Someone Someday (All in Good Time Book 2) (5 page)

Chapter 6

The lottery ticket in the attached photo had several combinations of numbers all printed on it, so it took me a few seconds to find the row that corresponded with the numbers I'd written down, and even once I did, they weren't in the same order. It was confusing, and my hands were shaking, which didn't help matters. I spent the next few minutes in disbelief, squinting down at the numbers I'd written down and comparing them with the photo Jenny sent me of the winning ticket. It seemed to all line up, but I just couldn't make myself accept it as reality.

I had to tell Laney and Zack.

It was nothing for me to walk into the main house like I lived there; it was something I did all the time. But at this time of night, I usually tried to respect their privacy, so instead of running over there, (like I was tempted to do) I called Laney's phone. I paced as I waited for her to answer.

"Hey Lex," she said, picking up the phone.

"Hey, can I come over there real quick?" It was hard for me to catch my breath with all the excitement, and my voice cracked even though I tried to keep it even.

"Of course, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just needed to ask you guys something."

She was quiet for a second. "You sure you're okay?" she asked, sounding worried.

"I'm fine. I'll be right over."

"Okay."

I figured Zack might have already locked the door, so I grabbed my keys on the way out. I didn't bother putting on shoes. I flew down the stairs, crossed the driveway and back patio, and put my key into her back door. I was so wound up that it took me several seconds to fit the key into the lock properly. She and Zack were just coming into the kitchen as I opened the door. Both of them were wearing worried expressions that faded into masks of confusion once they saw me grinning nervously.

"I think we won," I said. I was so shaken up that my voice was about three octaves lower than usual and I could barely get the words out. I felt like I couldn't breathe. They both continued to stare at me with confused expressions, so I held my phone out, hoping the photo would explain.

"The lottery," I managed to get out.

Zack understood before Laney did and his face morphed into a smile.

Still confused, Laney glanced at him for help.

"Are you serious?" Zack asked me.

"I think so. I need you to help me compare these numbers."

"What in the world is going on here?" Laney asked.

Zack helped explain. "That girl Lexi works with did another lottery pool, and I think she's telling us they won." Zack sounded unsure as he said it, and he looked at me for affirmation.

I nodded. "I have a picture of the ticket on my phone," I said, holding it out. "I talked to Jenny. She said it's for real."

Laney's face showed disbelief. "Is this the real lottery, or those scratch offs?"

"The real lottery!" I said, in that breathless voice. I was trying to stand still, but it was impossible. I wiggled and jiggled all around.

"Like millions of dollars?" she asked.

"Uh-huh!" I said, still dancing around.

"Let me see this picture," Laney said. I stopped wiggling long enough to hand her my phone and she squinted down at the screen. She pinched it to make it bigger. "How do you know which ones are the winning numbers?"

"I googled it," I said. I handed her the piece of paper I'd written the numbers down on, and she instantly started to compare.

Zack took his phone from his pocket and started tapping the screen. "I'm gonna look up the winning numbers right now," he said.

"I think it's real," I said, still unable to hold still. "I talked to Jenny and she said she was already in contact with lottery officials."

Laney looked up from my phone. "How many of you guys went in on this?"

"Eight."

"And you each put in…" she hesitated.

"A hundred bucks."

Zack took the piece of paper Laney was holding and compared it to whatever he was looking at on his phone. "Those are the right numbers for tonight," he confirmed.

I let out a victorious squeal and Laney joined me. She threw her arms out in my direction and I hugged her as tightly as I could without squeezing the living daylights out of my unborn nephew.

Zack took my phone from her and did his own comparison of the numbers on the notepad with the ones in the picture. Once he was finished, he held out my phone for me to take back.

"I can't believe it," he said, smiling and shaking his head slightly. "I think you just won the lottery, Lexi."

"I think I did!" I squealed.

"What are you going to do with the money?" Laney asked.

My face fell as I contemplated the question. "I have no idea, actually."

We'd been standing next to the bar that extended from their kitchen counter, and Zack pulled out a barstool and motioned for Laney to have a seat. She did so, and I followed suit.

"You guys want something to drink?" Zack asked, heading into the kitchen.

"I'll have some apple juice," Laney said.

"Me too, please," I said.

Zack went to work pulling three glasses out of the cabinet. "Are you still gonna work?" Laney asked.

I ran my fingers through my damp hair and took a deep breath. "I think so," I said. "When I talked to Jenny she said she wouldn't be showing up for her shift tomorrow morning, and when she said it, my first instinct was to wonder why in the world not?" I shrugged. "It actually wouldn't have even crossed my mind to quit if she hadn't mentioned it."

"I think that's smart," Zack said, chiming in with his head in the fridge. "You don't have to listen to me, but I will tell you that money has a way of disappearing really fast if you're not wise about it."

We were all quiet for a few seconds as he poured juice into our glasses. He set two of them in front of us and took a big swig of his own. I knew Zack was smart, and I wanted some of that to rub off on me.

"I think I'd like your help managing it, if you don't mind," I said, looking at him. I glanced at Laney who was smiling at her husband.

