“Yeah.”
The hot chocolate quickly appears, along with a glass of some amber liquid for him. The waitress gives Mr. Coat a flirty smile, but his smile back just seems to be polite. He seems really at ease with everything and everyone around him.
In the brighter light, I can see his eyes are an odd mixture of gold and green. Something about him reminds me of a satisfied lion after a successful hunt. I saw it on a nature special once. It’s weird that he’s being kind without expecting anything in return. People are always nice to me because they think it might get them something. My grandfather can be a generous man, and he’sreallygenerous when it involves his flesh and blood.
But maybe this man really is being good to me just because. I don’t know what to make of it.
I take a small sip of the chocolate. The steaming, bittersweet flavor is amazing after the chill outside, and I shiver as the heat seeps through me. “You’re pretty nice for an old guy.”
He almost chokes on his drink. “I’m twenty-three.”
“Like I said.”
“Oh yeah? How old are you?”
“Fourteen.”
He smirks. “Just a kid.”
I open my mouth to say I’m not just a kid, but…I am. “Yeah. A dumb kid.”
Sympathy softens his tone. “You don’t seem dumb to me. If you were, you wouldn’t be wearing my coat. Or getting me to buy you a drink.”
I laugh a little at his attempt to cheer me up. “If I were smart, I wouldn’t have been out there. If I were smart… Well, people might take me more seriously. They might love—care about me more.”
He frowns. “You break up with your boyfriend or something?”
Maybe it’s because his voice is soft and without judgment that the dam in my heart cracks. Or maybe it’s because we don’t know each other, and the anonymity lets me vent. “My dad only cares about me because of money, and my grandfather is disappointed I’m not a boy.”
“How about your mother?”
“Mom’s too busy with everything and everyone else but me.”
“Ah. So you got upset and ran.”
“Yeah.” Now I feel stupid about everything. “It’s like, maybe they’ll be happier without me.”
“Is that what you want?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you want to just run away from everything, so they’ll be happy?”
Run away from everything…I blink. What does that even mean? “Everything” would include Mom, who doesn’t love me enough to put me first, but who’s the only parent who seems to care about me at all…and my inheritance and my position as the sole heiress to the Peery Diamonds fortune…
Dad, Karl and Vonnie would love it if I vanished. They’d start drooling, dreaming up ways to divvy up all the stuff I leave behind.
It’s gross. I’d rather set everything on fire than let them have anything of mine. They aren’t worthy.
The man says, “You’re scowling. I guess that’s your answer.”
“Yeah. But they just want to use me and hurt me.” I look down at the steaming chocolate. “They just want my money.”
“More reason to stay and fight for what’s yours. If you leave, you’re surrendering. Instead, even the scales.”
“How?”
“Take away what they want the most from you. You said they want your money, so make sure they never get a penny. You’re young, so they’ll push back when you try. But keep on fighting until you win, no matter what it takes, or how long it takes. Don’t give them an inch.”
