Page 6 of Grumpy Billionaire Seeking Wife

“Mom, stay seated. I do not need you to cook for me,” I admonish her as I head to the familiar small kitchen and open the fridge. “What would you like to eat?”

“I’m not hungry.” She shakes her head, but I can hear her stomach growling. “Come sit next to me. How is school going?”

“Great, Mom. Really great.” That’s not exactly true, but I’m not going to tell my mom that I’m barely keeping up with my classes. I don’t want her to feel worse about everything than she already does. “What about a PB&J sandwich?” I ask as I observe her scarcely filled fridge.

“That sounds good.” She smiles at me, her face wrinkling as she watches me putter around her studio apartment. “How is Erica?”

“She’s great,” I say more enthusiastically. “Living her best life.” I laugh and then feel slightly guilty, hoping my mom doesn’t think I envy Erica or her lifestyle. “We’re both in thewhat do we do after collegephase.”

“I suppose she’ll work for her father’s company?” Mom asks, without malice, and I shake my head slowly. Erica has no interest in working for Carrington Enterprises, nor at any other Fortune 500 company associated with her father. She wants to follow her own path and be creative. It was her idea for us to concentrate on building a podcast, with the idea of becoming so popular that we’d eventually be bought out. I don’t want to tell my mom that plan, though. She wouldn’t understand. We didn’t come from money. We didn’t take careers where we followed our dreams. My mom works as a crisis care CNA, with mainly patients who are at the end of their lives. It is hard and depressing work, but she says it gives her a purpose to ensure that her patients have the best care at the end. And even though she isn’t a nurse, she still feels like the work she does is important. She doesn’t have more than a high school degree, so it meant the world to her when I was accepted to Columbia University on a scholarship. I was achieving all the dreams she’s ever had for me. Even though it had been hard for her to raise me as a single mom, and even though that had never been the plan.

“I don’t think that’s the plan she has as of right now.” I grab the peanut butter and slather it on the white bread. “For all I know, she’ll apply to grad school.”

“What about you?” My mother’s voice is concerned, and I know she’s remembering the thought I had a few years previously that I’d apply to an MFA program in filmmaking. I really thought I wanted to be a director, but then I realized that meant a shit ton of student loans, and I wasn’t ready to take that on.

“I’ll continue working at the retirement home when I graduate until I can find a job.” I cut the sandwich in half and carry it over to her. “Whatever job I can find. I can’t be picky in this economy. Here you go.” My mother takes the plate from me gratefully, and I watch as she takes a big bite and munches away. She was definitely hungry.

“Delicious.” She stretches her arms and beams up at me. “Thanks for taking care of your old mama.”

“You’re not old, Mom. You’re just tired.” I sit on the couch next to her. “When I become rich, you won’t have to work anymore.”

“I’ve heard those words before.” She smiles, but there’s hurt in her voice. She doesn’t bring up my dad often, but when she does, it always stings. Dad left us when I was still young. I wasn’t sure whose heart had been more broken when he never came back, but we made do with each other. We were the Awesome Twosome! Always have been and always would be.

“I mean it, Mom.”

“I know you do, but I just want you to concentrate on yourself.” She touches the side of my face and lets out a long, deep sigh. “When I met your dad, I relied on his words that he would love me forever and always take care of me.” She shakes her head, and I can’t avoid the sadness in her eyes, though I am glad there is no bitterness anymore. “I was wrong to rely on him. Look where we are now. Look where I am.”

“I’m sorry, Mom. If I could?—”

“Oh, darling,” She grabs my face and kisses both cheeks. “I would go through it all again with your dad because I had you. And you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I don’t need you to live your life for me. I need you to live your life for you. I want you to be happy. I don’t have riches to spoil you with, but I can promise you that all I want in life is for you to followyour dreams. Don’t go taking a job you hate because you think it’s what I would want.”

“But I want to help you retire. I want?—”

“Sabrina Fillmore...all I want for you is to be happy.” She takes another couple of bites of the sandwich and then continues. “Your joy is all I need to be happy.”

“Mom, you need a bit more than my joy...of which there isn’t much right now.” I can feel her still next to me, and I realize that now is not the time to express my stress and anxiety about the future. My mom already has too much on her shoulders, and I don’t want to add my woes to her plate. “I’m just joking.” I fake a light laugh. “I’m really excited about all the opportunities open to me when I graduate.” Which is not true whatsoever, but I don’t want Mom to think that all her sacrifices were for nought.

“And how is your love life?” she asks, rubbing her forehead and sitting back. “You seem to have many options for a job, but how are the men?”

“Mom, there are no men.” I sigh, trying not to think about Connor or Wes. “I mean, there was one guy, but he didn’t call me back.” I think about it for a few moments as my mother just gazes back at me, waiting for me to process whatever I’m thinking. My mother has an uncanny habit of both reading my mind and telling me what to do without ever saying a word. “I guess I’m a modern woman, and I could call him.” I wait for her to respond, but she doesn’t. “I don’t want to seem desperate, though. If he liked me, he would have called or texted. Texts are easy.”

“Your father called me every day for six months until I agreed to go on a date with him,” my mother says simply, but I know what she’s saying. He wooed her like she was the love of his life, and then he left when I was a kid and never looked back.

“I guess I’ll text him. Maybe he misplaced my number or put in a digit incorrectly into his phone.”

She nods and then yawns, and I stand up to leave. I survey the unkempt living room, which I wanted to clean today, but decide to leave it as is and let her sleep. That is more important, and I cand come back another time.

“I’m off to go study at the library with Erica now.” I grab my handbag, lean down, and kiss her cheek. “And then maybe I’ll give Connor a call.” My phone beeps as I head to the door, and I see I have a message on the dating app Erica made us all join. Maybe, just maybe, my love life is changing for the better already. “Have a good nap, Mom. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Sabrina,” she says sleepily. “Don’t forget to lock up on the way out.”

“I will.” I pull out my keys and open the door, eager to see what the message says and who messaged me. I hope it’s a sign that I have something positive to look forward to. Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning in responsibility and stress. I want to be able to enjoy being twenty-one, carefree, and single as much as I possibly can.

GruffintheCity: Hey, sweet thing. Your photo captivated me right away. You have beautiful eyes, and I love your screen name. Are you an actress? I have some friends in showbiz...

I start to feel excited as I stare at his message. I wonder who he knows. Maybe he's an actor. I look at his photo again. He's cute, but he doesn't look familiar. But that doesn't mean he's not best friends with Tom Hardy or Timothée Chalamet. Maybe even Travis Van Winkle. My heart races. If I were to meet Travis, all my dreams would come true.Be cool, Sabrina. Don't be too eager!

StarryeyedSabrina: Hi, thanks so much for the compliment. I am not an actress. My friend helped me come up with the name, and I will let her know how much you liked it. That's so cool that you have friends in showbiz. What do they do? What is your name, by the way?

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