Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“That blog paid off my student loans,” she told me. “And helped me get my last apartment.”
“Are you still updating it?” I asked, knowing very well that it had been almost a month. There’d been one post reminding everyone about a pop-up art event in Brooklyn, but nothing original in a while.
“I haven’t. I think I was just overwhelmed by… everything.” She waved a hand out. “But I’m already feeling a little more inspired. I think a new place was just what I needed. Though I think I’m going to need to hire someone to hang my art for me. I am hopeless. I put three holes in one wall already and none of them are right.”
“What you need is a laser level and a paper grid.”
“Do tell.”
I waved toward my living room art.
“Those canvases were painted by a distant cousin of mine when she learned about my color scheme. She said she was trying new art styles. She usually does portraits,” I went on. “Anyway, her mother told me to trace them onto pieces of newspaper and to hang the newspaper up to find the right placement.”
“That’s genius.”
“Yeah. And then the level made sure I didn’t fuck up the alignment. I can loan you the laser level. And some spackle,” I added, shooting her a smirk. “Did you buy new art?”
“No. I want to hang the canvases that were in my office at my old place.”
“Oh, I figured those were for clients. Why were they sitting on the floor in your office?”
I knew by the look she shot me that it was because of Matt.
“A few of them are portraits, and Matthew thought having strangers on your walls was ‘creepy.’ I figured it was one of those ‘pick your battles’ things they always talk about with marriages.”
“Matt’s action figure collection was on display in your bedroom at that apartment.”
“That was a battle Matthew was willing to fight to the bitter end.”
So she was the one who had to sacrifice. Not Matt. That, sadly, tracked.
“Have you had any other visits from Matt’s family?”
“Two. One, just the day after you were there.”
“For what?” They’d cleaned out everything of Matt’s. Even the watch I was sure Blair had bought him.
“The TV.”
“What?”
“The bedroom television. Ronny claimed that Matthew told her that I never wanted a TV in the bedroom. I didn’t. She figured that meant the TV was Matt’s.”
I’d seen that TV.
There was no way Matt could have afforded it.
“It’s fine,” Blair said, seeming to sense my agitation. “I really don’t like having a TV in the bedroom. It’s… distracting.”
Distracting from… other things that should be happening in a bedroom.
I really needed not to be thinking about how nice it would be to get distracted with her.
“What was the other time?” I asked, reaching up to tug my collar, feeling like I was suddenly choking on the intoxicating chocolate scent of her lotion wafting over to me.
“To get Matthew’s shaving kit.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Ronny had… things to say about my being all boxed up.”
“Did you tell her your new address?”
“I maybe lied about it.”
“I don’t blame you for that. What’d you tell her?”
“I was getting some renovations done.”
“You know it’s jealousy, right? Ronny’s comments about your nice home and clothing.”
“I’m not so convinced. She’s hated me since she met me. I wasn’t good enough for her son.”
“I’m sure that’s—”
“I heard her say that,” Blair cut me off. “She didn’t even try to walk it back when she saw that I’d overheard.”
“Wow. I’m sorry. I’ve never known Ronny to be as nasty as she has been with you.”
“Because she wants things from you,” Blair said.
“You’re probably not wrong about that.” I’d already had a call from her, asking for money for Matt’s grave marker. I thought that had been included with the other arrangements. Apparently not.
“I think the thing that kept her from sucking up to me like she does with you is that I’ve been really firm about my boundaries. Especially as it pertains to my money.”
“Clearly, not a bad idea. With how things have gone.”
“I guess some part of me just… always had a feeling that something was off,” she said, gaze far away. “I never saw myself as a woman who would demand separate bank accounts and would not put her husband’s name on the lease. I didn’t even put him on my Prime account.” She was silent for a moment. “Is it rude to ask you how much money you have loaned Matthew over the years?”
“Rude? No. But I honestly couldn’t tell you an exact number. Matt has been borrowing money since we were kids. And looking back, possibly taking shit too. I blamed my siblings for some things that went missing. But I’m pretty sure now that it was Matt.”
“Can you give me a ballpark? Sorry. I know this is invasive. I just… I’m kind of curious what I might have lost if I hadn’t been so firm about the bank account thing.”