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“Why have you been taking on so much work?” Lucas asks. “It’s not like Hunter, Alex, and I aren’t pitching in.”
I sigh, knowing deep down he has me trapped here. The plate is too hot to take to my room, and knowing Lucas, he will just follow me and demand I answer him until I finally give in. And I’m really too tired to put up with him being annoying.
“I’m trying to save up so I can take a personal trainer’s course and get my certificate.”
Lucas’s eyes widen, looking both surprised and curious. “You want to be a personal trainer?”
“Thought I’d give it a try,” I say with a shrug.
“How much is it?”
“Expensive,” I say before shoving another spoonful of food into my mouth. “Which is why I’ve taken on more hours. The certificate isn’t going to pay for itself.”
“Well, I could pay for it.”
I roll my eyes. Of course Lucas would offer to pay for it. He has all this money from writing his book about Rachel and her relationship with us, and he wants to flaunt it in my face. Show me that writing his book has been a good thing for us and our family.
There is no way I am touching that money.
“No.”
“And why not?” Lucas asks, crossing his arms and tilting his head.
Ugh. He’s such an asshole. “I don’t want your book money.”
“But some of the money is yours.”
I straighten at that. “What does that mean?”
“Well, I wrote about you, so you should get a cut. It’s only fair.”
“What would have been fair is you not writing about me at all.” I wave my spoon at him, emphasizing “at all” with a stabbing gesture.
Lucas shrugs. “Too late.”
I roll my eyes and place my plate in the sink. I’m over this conversation. There is no way I am going let Lucas pay for my course. He will think he owns me in some way and that will make our relationship that much worse. I would rather suffer working eighty-hour weeks than owe him something.
“Come on, Seth,” Lucas whines while I stalk out the kitchen. “Just take the money.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
I pause, my hand on the banister, my gaze going to the ceiling, wondering what I did in a past life to have such an annoying man in my life. One who used to be my best friend, before he decided to go behind my back and write about our life to the whole world.
“Because, Lucas,” I say darkly while slowly turning around, “I don’t want you to think that this money you received is somehow a good thing. I don’t want you to ever think I’m okay with what you did.”
“I know you’re not okay and I know I should have spoken to you first. Didn’t we talk about this at the hospital?”
Well, I wasn’t expecting that. I watch him scratch his head, looking both irritated and sad.
“I know what I did to you was unforgivable. I will forever know it.”
That was easy. “Okay,” I murmur with a curt nod. “Good.”
“So,” Lucas says with a sad smile, “will you take the money now? Rachel misses having you around and Alex always seems so glum. We all miss having you around, Seth, and it would be good if you pursued something you enjoyed.”
I hate how right he sounds. “It’s expensive,” I blurt out. “Like, really expensive.”
