Page 27 of Bargain with the Bachelor
“Always,” I said. I watched her take a sip, close her eyes, and hum. “Good, huh?”
Her eyes opened. “Yummy. Not sure it’s worth sixthousanddollars, but definitely good.”
Kristal swirled the wine around in the glass and took another sip.
“It’s funny. My dad could afford extravagance like this, but he was never that into ‘conspicuous consumption.’ Margot was, of course, which is why I’m sitting here with you now.”
For the first time ever, I felt a flicker of good will toward Margot Bianco.
“So… you gonna tell me what’s going on? Or do I have to order another bottle and stay till dawn?”
Kristal gave me a rueful grin. After a moment’s hesitation, she said, “I’m broke.”
She laughed, and the sound was a shade desperate. “It feels strange to say it out loud, but it’s true.”
So it really was as bad as I’d heard. I’d been hoping the rumors were unfounded. “Oh man, Kristal. I’m so sorry.”
Her smile stayed in place, but her eyes watered, and she shook her head rapidly.
“No, it’s fine. Really. I was never one of those people who needed to be rich, you know? Not like Margot. I think she’d literally rather die than be poor… or even get a job. But I like working. And I don’t really need that much—just a place to live, a way to get around…”
She paused and sipped her wine again, licking her lips afterward before joking, “… and this six-thousand-dollar chardonnay.”
“I want you to cork it and take the rest of the bottle home.”
“No. I was just joking, Hunter. I wouldn’t take your liquid gold.”
“You can share it with the friend you’re staying with. Who is it, by the way?”
She gave me a wary glance, her earlier humor dissipating. “Heard about that, did you? It’s Cinda. Remember her from school?”
“Cinda Brown? Yeah sure—though that’s probably not her last name anymore. I heard she had a kid.”
“No. It’s still Brown. She’s not married.”
I had a feeling there was more to that story, but my interest at the moment was focused solely on Kristal and her financial crisis.
“You moving in with her?” I asked.
“Nooooo.” She smiled, dragging out the word with humor in her voice. “We get along great, but her house is tiny, and she has a four-year-old. They need their space. I’m going to get my own place as soon as I can afford it.”
“How’s the money here?” I asked sincerely.
It was an expensive restaurant, but I hadn’t been kidding earlier when I’d mentioned stingy tippers. From what I’d seen since joining their ranks, rich people could be some of the most tightfisted.
Kristal lifted her shoulders in a delicate shrug. “Not bad. I’m saving everything I can, but I needed transportation to get to and from work, so I spent some of my earnings on a bike.”
I gasped. “You don’t have a car?”
She stiffened at my appalled exclamation. “The one I used to drive was leased—Daddy liked for us all to drive new vehicles, thought it was safer—so he leased cars for me and Margot and himself and switched them out every year. When he had his stroke and Margot took over paying the bills… she didn’t. They repossessed it.”
My insides were in turmoil. Kristal was putting on a brave face, but this had to be horrible for her. I could hardly stand hearing about it. I sat forward, my brain buzzing with potential solutions.
“What about getting a job in the art field? You have a masters, don’t you?”
She nodded. “I’m surprised you knew that. Yes, and I’ve been applying, but I haven’t been able to find anything. Everybody seems to want people with technology or math-related degrees. If I’d majored in engineering, I’d be in great shape. Photography? Not so much.”
She sighed, swirling her glass again, watching the golden liquid spin instead of drinking it. “I’m probably going to expand my search beyond Rhode Island soon, especially with the cost of rent around here. I hate to move away, but you know… you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.”
