There was another eternal silence until he finally answered, “Very well then, sir. If that’s what you wish.”
“Good. Talk to you soon.”
I hung up the phone and threw it back across the limo. It skittered on the seats before coming to a stop.
“What now?” she asked, voice breathy with astonishment.
“Well, I figure I’ll take the money from the sale, go to Silicon Valley and start investing in tech. Like I told you before, that’s my dream. And life’s too short to waste it doing other people’s dreams. You taught me that, Kiki. You taught me how to follow my heart.”
Her hands found mine and we met once more for a slow, aching kiss, our lips twining around one another with a practiced familiarity, as though we’d memorized each other’s curves long ago, perhaps in another lifetime. I brushed a hair away from her and felt her smooth skin at my fingertips, the pulse racing her neck. There was no question, no doubt, in my mind — this was the path I was meant to walk.
Sure, it was different than my father had imagined, but he’d followed his own dreams. It was only fair that I got to follow mine. I would go into business, and for once in my life, I’d work hard. I think that alone would’ve made him proud, to see me striving to a goal. And if it didn’t — if he looked down from beyond the grave, and disapproved of my actions — well, fuck it. He wasn’t exactly a hell of a father.
“I’m so happy for you,” Kiki murmured as her lips left mine.
A smile danced across her mouth, lighting up the area around us.
“Thanks. I couldn’t have done it without you.” That reminded me… “And, since Dazzlers is getting sold, I’ll be able to scrub the books of your dad’s debt. Jack was watching them like a hawk before, so we couldn’t have simply evaporated that kind of money. But in a billion-dollar sale, every now and then a hundred thousand or so goes missing.”
I looked to Kiki, waiting to see if this compromise was acceptable. She’d been very touchy about the subject of money, but I hoped that my proposition would pass muster. After all, it would no longer be me to whom she owed money. That should change the circumstances. All I wanted was to be done with this idea of debts and collection and legacy, and to just move into the future, unencumbered by the past. We both deserved as much.
“Okay,” she said, nodding her head. “I can take that. I know you’re still doing me a favor but… but I’m working on dealing with my pride and accepting help when people offer it. I’ve realized that I can’t do everything alone, no matter how much I might want to. And that you’re not doing this to make a big show out of having money, but because you love me.”
“I really do, Kiki.”
“Then… well, then, it’s okay. Because people who are in love help one another.”
“And while I can help you with money, you can help me with showing how to live a rewarding life. Everyone brings different strengths to a relationship.”
Oh shit, did I just say relationship? Fuck, what if she wasn’t ready to agree to that, what if I’d jumped the gun and ruined everything? It wasn’t like me to overcommit, to take a step before the other person was ready, but here I was, being impetuous and crazy and just wanting to move as fast as possible. Maybe that’s what everyone’s like, when they find the one.
But then, to my surprise:
“You’re right,” she said.
Well, damn.
I guess we were in a relationship.
It was both shocking and long overdue, and in short, filled me with immense joy.
“You know what else you taught me?” she asked, bundling the jacket closer around her lithe frame.
“What?”
“You taught me that I’m not responsible for my father’s misdeeds. Seeing how you got out from under Dazzlers and your father’s legacy, I realized I can’t keep blaming and punishing myself for my father’s gambling. His consequences shouldn’t be mine. I love him, and I still want him to get help, but I’ve tried as hard as I can. When he’s ready to ask for help, he knows where to find me.”
I put a hand on her thigh and squeezed.
“I’m so proud of you. Fathers are difficult things, and learning to grow from out under them is hard as fuck.”
“Agreed.”
She smiled at me, then a quizzical expression crossed her brow.
“Wait, shit,” she said, realization dawning. “If Dazzlers is sold, I guess I can’t come back. I’m out of a job.”
“Oh… crap. That hadn’t crossed my mind.”
The gears in my head started turning, but Kiki cut me off.
“Before you can suggest halting a billion-dollar sale to let me keep my waitressing job… don’t,” she joked.