Page 160 of Rules of Association

I tossed a smile over my shoulder, one cup of coffee down. I gave the first to Nina who did not look like she could do a shot with no chaser like Christine just had. She smiled gratefully and took the shot like a cap of medicine before raising the coffee to her lips.

Minutes later, everyone had a cup but we were all looking into them gravely, hardly drinking anything.

“Okay so, since no one else is going to say it,” Christine started as I finally settled against the counter with my drink in hand. “You’re fucking rich!”

“Beyond rich,” Nina pointed out, looking wary.

“Likeloadedrich,” Christine agreed, head nodding like a bobble.

“Is this important?” I asked.

“Oh my God!” they both gasped.

“What?”

“You didn’t even say that cliché annoying thing like‘my family is rich’,” they said. “So it’s you! You’re the rich one.”

“It’s generally all the same.” I shrugged.

“It’s not,” Nina said.

I sighed. “Is this going to hold up the actual purpose of our little meeting?”

They both nodded. I pressed my lips together, my heart giving a little stutter. I loved Nin and Chris. I really, really did. But part of the reason why they have been at arm’s length for so long was the fact of my family. It wasn’t an exaggeration or an illusion that people treated you differently when they learned where you came from. No matter if it’s good or bad, if they resonate with you or not. Generally, especially when you first meet them, a backstory changes you in someone’s eyes. But I’d known these two almost as long as I’d known the shelter, and at this point if I wasn’t going to tell them (at least something) then I don’t think I ever would.

I cleared my throat. “My family owns businesses. I have a trust. My property is a part of that trust.”

“Gotcha,” they said in a way that said they didn't get shit.

I set my cup aside and moved forward. Raising my eyebrows, I looked at them. “Satisfied?

“For now,” Christine said, looking around another time and then sighing like she was suddenly exhausted. “Wow, Ceci. You being absolutely balls to the wall rich almost distracted me from the fact we’re losing our jobs. But now it’s all coming back, and it's somehowworse.”

I frowned, her unhappiness going straight to my heart. “Don’t do that. Just tell me what’s going on. How the hell can there be no budget for the only resource for women in the goddamn city? Nin, the quarterly finances. You said you would tell me.”

“When we were running smoothly? About one and a half million yearly,” she said with a wince. I waited for her to continue but she didn’t. I blinked, my face scrunching. That couldn’t be right.

“That’s it?” I asked. And I shouldn’t have let it slip out, but it did.

“Oh, we’re sorry,Bill Gates, we didn’t mean to offend you with our chump change!” Christine guffawed.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and began to pace. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant.”

“What did you mean, then?”

“I’m just saying, I’ve seen dogs who raise more money than that in fundraising, and I’m talking ugly dogs. There’s no way in hell the budget’s not being met ifthat’sit. Especially not when—” I trailed off, my frustration morphing into an agitated grumble.

“Especially not when what?” Christine asked slowly.

I waved her off. “Nothing.”

“Especially not when she’s been donating almost double!”

Both Christine and I turned to look at Nina.

Nina who had a piece of my mail between her purple painted nails. I had set the pile on the island on our way in, not thinking she would go through it!

Shuffling over to her I snatched it away from her grip. “Give me that!”

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