Page 79 of Achievement Unlocked

Betsy cleared her throat loudly, cutting him off for a second time. “Watch your words.Shechose not to marryyou. Not the other way around, and yes, my attorney has already removed your name from every beneficiary list. If this is the only way to get you to wake up, I’ll do that. I love you, but there are days you make it hard to like you, and I won’t see you turn out like your father.”

Fuck me. I was torn between hearing more and not being certain what I walked into. I walked silently back to my office, and sat down numbly in my chair.

Easton lost his inheritance because he didn’t marry me.

How powerful was I?

Should I feel bad for him? No. He brought this on himself.

When I got back to my desk, there was a message from Carly to give her a call back. She got in late last night, and she always took a few days after she traveled to recover, so she’d be free today.

And one of the things she’d probably want to know today was why I texted her last night and told her not to expect me home.

I dialed.

“So I wake up this morning and go to make myself coffee,” she answered on the second ring. “Only to find I’m down a can of whipped cream, a bottle of chocolate syrup, and a roommate.”

I wasn’t sure what me not being there had to do with the rest. “We replaced what we ate.” I’d never leave her fridge with less in it than I found there, especially her coffee makings.

“We?”

“You’re notdownanything.” I could just sayme and Nigel. Why hadn’t I said that? “We bought brand new bottles.”

“Which is how I know you finished off the old ones. Nigel doesn’t have that kind of sweet tooth. You ate half a bottle of whipped cream on your own?”

Nigel had that kind of sweet tooth when it was drizzled on my body. “It wasn’t just me. Landon—” Fuck me and my big mouth,.

“Want to get lunch?” Carly asked.

There was no way she was glossing over a name drop like the one I just made, but I needed someone to listen to me who didn’t have as much emotional investment in this. Sonya was working, and I liked hearing Carly’s stories about her trips. “Lunch sounds good,” I said.

“Good. Meet me at that Dutch place near the bookstore in twenty.”

We said our goodbyes, I wrapped up what I was doing, and I headed out to meet Carly. I arrived at the shop within a few minutes of her, gave her a happywelcome homehug, and we headed inside. We always got the same sandwiches, and they were already making our food when we walked in the door. Carly’s was turkey with lingonberries and a cheese I’d never learned to pronounce, and mine was ham and mayo with American cheese.

That felt like a pretty accurate reflection of us.

We took our food and settled at a table nestled in the bay window next to the street. This way we could talk, watch people walk by, and see the hummingbirds at the feeders of the shop next door.

“How was your trip?” I asked.

She wrinkled her nose. “It was Iowa. But I brought you a present.” Her mood shifted frommehtooohin a heartbeat, and she pulled a hat from her oversized purse.

Embroidered on the front was

DE5

MOI

NE5

Des Moines. I didn’t know what it was supposed to mean, but it was clever and cute. I fitted it on.

“It looks super cute on you.” Carly grinned.

“But I didn’t get you anything.” How inconsiderate was I?

“Why would you?”

---