Page 74 of Unhinged

Still, all night long, Simone’s reaction bothers me more than it should. Probably because the news bothered her more than it should. What the hell is her problem?

Like Hadley during her breakup with Wilder, I had blocked Simone’s number after leaving Richmond. Unblocking it, I text her, asking to talk. When I receive no reply, I ask Amos if she’ll talk to me, but he responded to give her time. I can’t ask my mother to help me since it’ll raise too many questions. It’s like Simone is mourning a breakup or a death. Now, she’s mad at me, and I don’t know how to make it right. Shit. Without her arguing with me, I fucking miss it. A lot.

What the hell is my problem?

Simone avoids the bar and my texts for two goddamn days, which we could’ve used to fuck. I need to master this necessary life skill because doing it alone is…lonely.

I am impatient to talk to her, and since I have the day off from Home Depot, I text Simone, asking if she’s at my mother’s office. Surprisingly, she answers that my mother let her leave early, and she’s at the bar with Amos, Candi, Monty, and Milt to clean.

When I walk into the kitchen, I see Simone, Candi, and Milt talking over a pile of new cleaning supplies on the counter. Simone says, “That’s the thing. My father pays for my college. He calls the shots.”

As I close the door, they all look at me. Simone’s eyes linger, but then she returns to her audience. Candi asks, “You can’t change your last name because of that?”

She nods. “He knows I’ve always wanted to change it since my mother had asked for his permission when I was a minor, which he refused. When I turned eighteen, he offered to pay for college if I didn’t change my name. He even had his lawyer send me a contract. Of course, I agreed to it. My mother has done so much for me, and I didn’t want to saddle her with most of my student loans, and I sure the hell didn’t want to pay if he was offering.”

Candi opens a package of sponges. I take off my coat as she asks, “Why would he really care if you changed your name?”

“Because he’s an abusive control freak, and I’m his only child. My mother agreed to a shitty divorce settlement that paid the bare minimum of child support and no alimony just so she could dump him. Dr. Marc S. Garrison hangs over me like a black cloud. He’s not even involved in my life except to throw money at me as a reminder to be grateful for his existence. I’d be stupid to refuse it.”

Simone collects supplies as Candi pauses with hers. “Well, you’re almost done with college. You can change your name.”

Simone shakes her head. “A couple of months ago, he sent me a new contract stating he’ll pay me twenty-thousand dollars a year until I’m thirty if I’m still Garrison. He made most of his money through the stock market—his favorite thing in the world.” What the fuck? Is she serious? No wonder she hates that name so much.

Leaning against a counter with his arms crossed as I inch my way to the locker room, Milt asks, “Why does he care so much about it?”

“Jealousy. Narcissism. To stroke his ego. He doesn’t want me to change it to my mother’s, brother’s, or stepdad’s. I can’t even change it to a random last name. This is his way of owning me.”

Milt asks, “Isn’t there a way out of it? Most contracts have loopholes.”

I shake my head. “That’s psychotic.”

Simone glances at me but then back to Candi and Milt. “It is. The only way he’ll keep sending the money every year with a name change is if I get married. I even have to show him proof and stay married for at least one year.”

Candi scoffs, “That’s dumb. You can marry anyone for a year before splitting.”

She nods. “He’s a chauvinist pig. I want to stick it to him. He’s such a dick.”

Candi giggles. “We can find you a guy here to marry, definitely. This could work.”

Even Milt appears excited. “I could marry you.”

Simone’s eyes widen. “Uh… I don’t—”

Milt laughs. “Not that way. My girlfriend would disapprove.” Milt has a girlfriend? Damn. “I meant I’m an ordained minister.” We all gape at him, and he shrugs. “Online. It’s totally legit. I took the fast track. No, my dad doesn’t like it.”

Simone laughs. “Me too! I thought I could marry my brother and his girlfriend, but it didn’t work out that way.”

Candi says, “Whoa! Hang on. Okay. You marry a guy for a year and then end it. Do you go back to Garrison to keep getting money?”

“Amos said there is no stipulation after that. I guess if I keep the married name until I’m thirty to be safe?”

Candi claps with barnyard squeals. “We can totally do this, Simone! I’m sure we can find you a guy who will technically marry you for a year if you split twenty-thousand with him. That wouldn’t be so bad, right?”

Milt says, “Get an annulment.”

Toying with a scrub brush, Simone says, “I’ve thought about it, but I’m not marrying a total stranger. I guess if I date and find someone… I don’t know.”

“We can look tonight.” What in the hell? There’s no fucking way. Yeah, I’ll be dating Kleo, but Simone can’t marry someone like Roy.

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