Page 85 of Mr. Infuriating

“Good point. So, what… you’re just to pay for a garage full of cabinets you never install?”

I let out a heavy sigh. I’d gotten my first invoice from Mitchell Cabinets in the mail yesterday.

“I think I’m going to have to move.”

“What? No! You love it here! And we already talked about this—anything you buy now is going to cost as much as your current mortgage payment, so what would be the point?”

“I’ll just have to move to Parkview.”

“Parkview?”

“It’s not that far, so I can always commute to Lancastle if I can’t find a position in their district.”

“But, it’sParkview. You really want Jake to grow up in Parkview?”

Hell no, I didn’t want Jake to grow up in Parkview, but my hands were tied.

“Stop being such a snob.”

“There’s got to be something you can do. Can you take Troy back to court for more child support? Surely, it’s in his son’s best interest to stay in his house.”

“Andrew said if I want to let Gabe sue me, then he would name Troy as a co-defendant since his name’s on the contract, but it has nothing to do with the divorce decree.”

“I guess that’s an idea?”

“No, it’s not. Troy already said he wouldn’t pay, and Andy said I’d lose. Then I’d be responsible for Gabe’s attorney’s fees, which would probably be more than the cabinets themselves.”

“Ugh, I hate this for you. Did you talk to Gabe about making payments?”

“Yeah, well, notGabe,but his office manager called. They agreed to let me make payments with no interest.”

“That’s great! So, I don’t understand the problem?”

“The problem is, I still have to come up with over eight hundred dollars a month.”

Laura drew in a quick breath. “Ohhhh.”

“And that’swithoutinstallation.”

“Ohhhh!”

“I don’t have that kind of money.”

“That is a pretty big chunk of your salary. Maybe you could talk to Gabe about extending the term?”

“I would rather smash my hand with a sledgehammer than ask that man for anything else.”

“Would you rather move to Parkview?”

I placed my arms on the table and dropped my forehead onto them as I mock sobbed, “I don’t know!”

After my dramatic moment passed, I raised my head.

“I feel like they’re already doing me a favor. They’ve never let someone make payments before—something their office manager reminded me of several times. And I’m not going to grovel to Gabe, because fuck him. So, yes, I guess I would rather live in Parkview than beg him or anyone, for that matter, for charity.”

Laura scoffed. “It’s not charity. It’s not like you’re asking for them for free. You’re still paying them.”

“Maybe so, but it feels like it.”

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