"Of course," he said, without hesitation. "The first piece of advice I can give you is that it'll benefit you to make as few changes in your life as possible." He paused. "I'm not saying you shouldn't get a new car, or maybe even a house, but try not to rush right into changing everything about your lifestyle right away."

I shook my head. "I don't want to," I said. "It might sound crazy, but I don't mind going to work. I'm not planning on quitting or anything—at least not right away. The crew at J.D.'s would be in a bind if all eight of us quit because of this."

Zack let out a little laugh. "You might be the only one who feels that way," he said. "Don't be surprised if that's the last you see of the other seven."

I shook my head, trying to think about what I really wanted. I grew up dirt poor and never wanted to end up that way again. My instinct was to make this money stretch as far as possible. "I think I want to try to keep my life close to the way it already is. I mean, I'll probably think of something big to spend money on eventually, but I don't want to just spend it for the sake of spending it."

"That's smart, Lexi," Zack said. "Just think about maintaining your current lifestyle for a while. Be patient and we'll come up with a plan for how to be strategic with it. We'll think about your future. Maybe you can open a coffee shop of your own."

I couldn’t stop smiling. "I'm so excited," I said. "I can't believe it's real!"

"I can't either." Laney said. "It seems like I'm dreaming right now."

I looked at her with wide eyes. "How do you think I feel?"

She shook her head with a huge smile. "God is so good to us," she said.

It didn't surprise me that Laney would say something like that. She always gave God the credit when something good happened. I wasn't sure how I felt about that since the circumstances in my life up until now hadn't always been peaches and cream. It seemed if I gave God credit for the good then I'd have to give him credit for the bad too, and something didn't feel quite right about that. Remembering my hardships made me think of growing up with my mother. I shifted my gaze to a random spot on the countertop and spaced out in thought for a few seconds.

"I think I want to give a little money to mom," I said, taking even myself by surprise.

The day Laney and I left for San Francisco, our alcoholic mother told us that she was going to die without us there to help her. I have never been able to get that out of my mind, so it made sense that sending her money was one of the first things I thought of.

Zack and Laney looked at me with unreadable expressions. "Maybe like 100,000 or something," I said. "Just so I can stop worrying about whether or not she's going to die without us there.

Zack and Laney looked at each other with an expression that told me they were having some sort of unspoken communication. Then Laney looked at me. "Zack and I have an arrangement with Price Saver," she said. "Mom gets fifty dollars a week store credit to spend on groceries—anything besides booze and cigarettes."

"Really?" I asked. "How long have you guys been doing that?"

She looked at him and they both shrugged like they didn't quite recall. "Since about a year after we were married, I guess."

"Does she know it's you guys helping her?" I asked.

Laney shook her head. "No. They just told her she'll get $50 a week in store credit on an indefinite basis, and she didn't question it." She reached out and put her hand on mine. " I think it's really sweet that you want to help mom, and I'm not discouraging you from doing that. But she's fine Lexi. She's not dying without us there."

I continued staring at the counter not knowing what I would choose. It may not end up being $100,000 like I first thought, but my hunch was that I would send her something, if only to get that little piece of guilt off of my own chest.

"You should definitely try to keep this money a secret," Zack said. I glanced at him to find that he was smiling.

"Why?" Laney and I both asked at the same time.

"Because the guys at her new gym are already falling all over themselves to hook up with you." He continued smiling while shaking his head. "If they found out you were rich, we'd have a riot on our hands."

Laney gave me a sideways glance like maybe I was withholding some information from her. "Do you have some admirers I didn't know about?"

I smiled and rolled my eyes at Zack as I thought about Jason Lane. He might not be husband material, but I was honestly frustrated that I couldn’t even make myself feel a spark when he was totally spark-worthy. I thought maybe I could see the good in him if I gave it time.

"It's just a little hottie named Jason who tries to show off for me in boxing class," I said, shrugging as if it was no big deal. Laney was sensitive about my past, and I could tell she liked that I didn't go out with a different guy every week. But I also knew that somewhere deep inside she worried that I wouldn’t find someone eventually. She knew me too well not to see the scars I kept hidden. It was for this reason that I used the opportunity to act somewhat interested in Jason. I smiled and shrugged. "Even if I decide to give him a shot, I won't tell him I'm rich," I said smiling. "I have to make sure he likes me for me."

"I thought you said he was a player," Zack said.

I shook my head saying I wasn't worried. "He just smells like a player," I said.

Zack laughed and Laney looked confused.

"Expensive cologne," I explained, and she smiled.

We all sat there for a second before Zack took a deep breath and spoke again. "Okay, so the plan for now is to go to work and keep living in the apartment as if nothing happened. Once the money's in the bank, we'll sit down and make a real plan. There's no reason you can't grow that money into something you could live on and eventually pass on to your children and grandchildren. You just have to be patient with it."

I nodded, feeling totally onboard with "growing" the money as he said. It was the children and grandchildren part of that statement that took me off guard. Children never crossed my mind. To have children you had to have sex, and that was something I planned on never doing again.

"I can be patient," I said, ignoring the stab of regret I felt at the thought of never having a family. "I don't really feel like quitting my jobs, and I'm not in a hurry to move out of the apartment—not for now at least."

