Page 75 of Billion-Dollar Attitudes

I nodded. "I guess we'll keep trying. I won't stop helping, though, until we find this pig. He needs to pay for what he's done. And who knows what will happen next."

The front door opened, and we both looked over our shoulders. Guy's little sister, Megan, walked through the front door, carrying a bag of groceries. "Hey, big bro."

"What are you doing here?" Guy asked.

She rolled her eyes, setting the bag down on the table behind us. "Mom had a party with the group she hangs out with, and there was a shit load of food left. More than she and I can eat. So, she told me to deliver it here for you to devour."

"Nice," he said. "You can leave it there. I'll put it away. I appreciate it."

She walked over and plopped down next to him. "Hey, Ryder. You look like shit."

I chuckled, glancing at Guy, who shook his head and gave me a look. "Yeah. Just a long week."

Guy was incredibly protective over his little sister, who had just turned 21 years old a couple months back. He didn't tell them about everything going on, even though they read most of it online. Thankfully, they hadn't fully put the pieces together with everything. Megan wasn't your typical young woman. She hated social media. She stayed away from surfing the internet and spent her time outside, going to festivals, working on her art, and being stuck like glue to her best friend.

"Ariel is coming back from Europe next week," she said to Guy. "It's been three very long years since she left."

Guy chuckled. "I'm sure your heart is screaming in excitement."

She smiled and stood up, bouncing over to the shelf. She ran her finger along as she looked at all the different memorabilia and pictures. "Of course. We've been stuck like glue our whole lives. And spending one month with her last summer was not enough."

She picked up a picture and held it in front of her. She stuck out her bottom lip. "I need my partner in crime."

Guy stood up, walking around and peeking in the bag. "Just remember, you're both legal now, which means that your partner in crime, and you could actually be charged with a crime. I know your mischief."

She laughed and put the picture back on the shelf, picking up another one. "Holy cow, look at you fools. You guys are so young in this picture."

She turned around to show the same picture I had sitting on my desk. It was all of us together before Guy had ever graduated college. I chuckled. "We're all the same still on the inside, just fancier outside."

"Who's that dude?" she asked, pointing to the guy at the end.

Guy laughed. "That would be Rick. Rick was one of our friends in college."

"Have I met him?" she asked, putting the picture back.

I shook my head. "Doubt it. He was part of the crew for a while, but he was really pushy. He disagreed with us on everything. So, we split from him. It was amicable. We all still hung out and stuff. Where did he end up, Guy?"

Guy looked up with a cookie hanging from his lips. "Uh, I think he opened a tech company in Jersey. Last I heard, it was doing well for a startup, small operation. I ran into him three years ago when he was at a conference. We grabbed some beers, chatted, and had a good time."

My phone rang, and I pulled it from my pocket. "It's Daniel. I'll take this in the other room."

I walked into the guest bedroom and answered. "What's up, bro?"

"Just calling to check in on you," Daniel said. "I just heard about the breakup. How are you doing?"

I walked over to the window and looked out into the backyard. "It wasn't a breakup, Daniel. You can't have a breakup in a fake relationship."

"No, but I'm not stupid either," Daniel replied. "Remember, you're my best friend. I know there was more there than just a business deal."

My heart ached in my chest. "I'm fine. How's Amber doing?"

Daniel took a deep breath. "From what I hear, she's okay. She will probably be headed home in a few days. She really hasn't been up to talking to anyone, even Sicily. Sicily still goes over every day, drops off some stuff, and sits in silence with her, but she doesn't say much. Sometimes she even cuts off visitors, but her father says mentally she's doing okay. She's not having any more nightmares, but she's going to keep taking the anxiety meds. She realized how much they helped."

"Good," I replied. "I could probably use some of those too."

"Or you could talk about how you're feeling," Daniel replied. "But I won't push you. I know you are stubborn as hell. So I will just tell you this. It's okay if Amber means more to you than just a business arrangement. It's even okay if she means a lot more. You don't have to hide it. But don't close up in that shell again, man. You changed around her, and you let some walls down, and no matter where that ends up, you should keep going."

I nodded but didn't say anything. I knew what he was saying was true. I hadn't realized it when I was with Amber, but I could see how much she had changed me. I could see how many walls she knocked down and how much she helped me feel for someone again. I didn't want to return to the way I was, but I wasn't sure I had a choice in the matter. My heart ached every day, and the more I was away from her, the more I realized how much I cared.

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