he replies. “The property mortgage was late, and the amount of money due was huge. We found the information at the bank after scratching the surface a little bit.”
“So you paid a lot of money and got it, right?”
He says nothing, but the silence gives me the answer I need. This is way too much.
“How much did you pay, David?” I have an idea about taxes, and selling the damn thing immediately would be insane. Maybe next year. Meanwhile, I need to look for ways to make money and… How could I make a couple of millions quickly? Winning the lottery?
“That doesn’t matter.” Yup, we are talking about lotto money. “You’re the new owner, and you can do whatever you want with that place. If the donors don’t agree with you, fuck them. My company will finance the foundation, and before you start arguing, it’s great PR for us and tax deductible. We aren’t wasting any money.”
“Seriously?”
Is hethatrich?
“Seriously,” he replies. “My assistant and lawyer will be in Warmer Springs tomorrow morning for you to sign some paperwork. After that, you’re in charge.”
“That easy?”
