Chapter Twenty-Seven
Zack
Monday
I lay on the couch with the television playing in the background with some nineties sitcom blaring what sounded to me like white noise. To the outside world, I probably looked like I was really relaxed, having the most chilled out afternoon ever, but internally, I was a mess. I’d told Olivia part of the truth in the worst way possible; then I left her with probably a million and one questions unanswered.
I wanted to tell her. I kept trying to work out the best way to do it – and that definitely wasn’t it. I couldn’t have done it worse if I tried.
I rolled my eyes to myself as I cringed internally, recalling the look on Olivia’s face as I confessed my wealth. She would be here as soon as she finished work, and when she did, I would be in for it. Deservedly, too. Whatever she tossed my way, I’d have just to take it.
When a knock sounded at my door, I glanced at the clock in confusion. It couldn’t be Olivia, she wasn’t finished with work yet, and I couldn’t picture anyone else coming to visit me. Lark was away again, playing a tournament... Oh God, I wasn’t in the mood for Dolly. I needed to prepare myself. I had to get ready for telling the first person about the lottery win since Lark.
I hobbled over to the door and swung it open to see an ashen face staring back. “Olivia? What are you doing here?”
“I left work early.” She pushed past me inside my apartment without being invited. “You left me after saying what I can only assume is a joke, and my mind’s been reeling all day long. I can’t believe you’d just say ‘I’m wealthier than a small country’ and then just go. That’s really out of order.”
“But it wasn’t a joke,” I told her simply with a shrug. “I really am that rich.”
“You... You are?” Olivia clapped her hand over her mouth in shock. “So, that wasn’t a joke?”
“That’s right.” I waited for her to digest it just a little bit before I launched into the full story. “I won the lottery a while back. It was the first, and only, time that I’ve ever played and I guess I just got lucky. I only bought the ticket to prove to Lark that I was the unluckiest son of a bitch ever... I guess that backfired, huh?”
I let out a little laugh, but Olivia didn’t join in. “I guess after the accident, I was depressed and thought the universe was out to get me. That’s where the stupid bet came from.”
“How much did you win?” Olivia dove right into business.
“Two point seven billion.” Her eyes widened in shock. “Yeah, pretty crazy. It was one of the biggest wins ever in the lottery history.”
“Why haven’t I heard about it then? Lottery wins are usually in the news. I never saw anything about you. I remember seeing that Barry Jackson guy who won a hundred million, so why wouldn’t I know about you? That makes no sense.”
“With great difficulty, believe me! I had to hire the best lawyers and pay off loads of people to keep my name out of the media. I just didn’t want to be discovered. Winning all that money did nothing to bring me out of my misery, and the last thing I needed was the entire world staring at me.”
“Right, I see.” Her face suggested that she really didn’t see, but I couldn’t blame her. If it was the other way around and she was all of a sudden she was telling me such things, I’d probably be just as blown away as she was right now. “So you really are wealthier than some small countries.”
“I guess so.” God, that was a stupid thing to say! What was I thinking?
We sat in silence for a few moments. Opening up to her made me want to do it more. I wanted to tell her everything, even the parts that I hadn’t told Lark. He was aware that I’d had an accident, but he didn’t know everything about it.
At first, I just couldn’t talk about it; then I wanted to forget about it. It was only now that I actually felt ready to share, so unfortunately for Olivia, she was about to be bombarded with a load more information about me. The floodgates were open, and there was no shutting them.
“I was so depressed after my accident because it wasn’t just me affected by it. Yes, I mourned the loss of my health and my career, sure I was disappointed to lose my identity and everything that made me the man I was, but it wasn’t just that.” I gasped loudly, suddenly finding it hard all over again. Still, I needed to get it out now; I didn’t have any choice. “I also lost my best friend in the military. Patrick.”
Olivia reached out and took my hand in hers. I glanced my eyes upwards and gave her a brief smile before I continued with my story.
“He was the one person who I went through training with, that I started in the Seals with. He was in my regiment, and we went on almost every mission together. It’s hard not to build a bond like no other. There’s just no one who understands you like a work colleague.”
Images of Patrick filled my mind for the first time in years and tears unexpectedly filled the corners of my eyes. His reddish blond hair, his bright smile that could make even the worst situation seem a little less shitty, his dirty jokes that would make a stripper blush... What an amazing guy. He never should’ve gone the way he did.
“He got me through even the worst days in the military – and believe me, there were a lot of bad times. Good, too, don’t get me wrong, but a whole lot of bad.”
