“I was worried the rescue might have been forced to euthanize them,” I admit.
Audrey nods. “It’s possible, although rescues are less likely to do that. It really depends on a variety of factors. But I’m glad your two are safe and happy with you.”
It amazesme how quickly my opinion of Jamie is changing. I called him the golden boy. Perfect in every way. And while things I learn about him aren’t necessarily taking away from that persona, I realize he seems to be a genuinely nice person. He doesn’t give off a fuck-boy vibe.
As he peers into the massive cage Jax sent over, he sheepishly grips the back of his neck with a lopsided smile. “I told Jax to get a medium-sized cage.”
“If he thinks this is medium, I’m afraid of what he thinks is large,” I comment.
Jamie whips out his phone. “I have a picture of his pig setup. It’s pretty elaborate. I guess I should have been more specific.”
He scrolls for a moment, then turns his phone toward me. I gasp when I see the wall of cages, tunnels, and enclosed staircases that eclipse an entire wall. “So I guess this is a medium-sized cage.”
“When I saw the charge, I vaguely thought about asking him for clarification. In today’s economy, you never know howexpensive things are, and clearly I’ve never bought a critter cage before. So I didn’t ask.”
“Wait a minute. You bought this?” I stare at him, mouth agape in shock.
“Uh, yeah. I did.”
“He told me he had one lying around.”
“I told him I’d cover whatever you needed. Evidently, he felt he could stretch the truth a little.”
“I should reimburse you,” I say hastily, pulling my phone from my pocket. “I can send you some money.”
“It’s not necessary. I like helping out, and being able to give a home for a box of guinea pigs is a reward in itself.”
“Tell me how much I owe you.”
“No.”
“Jamie!”
“I don’t want your money, Audrey. I have an entire charity devoted to helping animals in need. Now I’ve helped five of the smallest animals,” he says with a shrug.
I shake my head, going to Google. “No. I don’t like that. I’m at least going to donate to your charity then. I’m sure I can find the cost of this hutch — one thousand dollars? Why the heck is this so expensive?”
“Jax has expensive taste, and he very much loves to spend his money on the people around him. You should see how many shoes and cowboy hats he has.”
I look up at Jamie. “That’s just the cost of the cage. A huge box of supplies showed up too.”
“I know, Aud. I paid for that as well,” he says with a hint of a smile. Oh boy. Why did my heart just jump when he shortened my name?
“I don’t feel comfortable taking all of this. It feels odd, and I don’t like it.”
His gaze is intense as he studies me. “Can you elaborate?”
“I —” I close my eyes, struggling to find the words. I’m not sure how to express that my family’s money has changed how I view relationships, both on a personal and professional level. “My family has money. It’s impacted every relationship I’ve had my entire life, even just friendships. I don’t like feeling as if power has shifted. I don’t want this held over my head.”
I wait for Jamie to reply, nervously tapping my fingers to my thighs.
“Have you experienced someone holding a similar situation over your head?” he asks quietly.
I sigh. “Not exactly the same, but yes. And my parents always bring up money. ‘You have to do this, because we donated to this charity, Audrey.’ Or ‘why did we bother to pay for your undergrad if you won’t even do such-and-such, Audrey?’ I don’t like feeling beneath someone because of money.”
“I can understand that. I guess I feel something pretty similar. I hate it when I realize someone is taking advantage of me because of my money. Pretty hard to determine who truly wants to know me for me, and who wants access to my bank account.”
I open my eyes to see Jamie staring into the distance, his blue eyes stormy. “You must get that a lot.”
