Page 132 of Gifted & Talented

“They’re astronomical. It’s a lot of money, especially Tyche’s. You’re smart.” She looked at me sideways. “And it’s about to be your decision, so I figure you should have a say.”

That time I choked on nothing. “What?”

“Come on, let’s talk in private.” She gestured to the parking lot with her chin. “Which one is yours?”

“That one,” I said, pointing to my mom’s old hatchback. “Wait, what?”

“I’m about to be investigated for fraud,” Meredith explained, strutting over to the passenger side. “Actually, I’m told that the federal government is already mobilizing a case against me.” She explained later that her business partner Ward could be very motivated when his ass was on the line. Apparently, he was a key witness against her. “I’ve thought about fighting it, but I don’t really see the point. I fucked up, full stop. Anyway, I’m a Wren.” She ducked her head into the car and I scrambled into my seat, looking over at her as she pulled on her seatbelt, then stopped, as if just remembering we weren’t actually going anywhere. “I’ll serve time for what, a year? It’ll be fine.”

“But your career—your company—” I didn’t know where to start, exactly. “Though, you’re probably right about white-collar crimes,” I acknowledged, because that seemed the easiest place. “You’ll be the first person in magitech I can think of to actually go to prison for anything.”

“Yeah, it’s not my favorite outcome, but I can’t say it’s undeserved.” Meredith looked over at me as if to ask why I wasn’t saying anything else. It was unhinged, frankly. I don’t know how she expected me to react, but I was having trouble piecing it together. “The point is,” she continued, “I’m going to use my majority to appoint you CEO of Wrenfare. You can sell the company and cash out. Give some of it to my siblings, but take the money and run. I owe you.” She shrugged again. “Call it reparations.”

“Are you insane?” I said, and turned to look at her.

She turned to me. “What?”

“You think money can fix this?”

“Oh. No.” Her expression turned wry. “I’m not trying tofixit, really. I just thought the money would be a nice plus. And anyway, my dad’s offer for your product was paltry, truly laughable. I don’t think you even want to know.”

Oh, I definitely had some idea. I’d sold out before. “What makes you think I want your money?”

“Do whatever you want with it, Lou, I don’t care.” Meredith shrugged. “Give it to your mom. I owe her, she fed me so many times when we were kids.”

“What’s gotten into you?” I said, aghast.

She frowned. “What, you don’t think that’s fair?”

“You’ve owed her for decades!”

“Yeah, well, I’m a grown-up now, I wasn’t before.”

“You still haven’t apologized,” I muttered.

“Oh, you need that? Sorry,” said Meredith Wren, the asshole. She lowered the passenger bill to look in the mirror, peeling back her eyelid in a totally disgusting way. “Huh, I think the stye is gone. It’s been driving me absolutely insane—I mean, can you believe I got astye,at my age?”

“Meredith, you’re thirty, not dead, there’s no age limit on bacterial infection,” I muttered. “And do you really think ‘sorry’ cuts it? What are you even sorryfor?”

She paused to consider it.

“I’m sorry we both had to finish high school alone,” she said eventually. “I’m sorry you got married and I wasn’t there. I’m sorry you live in El Cerrito.”

“What’s wrong with El Cerrito?” I demanded. “The weather is extremely temperate!”

“I’m sorry I never got to tell you about Jamie,” she continued as if I’d never spoken. “I’m sorry that I hated you even more after Arthur took your side.”

“Hello? You had me expelled?”

“Oh, come on. You were being stupid.”

“Meredith!” I thundered, and she laughed.

“Look, seriously, Lou, if I’m being honest, I’m way sorrier for me. I missed everything. I ran on a hamster wheel to nowhere for ten years trying to prove something.” She shrugged. “And of course I’m sorry—I fucking betrayed you, I know that, but that’s the least of it, really. And youwerebeing really dumb.”

I folded my arms over my chest, collapsing back against the driver’s seat in complete and utter disbelief. Meredith casually dabbed on lip balm.

“You don’t have to say hamster wheel to nowhere,” I groused eventually. “It’s redundant. The ‘to nowhere’ part is implied.”

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