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My stomach twists at the thought of all that money.
Money I could use.
I aim my eyes down to the contract I signed.
It’s all there, spelled out. I signed it, and so did my lawyer.
This is legally binding crap, and I have to follow through or else I will never respect myself again.
And I could really,reallyuse a little self-respect right now.
As soon as I wrap up the call, I check the time. Outlaw’s groomer works on weekends only, because she’s a teacher during the week. Pansy scheduled a ten a.m. bath and nail-trimming and I still have to do some self-grooming of my own before I step out into public.
I hike up the stairs and rifle through my suitcase to find a clean outfit.
It is probably not a good sign for how my life’s going, that I’m currently living out of a suitcase.
Last night, Nick and I talked about uncertainty.
Uncertainty and surprises.
This trip home has been full of both of those things.
What’s going to happen between me and Nick?
With my movie?
With my life?
Everything’s up in the air right now, and it’s starting to wear on me. When my phone buzzes, part of me assumes it’s Nick. We’ve been calling each other a lot, these days.
But it’s not Nick.
It’s not Roxie, either, or the dog groomer, or Pansy, or the frosty charity lady.
It’s Sylvester.
My stomach turns hollow.
My pulse ratchets up. My hands start to tremble, and not in a good way. This is all anger-fueled.
“What?” I say, once the phone’s pressed to my ear.
I have half an outfit picked out and draped over one arm. Before searching my suitcase for socks and a clean sweatshirt, I walk over to the bed and lower down. Because if I don’t, I might collapse.
“Hey, I wasn’t sure you’d answer.” His voice is cool, calm, and condescending. Like always. With Sylvester, I always felt as though he was perched on clouds, looking down on the common folk of earth, who could never quite reach his level.
“I want to be mature about this,” I say through clenched teeth.
“How mature is it to hire a lawyer without simply talking to me first?” he asks.
“I did that because I think it will be the best way to deal with our situation. I don’t want this to be any harder than it has to be.”
“Then let’s talk.”
“Okay, fine. Let’s.”
“I miss you.”
