out here now.” He then clapped a hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze, some of the tension draining from his face. “You and your mom are both safe with us, and you can stay as long as you like. You’re family.”
“Thanks,” I said, giving him a nod. “It means a lot.” I was glad to have someone to confide in, though a small part of me still felt the urge to be on guard since my little secret was out. It was a horrible thought to have day in and day out that someone was always out to get you because of the money, but it was going to be the life I lived for, well, for as long as I had money.
He sniffed and looked over my head, his eyes on the horizon in the direction of the bar and grille. “So, what does a billionaire do with all his spare time?”
I grinned, knowing I was about to blow his mind. “He gets a job.”
My uncle looked at me like I was crazy, his mouth dropping open. “A job? What would you need a job for? You have loads of money!”
“I want to be normal,” I replied softly, thinking of how simple life was before that ticket. I might have struggled to make ends meet, but at least it made sense. Now, it was all confusing. “I got a job bartending at Keefer’s. It’ll give me something to do instead of being underfoot all the time here.”
“A job,” my uncle repeated as the door opened and closed behind him and my aunt made her way to his side. “He got a job, Sophie.”
My aunt looked at me with a smile curving on her lips. “Good for you, Cooper. Gillie said that you wouldn’t be idle for long. What will you be doing?”
“He’s a billionaire, for heaven’s sake,” my uncle protested, still not believing I had gone and gotten a job. “He doesn’t have to work, ever.”
“It’s a bartending job at the grille down the street. I can’t just sit around,” I replied, my hands itching to find something to do. “This will give me some time to think.”
“Good for you,” Aunt Sophie said, linking arms with her husband, who was still looking at me in astonishment. “Not having to work and not needing to work are two different things, Bill. Surely you know that he’s not the type to just sit around. Some people can’t be idle like that. I know you couldn’t be.”
“I don’t know,” my uncle grumbled some more. “Billions of dollars could make me happily idle on an island somewhere.”
“I will still give you something for letting us stay here,” I added. “I know we are imposing, but I appreciate you taking us in.”
My aunt looked at me, her eyes softening. “You are such a good boy, Cooper. Even when Gillian was pregnant with you, I thought of you as my own child. If we could have had children ourselves, I would’ve wanted them to be just like you.” She then reached up and patted my cheek. “We will help you out as much as possible, my dear boy. However you need us to do so. Isn’t that right, Bill?”
“He went and got a job,” my uncle was still saying, shaking his head in disbelief. “That just blows my mind.”
My aunt laughed and tugged on his arm. “Come on, let’s all go inside.”
I followed them toward the house, my heart bursting with love for my family. I was glad the big secret was out in the open, but I still wondered if greed would eventually show its ugly head in some way. Money made people do crazy things, but I just wanted my life to be normal.
We entered the living room where Mom was sitting on the couch, a laptop on her lap. She looked up as we entered, her face flushed with excitement. “Coop! I’m so glad you’re back. You will never guess what I found on this thing.”
“What’s that?” I asked, sliding onto the couch next to her. She turned the screen my way, and I felt my heart began to race as I looked at the image on the screen — a 1957 Corvette, black with the red interior visible in the picture, the car of my dreams. Fully restored in pristine condition, right down to the $110,000 price tag.
“Isn’t
“Thanks,” I said, giving him a nod. “It means a lot.” I was glad to have someone to confide in, though a small part of me still felt the urge to be on guard since my little secret was out. It was a horrible thought to have day in and day out that someone was always out to get you because of the money, but it was going to be the life I lived for, well, for as long as I had money.
He sniffed and looked over my head, his eyes on the horizon in the direction of the bar and grille. “So, what does a billionaire do with all his spare time?”
I grinned, knowing I was about to blow his mind. “He gets a job.”
My uncle looked at me like I was crazy, his mouth dropping open. “A job? What would you need a job for? You have loads of money!”
“I want to be normal,” I replied softly, thinking of how simple life was before that ticket. I might have struggled to make ends meet, but at least it made sense. Now, it was all confusing. “I got a job bartending at Keefer’s. It’ll give me something to do instead of being underfoot all the time here.”
“A job,” my uncle repeated as the door opened and closed behind him and my aunt made her way to his side. “He got a job, Sophie.”
My aunt looked at me with a smile curving on her lips. “Good for you, Cooper. Gillie said that you wouldn’t be idle for long. What will you be doing?”
“He’s a billionaire, for heaven’s sake,” my uncle protested, still not believing I had gone and gotten a job. “He doesn’t have to work, ever.”
“It’s a bartending job at the grille down the street. I can’t just sit around,” I replied, my hands itching to find something to do. “This will give me some time to think.”
“Good for you,” Aunt Sophie said, linking arms with her husband, who was still looking at me in astonishment. “Not having to work and not needing to work are two different things, Bill. Surely you know that he’s not the type to just sit around. Some people can’t be idle like that. I know you couldn’t be.”
“I don’t know,” my uncle grumbled some more. “Billions of dollars could make me happily idle on an island somewhere.”
“I will still give you something for letting us stay here,” I added. “I know we are imposing, but I appreciate you taking us in.”
My aunt looked at me, her eyes softening. “You are such a good boy, Cooper. Even when Gillian was pregnant with you, I thought of you as my own child. If we could have had children ourselves, I would’ve wanted them to be just like you.” She then reached up and patted my cheek. “We will help you out as much as possible, my dear boy. However you need us to do so. Isn’t that right, Bill?”
“He went and got a job,” my uncle was still saying, shaking his head in disbelief. “That just blows my mind.”
My aunt laughed and tugged on his arm. “Come on, let’s all go inside.”
I followed them toward the house, my heart bursting with love for my family. I was glad the big secret was out in the open, but I still wondered if greed would eventually show its ugly head in some way. Money made people do crazy things, but I just wanted my life to be normal.
We entered the living room where Mom was sitting on the couch, a laptop on her lap. She looked up as we entered, her face flushed with excitement. “Coop! I’m so glad you’re back. You will never guess what I found on this thing.”
“What’s that?” I asked, sliding onto the couch next to her. She turned the screen my way, and I felt my heart began to race as I looked at the image on the screen — a 1957 Corvette, black with the red interior visible in the picture, the car of my dreams. Fully restored in pristine condition, right down to the $110,000 price tag.
“Isn’t
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