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“She’s jealous. Alicia is such a bitch that no one is going to marry her.”
“I mentioned that. She said with her money the men will come to her. I dislike her, almost hate her.”
I can’t imagine hating my sibling. Paige is a pain in the ass, but I love her very much. She and I have grown close since she moved to Manhattan. It’s nice to have a relative so near.
“Who are you going to ask to be your maid of honor?”
“Paige.”
“Really? I thought you would ask one of your friends from college.”
“I’m closest to Paige right now. I talk to her a lot. We have lunch a couple of times a week since her job and mine are so close. I really like her. You’re lucky you have a nice sister.”
“She was a pest when we were kids, but then again, she was nine years younger than me.”
Lana didn’t have to worry about Thanksgiving and my parents. Everything went great, and they loved her as much as I hoped they would. She helped my mom cook dinner while my father and I sucked down beers and ate cheese and crackers watching the football games on television.
I didn’t tell my father, but I plan on paying off what’s left of their first and second mortgage. I know it’s been a struggle, and I’m finally in a position to pay off their outstanding bills. My mom is exhausted because she took on a retail job for the holiday season at night.
My father won’t admit it, but I know he feels terrible that she’s supporting the household, and he can’t help much because of his back injury. He even mentioned that they were thinking of selling the house, but it wouldn’t bring enough to pay both mortgages since the recession hit, and it never regained its value. I plan to end all that and also to buy my mom a new car for Christmas. I’ve been sniffing around trying to figure out what type she wants.
On the drive home, I showed Lana my phone with the mortgage invoices that I took pictures of.
“You’re going to pay these off?”
“Yes. My parents deserve it. They need a break. I can afford it now.”
“Is that because of Jordan’s investment?”
“No. It’s because of the sales from The Fires of Hell. This quarter is turning out to be a windfall. I already have my programming team working on a follow-up and two other games. That’s what the money was for. I needed extra funds to hire more employees. We earned so much already, and we still have almost a month before Christmas. I might be able to pay Jordan back by January.”
“I thought you were doing okay. You live in a nice place, and you have nice clothes, plus this ring.”
“Lana, I bought this apartment during the recession. I could barely afford it, but it was a great investment since it’s appreciated to almost twice what I paid for it. I’ve made some renovations over the years. Are you worried we’ll have to live in a smaller place someday?”
“No. I just don’t want us to spend beyond our means. I can always sell my place if we need money.”
“I’m doing fine. I underpaid myself for years. Now it’s time to get paid like a CEO should. Don’t worry about finances.”
“We’re in this together. I worry. Will you promise to let me know if you need anything?”
“Lana, stop worrying. The company is doing well. It’s not the only asset I have. I have others. They’ve kept me afloat, and I’ve invested where I can when I can. I have a pretty nice nest egg for someone my age.”
She squeezes my hand and stroke the palm of hers as we drive back to Manhattan. The weather has turned sharply colder when we get back into the city, and a stiff wind is blowing. I drop Lana off at our apartment and head to drop the car off at the rental place.
When I come back, she’s dozing on the couch. Even though we had separate bedrooms, I managed to slip into her room and occupy her time for half the night. We were quiet but almost got caught by my father this morning when I forgot to set the alarm on my phone. The sun was blazing through the window when we finally woke to the knock on the door. I scrambled out of bed and hid in the closet. I felt like I was back in high school.
“Sweetie, are you awake?”
“No, I’m sleeping,” she yawns.
“It will be nice to be able to sleep in the same bed again without having to sneak around.”
“I told you not to fall asleep. What do you want to get for dinner?”
“We have turkey my mom sent us home with.”
“Ugg, two days of it, and I’m finished. Can we order pizza?”
