Page 101 of Just Not That Into Billionaires

“Thirty years,” I say.

He doesn’t have anything to say to that. He hands it back to me and pets Spencer’s scruff.

We take Spencer to visit James’s grave a day later. Benny drops flowers in front of the gravestone while I hang back, holding onto Spencer’s leash. It’s a hot, sunny day—hot even in the shade that we’ve found. Benny balances on his crutches up there, talking in low tones. I’m thinking he’s telling James about Aaron paying for what he did.

It feels like a chapter being closed, even though Benny will probably always keep James close in his own way.

I don’t know what the future will bring for Benny and me, but if we ever have a kid, and that kid turns out to be a boy, I know what I want the name to be.

Benny’s coming back, broken leg swinging between crutches. “Ready?” I ask.

“It’s time,” Benny says.

We take an Uber to Vicky and Henry’s place and wind up standing all together in their sprawling courtyard watching Spencer and Smuckers tear around like puppies.

“They are so out of hand!” I say.

Spencer is a medium dog—quite a bit larger than Smuckers—but Smuckers definitely holds his ground as they chase each other around.

“Can you handle this much energy?” Benny asks.

“No, but Smuckers can,” Henry says. “He needed a brother.”

“To tire him out!” Vicky says.

Benny watches the dogs with an annoyed look that’s really happiness. It means everything to him that Spencer is getting a good home, and that he’ll still be able to see him.

“And you’ll be able to breathe now,” I say.

“Breathing is good,” Benny agrees. “And I’m sure that Spencer will learn to love that bow tie…someday?”

I chuckle. Vicky made him a bow tie to match the one that Smuckers wears.

“Dude, he loves it already,” Vicky says. “Look how proud he is to be wearing it!”

“You don’t want Spencer to feel left out,” I say.

Food and hors d’oerves come out, we sit and snack, watching the dogs. Benny and I are telling them the story of when the portrait of me arrived—the supposedly diamond-encrusted portrait that supposedly cost seven million that Vicky’s friend at the makers studio made.

“She puts it up over the fireplace,” Benny chimes in. “I didn’t know what to think. Seven million?”

“You were having a heart attack,” I say. “It was so hilarious.”

“You were making me suffer!” he says.

I sit on his lap. “I would never make you suffer.”

Epilogue

Three months later

Benny

It’sa gorgeous night in Mérida, in the west of Spain. A whole group from Francine’s apartment building are traipsing down a walkway past ancient stone buildings under tropical trees. We’re following Theo’s sister, Willow, who’s sure the restaurant she found for all of us is just around the corner. Antonio is complaining loudly.

I’m walking behind with Theo, spinning theories about the intersection of chemistry and microrobotics. Francine is constantly teasing us about having a bromance. I don’t know about that, but he’s definitely a friend now. It was through his connections that I found a new partner. We’re doing interesting things and even considering some collaborations with Theo’s company, Vossameer.

Kelsey and Jada and Mia and Francine are walking behind us, talking about the show we just saw at the Roman theater, the ancient-ruins theater that Francine’s been dreaming about all her life. It sounds like Kelsey and Francine got tons of ideas for the choreography. I have to admit that it really was breathtaking, being there in person.

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