Page 3 of Billionaire’s Game

I nodded, but I’d only had one serious long-term, romantic relationship, so I wasn’t too sure what to add to the conversation. Honestly, that was my problem when it came to most social situations. I didn’t have much in common with most people, so I never had anything interesting to talk about. I was a horrible conversationalist unless I was talking about something related to history. Making friends from kindergarten to graduate school had been tough. I just didn’t have much experience with girly topics like guys, or clothes, or makeup, so I was rapidly overlooked or ignored by most women I’d known besides my professors. I was surprised the chatterbox sitting next to me stayed interested in talking with me for so long.

And she was still talking. “Who needs them? Know what I mean?”

I nodded. I didn’t want to disappoint her by saying I lacked relationship experience. It felt nice for a girl my age to treat me like an equal.

“When we get to Miami, Slim, we’re going to get some hot men. Actually, forget men! We don’t need them, right?”

I nodded again.

“What’s your name? I’m Violet.”

“Lesli,” I said extending my hand. She laughed at the gesture which immediately made me feel awkward, but she shook my hand anyway.

“I think we’re going to be best of friends. God knows I need some. There’s no way I’m going to hang out with my buddies from high school.” She made a face and said, “Blah.” She shuddered as if the mere thought of hanging out with her former buddies made her stomach turn.

“I saw the ton of luggage you were taking out of your mom’s car. I was in the taxi behind you, fighting with the driver... That was your mom, right? The lady trying not to cry?”

I laughed. “Ohhh yeah,” I said, remembering Mom had mentioned how the girl behind us kept using foul language.

“You were the cursing girl fighting with the taxi driver. You got pretty creative back there.”

She smiled and looked proud of herself. “The taxi driver was trying to rip me off. And yeah, I have a pretty foul mouth. I have five other siblings, cursing each other out was good practice for the real world.”

“Five siblings?” I was surprised. “Did you grow up on a farm or something?”

She shrugged. “Or something. My parents have a lot of property, but it’s mostly nurseries and alternative energy stuff. And some alternative farming techniques. My parents are wannabe hippies and apparently just couldn’t keep their hands off each other and just kept procreating and procreating. It sucked having to share my cereal with five other kids. And worst, they named us all after some sort of tree, or flower, or herb found in nature.”

“No way.”

“Yes,” she said making a face, “So there’s Rose, Sage, Cypress, Poppy, and Aster.”

“I like all those names.”

“Really?”

I nodded. “And it’s kind of cool that you all have something that connects you—”

“You mean besides our DNA?” She laughed. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Lesli. Maybe we can hang out when you get to Miami? Are you going to college down there or something?”

“I’ve actually graduated already. A few weeks ago...” I said, trying to skirt the issue. I didn’t want her to know that I was some sort of freak who had already earned a PhD by the ripe age of twenty-three.

“Me too! Class of 2017! Woohooo!” she said, putting her hand up to high-five me. I awkwardly let her.

“What was your major? I was a botany major, believe it or not. I just majored in it because it was easy. As you know, my parents love plants.”

I stalled, “I… umm… was a history major.” I didn’t mention that history had been my undergraduate degree.

“Cool. American history?”

“World history.”

“Yeah, I took some history classes. They were ok.” She adjusted her seat belt and said, “So have you found a job yet?”

I nodded. “Well, sort of. I’m going to be working for a nonprofit organization called Ophelia’s Angels. They assist the elderly with getting food, clothing, shelter, rides to their appointments, etc. They’ve recently gone international, so they’re hiring individuals to coordinate it all.”

“Wow,” Violet said. “I would love to do something like that. Are they still hiring?”

I shrugged. “I can ask.”

“That would be great. I’m unemployed and my parents are a little bitter about it. But I’m the twenty-three-year-old that has to move back in with my parents, so I should be the bitter one.”

“You don’t sound bitter.”

“It’s my naturally sunny disposition. It gets in the way.”

I laughed, and it was at that moment that I realized we had been in the air for a while.

Violet smiled widely at me. “Distracted you, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, thanks... Wow...”

“No problem. Now I’m going to take a nap. I need to conserve my energy for when I deal with my parents. God be with me,” she said, making the sign of the cross. I laughed again and she smiled at me, settled into her seat and closed her eyes.

Feeling not nearly as intimidated by the flight as I did before, I did the same. Strangely I felt already as if my life were beginning to change.