Page 28 of BillionHeir
“What about your job?”
I sigh and shake my head as I bring one of my hands up to my face in embarrassment. “I quit. I had to. It was part of the deal.”
“What deal?” she asks, obviously intrigued.
“The one where he pays me five million dollars and I get him the hell out of there as soon as humanly possible.”
“FIVE MILLION DOLLARS?”
I have to pull the phone away from my ear as she screams in surprise.
“I know. I was pretty shocked myself, if I’m honest.”
“Holy shit,” Jenna says, echoing my exact thoughts at the time.
“And that, doll, is why I couldn’t say no. Who in their right mind would say no to five million dollars? Do you know what this money could do for my mum? Not to mention my student loan debt. I didn’t want to tell you, because you shouldn’t feel bad for following the love of your life to Wyoming, but I have barely been able to pay rent these last few months.”
“Chloe, you should have said something. I am so sorry for leaving you,” Jenna says, sounding truly apologetic for something that is neither her fault nor her problem.
“Don’t be, babe. I would have done the same thing if it was me,” I reassure my friend. I would never have wanted to hold her back from following the love of her life to Wyoming. “It ismy problem to worry about, and now I have done something about it.”
“What are you going to do once he is well again?”
“Good question,” I answer, leaning back against the counter as I ponder the possibilities. “I probably ought to visit mum, you know? Check in on her and make sure she has got everything she needs.”
“It has been a while since you have been back home, hasn’t it?”
“Years, really,” I answer, struggling to remember the last time I took any kind of vacation. “Not since before she got sick. It will be good to see her.”
“How has she been doing lately?” Jenna asks.
“Alright, I think. Sometimes I am not quite sure I get the full story from her, you know what I mean? But she says she is well.” I don’t mention how tired she has been sounding lately, or that the last two times I called she has been napping. I keep the nagging feeling in the back of my head to myself.
“Well, then it sounds like a visit home is just what you need to reassure yourself.”
“You are right. But enough about me. How are things with Jackson? Is everything going well out there in Wyoming?”
“It is all sunshine and daisies, quite literally these days,” Jenna says, laughing a little as she says it.
Jenna followed her boss-turned-boyfriend out to the middle of nowhere Wyoming. She used to be Jackson’s legal assistant, but now she works for his sister-in-law at a flower shop. She says she is happier than ever, but as her best friend for over five years now, I can tell there is something she is not saying.
“Jenna, are you alright?”
“Mmhmm,” she answers too quickly.
“Jenna?”
“I am good, really. Just worried about you, that is all.”
“What are you worried about me for?”
“Well, you just quit your job and uprooted your life to care for a crazy billionaire. Once you are done working for him, you will fly home to the UK and probably never come back,” she explains with tears in her voice.
“Oh, love. I am coming back. Are you kidding? You know I love America too much to leave for good. I still haven’t seen a quarter of the landmarks that are on my list. Besides,” I say, giving her a bit of honesty. “The wages in the US are much more competitive.”
“He is paying you five million dollars, Chlo. You won’t need a job after this.”
“Then what would I do? Sit around and twiddle my thumbs all day? I don’t think so, ma’am,” I say with a laugh.
