I held up my hands to stop him. If they didn’t actually tell me, I would be able to truthfully say I didn’t know.
“Before you finish that sentence, let me talk to my legal team and find out what they say. I have a feeling that if I don’t know what has gone on with you two, then I would never have to withhold anything. I would just suggest that hypothetically if you did receive something, you not spend it or deposit the money—yet. My dad put the cash in a safe-deposit box so there’s no paper trail,” I said to clue them in.
“So, you’re suggesting we keep the money?” Wolf asked.
It’s funny how people hear what they want to. Even Tim gave Wolf a look of disbelief.
“He said nothing of the sort. He said to wait until he talked to the lawyers before we do anything,” Tim said to clarify my words.
“How much did you get?” Wolf asked.
“Seventy thousand,” I admitted.
“Well, kiss my chocolate behind,” Wolf chirped.
He winked at me to signal that he wasn’t totally serious. From the looks Tim and Wolf exchanged, they didn’t get near that much.
“I know. What were they thinking? I would make more on a photo shoot,” I teased.
“Dawson, you totally suck. When are you going to get us roles in a movie? I mean, even Cassidy got paid in your last one,” Tim complained.
I thought about that for a minute. She was in my last movie and had been given credit for a speaking role. That had to mean they paid her. The little shit never told me that.
“I do have a budget for my
“That would mean we would have to miss our first semester of college,” Tim said.
“We would just gray-shirt like David. I would bet they planned to redshirt us anyway our freshman year. I would rather get a paycheck and coin in the bank than go to school,” Wolf reasoned.
“We should find out how much before we made a decision,” Tim said.
“I would love to have you guys around. They’ll be filming in New Zealand and Australia. I have to warn you, though, it would be work and not a vacation.”
“He cracks me up,” Wolf said. “He’s worried we’ll just goof off all the time.”
“The star is getting us the job. Surely, they would understand that they’re just paying us to find him girls and grab some sun,” Tim added.
“Forget it,” I said to tease them.
“Hang on. Tim talked out of turn. Just because he’s a jerk doesn’t mean you have to dump me too,” Wolf almost pleaded.
“Just saying,” Tim said to double down.
I got out my phone and sent Lexi a text, mentioning that Tim and Wolf had both been involved in construction and construction management internships already. I received one back that said they should send her their résumés, and she would take those with her and talk to her dad. He was in charge of the movies; starting at the top was probably best.
◊◊◊
Tim and Wolf took off to spend some time at home before coming back for dinner. While we’d talked, Duke and the kitten must have become friends because I found them curled up on my bed, sleeping together.
“What’s going on here?” I scolded.
Duke knew he wasn’t supposed to be on the bed. I think he might have gained some privileges while I was gone. He slunk off.
“Merowff,” the kitten rumbled lazily as he rolled onto his back so I could rub his tummy.
I had a sinking feeling that the kitten had chosen me as its master, and I wasn’t going to get rid of him. If he acted anything like Precious, my uncle would never take him. I could just see the cat terrorizing his cattle. One yowl would have them stampeding. To be honest, I might stampede with them.
“You have to be super-nice when I introduce you to my uncle. He has a great big farm that you could roam and call home. It would be the perfect place for you,” I said to try to reason with the feisty little tomcat.
Duke looked at me like I was wasting my time trying to explain things to a cat. He was probably right.
“We’ve got some time. Want to go for a run?” I asked my buddy.
He knew what ‘go for a run’ meant and began to dance around. It seemed I’d better hurry up and get changed.
◊◊◊
I timed it just right. As I was running up the block, I saw Peggy pull into the driveway. Duke and I squeezed in before the gate closed. I came around the back of the SUV as Peggy stepped out of the car.
“Oh, my goodness! You scared the crap out of me,” Peggy said and then gave me a hug.
I made a mental note to talk to Fritz about what I’d just done. If it hadn’t been me … I let that thought just hang there since I didn’t want to follow it to a conclusion.
Getting out the car on the other side was a young woman I’d met at the daycare but whose name I couldn’t remember.
“David, you remember Ms. Lawrie,” Peggy said as an introduction.
She was in her mid- to late-20s. Her glasses made her look like a nerd.
“Welcome home,” she said.
“Need help getting them out?” I offered.
