Page 88 of Idle

“Youbroke up withher?”

“Don’t sound so surprised.” My racquet springs off the wall.

“I get it.” Xander pushes away from the wall and positions himself in front of my face. “You’re at the bottom of a bourbon bottle like when I thought things between Madison and me were over. Racquetball. Interesting choice.”

I force my feet to hold my own weight. “You invited me, remember?”

He chuckles. “I would’ve said meet me at a bar had I known. Although, you’ll thank me in the morning when you wake up without a hangover.” He holds up his hand. “And a gauze wrap.”

“I’m not wallowing like you were.”

“Perhaps you should. You gave up on your dream to do carpentry. You pushed a good woman away. What’s next? Sell your apartment and move into a youth hostel?”

“Are you fucking nuts?”

“Glad to see you still have standards. Fine. No hostel.”

I pick up the ball and squeeze. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. Xander’s hand closes over mine. “It doesn’t have to be like this.”

I can’t walk away from the bank now—my promotion is final. Plus, Homer’s expecting this to be a stepping stone to banking glory. Paige? She’s not an option, if she ever was one. I’m sure she’ll find another guy to give her an orgasm. I squeeze the ball so tightly the veins on my forearm protrude.

Xander pries my fingers open and removes the ball. “Let’s go to a bar.”

“No.” I don’t want to be around crowds. In fact, I don’t want to be with anyone, Xander included. I need to crawl back into my apartment and put my head on straight. Stop thinking impossible thoughts. The kind Xander’s spouting.

I need to fulfill my sister’s dream—the one that was cut off way too soon, courtesy of the drunk driver. I inhale. I will work my way up to chief compliance officer. I need to honor my promise to Homer.

Dropping my racquet onto the floor, I say, “I’m going home. Thanks for the game.”

Not wanting to engage any farther, I don’t look back. I simply walk out the door, grab my bag from the locker, and leave the building. Even though the air’s fresh, I can’t smell it. The sky is still light, but I don’t notice its color. Everything’s black and white. Has been since the day I lost the competition for us.

I walk the twenty blocks to my apartment. I’m among people but not with them. Existing. Metaphor for my life.

Inside, I take a shower to get rid of the racquetball stench, then dress in a pair of shorts and a NYU biz school shirt. Plopping down in front of the television, I reach for the block of wood I’ve been whittling for days. I promised Mr. Hooper I’d continue to do this, but my heart’s not in it. Nothing is.

Needing a distraction, I turn on the television to NewsTime. Not Renovation TV, that’s for sure. They talk about another wildfire out west. Discuss the political races. Express concern over some trade imbalance. My mind clears.

The “breaking news” chime sounds and I focus on the anchor. “This just into the newsroom. It seems the partners at VOW-cubed are going their own ways. We have confirmed that Ogden Hansen, and Ward and Vince Turner each have retained their own, separate lawyers in the case against the trio who founded the media conglomerate.”

She continues talking, but all I can think about is reaching out to Paige to see how she’s handling this new development. She must be a wreck.

I drop the wood and reach for my cell to call her. When our smiling faces on the wallpaper greet me, I release it. Like I need to do with her.

26

Paige

“Thank you for your time, Mr. Laughlin.” I disconnect the call and review my notes from the attorney who now only represents Uncle Vince. I’ve been so focused on my own business that I haven’t had to deal with the VOW-cubed fallout—thankfully, my call was about my business and he was able to confirm ideas I learned on the internet, without charge. He also gave me the names of the two new lawyers representing Father and Chloe’s dad.

Uncle Ward’s been mum, so the only reason I know our fathers each retained separate counsel was through Theo. Not that I could do anything about it, but he wanted me to be aware. I told Chloe, who cried a little, but turned her energy inward. Getting a job is priority numbers one through fifty with her, especially since I also shared about the government’s motion to freeze our trust funds. At least I have access to the funds from my earlier flip—Chloe doesn’t have such luxury. I’ll loan her some money if she needs it.

“Paige, I got some good news.”

The lightness in her voice is welcome. “What’s up?”

Chloe flips her long curly hair, the brown so shiny it glints in the light. “I got an interview with Benson Technologies! Stephanie finally came through.”

“That’s wonderful.” I open my arms and she gives me a hug. “I knew the placement firm would come through for you.”

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