“I can only imagine,” Olivia murmured.
“So, anyway, the day I had my accident was also the day that Patrick lost his life. On my word, we put ourselves in danger, and we got in the way of a mine.” I hung my head, hating the memory of that day. Seeing my best friend’s body explode would never leave me. Not until the day I died. “Patrick died, and I just got this bust up the leg. It didn’t even break; it just got knocked out of joint. It was my fault... How is that even fair.”
“It wasn’t...” Olivia was on the verge of telling me that it wasn’t my fault, which was something that I’d heard a million times. I didn’t need to hear it again. I’d come to terms with what had happened – sort of.
“So when Lark dared me to buy the lottery ticket, I used all dates related to Patrick; his birthday, the date we joined the Seals, the date of his death... He was all that I could think about; I certainly didn’t think that I’d make money off of him.”
“Is that why you haven’t really spent the money?” she asked me curiously. “Because you feel guilty?” I nodded slowly. That probably had more to do with it than I ever dared to admit. “What if he sent you the money as a way to encourage you to live your life again?”
“What, like a divine intervention?” I scoffed. “I don’t believe in any of that.”
“You don’t have to believe it. It can be the truth anyway.”
I stared at her for a moment, trying to work out what she was thinking. She didn’t look so bewildered anymore, which had to be a good sign. She’s, at least, somewhat come to terms with the fact that I was a very rich man. She also wasn’t looking at me like I was a stranger, or as if she wanted to run a million miles away...so maybe we’d be okay. I felt a little better inside, too, like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
“So, yeah. Now you know.”
My mind suddenly leaped to something else that I’d been keeping from Olivia, a way that I had been spending the money. “Actually, I have done something with it,” I told her excitedly. “Very recently, I bought a building with my dad, and we’re going to start a charity for members of the military. Boys coming home without any options and vets down on their luck, that sort of thing.” The pride shone through with my tone. “It’s pretty awesome, actually. I’ll have to take you there sometime if you ever want to go and check it out. I mean, it’s nothing at the moment, but it will be something great.”
“Wow, that’s really something.”
After a brief pause, Olivia leaned across the table and hooked her hand around the back of my neck. I wasn’t expecting that, so the softness of her touch made my heart race excitedly. “It doesn’t change anything,” she whispered to my lips. “If you still want to give this a try, then so do I.”
“I do.” I nodded vigorously. “I really, really do.”
“You know, I have some money of my own.” I cocked my eyebrow and gave her a look. “Not billions by any means, but when I was playing volleyball, I got offered a nice packet to model for a sports magazine.”
“You did?” Wow, it seemed that Olivia hadn’t yet told me everything. “That sounds super sexy. You’ll have to show me the pictures sometime.”
“I’m sure I have them somewhere,” she giggled. “I originally put the money away to start my own physiotherapy firm when I finished college and had enough work experience, but then Meghan came along, so obviously the money dwindled a bit. It got us our apartment, though, so I can’t complain too much.”
I instantly wanted to offer her the money to buy her own firm, but I bit down on my tongue to stop myself. I didn’t want to be that guy, flashing the cash and showing off just because I could. That could be something to consider further down the line. Now wasn’t the right time.
“So maybe Dolly was right, maybe you could model for her after all,” I teased instead.
“Oh, God no.” Olivia pulled a face. “I’m long done with all of that, and for Dolly? No way, love the woman, but she’s far too much of a diva for me.”
“Yeah, you’re right about that. She must be a nightmare to work with.”
I pulled Olivia onto my lap and kissed her gently while rubbing my nose softly against hers. It felt like we were in a really good place now that things were out in the open and I had this real sense that we could move forward and truly make this work.
“Why did you keep all of that from me?” she asked me cautiously.
“I guess because I’ve spent so long keeping it from everyone, it feels weird to say now. I thought you might look at me differently and that it would change things.”
I pulled her back to me, needing to kiss her once more. My fingers itched, my hands desperately wanted to creep up inside Olivia’s top, but I just about managed to resist.
“I better go in a moment,” she eventually told me regretfully. “Meg and Drea will be back from the Natural History Museum soon.”
“When do I get to take you out on another date?” I jumped in quickly. “The last one was nowhere near good enough.”
"I’m off work Wednesday; we can always do something then if you like? I can send Megs out for the day with Drea so we can get some me and you time.”
Much as I liked the idea of it being all three of us, I needed to establish things with Olivia first before we told Meghan. We needed to know that we could make it work.
“Wednesday it is. I look forward to it.”