"Yeah, I don't even know why you thought of her moving," Laney said, looking at Zack like he was crazy for saying such a thing.

I laughed and put my pinky in the air, and using my best Thurston Howell impersonation, I said, "It is pretty tiny for a rich girl like me."

She giggled. "Yeah, I think you should just be patient," she said. "And when you're finally ready to buy something, you can just make it the house next door."

Chapter 7

I found it really difficult to go to sleep that night. It was after 2am by the time I drifted off, and my shift at J.D.'s started at 6. But something about winning the lottery makes a lack of sleep more bearable. I woke up easily and with a smile when the alarm went off at 5:22.

I hadn't checked the schedule to see who was working with me that morning, but I figured it was at least two or three of us who went in on the winning ticket. I wondered if any of the others would be there.

I could tell by the look on the owners face when I walked in the door that the answer was most likely a no. "You decided to show up?" he asked, looking frustrated and thankful at the same time. It wasn't busy in there yet. In fact there were only one or two customers in the whole place.

J.D. was behind the counter, which was rare for him. He was around quite a bit, but he mostly kept to the office. It had been who knows how long since he worked the register or espresso machine.

I smiled. "Who's on the schedule this morning?" I asked.

"Jenny called me last night," he began, looking flustered and ignoring my question. "She told me she enjoyed working here but that she wouldn't be back."

"Ever?" I asked, somewhat surprised.

"Ever," he confirmed. "She told me about the lottery and gave me a list of employees who may or may not be quitting with her."

"Have you heard from anybody else?" I asked. "Justin and Joe were both supposed to work this morning, and they both called in. Justin sent a text saying, 'Take this job and shove it'."

I gasped. "You're kidding!"

He shook his head, but cracked a smile. "He sent a text right after that saying he was sorry and that he'd just always wanted to say that and thought he'd never have the opportunity to do it again. I asked if that meant he was coming to work this morning and he said not a chance." J.D. paused and ran a hand through his hair. "So, assuming you're here to work and not just to quit on me, that puts us down three for the morning shift. I still haven’t heard anything from Meg or Alex who are both supposed to be here at two. I have to think they'll be calling in… even if it's just for the day." He looked at me and breathed a long sigh. "I honestly can't believe you're here." His expression shifted to one of pleading desperation. "Are you here to work?"

"Of course," I said, feeling terrible about what a bind he was in. "And I'll stay for a double if the others call in." He closed his eyes and breathed a dramatic sigh of relief, and then his face shifted to one of doubt and fear all of a sudden. "Wait," he said. "Did you know you guys won the lottery last night?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Your name was on that list, right?"

I nodded again. "And you're still here to work?" he asked. He cringed in fear as he waited for my answer.

I laughed. "Yes, J.D., I'm here to work." I didn't tell him I'd eventually like to open my own coffee shop. I figured that was too much information for now. "If we're missing three people this morning, you're definitely gonna need to get on the phone and see if you can scramble up at least one replacement. Try Natalie. She lives close and she was picking up extra shifts this week."

J.D. nodded like he was onboard with that plan.

"We should be okay with one other person if you can work the register," I said.

He shrugged. "I don't think I have a choice."

A customer was walking in the door just after he said that. "I need to run to the back to put my bag in the locker and clock in. You can take care of Mr. Kimbrell," I said, gesturing to the customer. "He orders a medium dark roast with room for cream. You should be able to handle that."

"Hurry back, please," he said as I passed him on my way to the office.

"Good morning Mr. Kimbrell," I yelled from over my shoulder.

"Good morning, Ms. Lexi," he yelled back.

I was literally the only one of the eight who didn't quit. The seven other lottery winners never even showed up for their next shift. I couldn't believe it. J.D. said it really didn't surprise him, but for whatever reason it shocked me. He had always been really good to us, and I didn't think everyone would leave him stranded the way they did. J.D. took up for them saying they didn't see it that way. He said they were just excited about their new fortunes and really had no concept of how it would affect him. Maybe it was that I had aspirations to open my own coffee shop one day, but I instinctually put myself in his shoes and had no desire leave him high and dry.

I should have known what I was in for. The next month was a bit crazy at J.D.'s coffee shop. Myself and the other remaining employees did our best to fill in for the ones who quit, working as many shifts as we possibly could until he hired replacements. Then we had to train and get to know all of the new employees. It was a process that seemed to take forever. I worked over sixty hours a week at J.D.'s, plus weekend shifts at Millers.

It would have been easy to make excuses about going to boxing class, but I loved it so much that I made time for it. I went to the gym twice a week and found the release essential in helping me get through the busy time at work.

Somewhere during that month, Powerball paid us, and I now had a bank account with nearly six and a half million dollars in it. It was probably better that I was too busy to let it go to my head.

The second thing that happened in that month was that I'd become a slightly better boxer. I was only able to go to the gym twice a week, but one of my coaches recommended that I do shadow boxing in the mirror at home with hand weights, and believe it or not, that was helping my form. I didn't care that it made me feel like a big dork. I knew I was improving, and that was all that mattered.

The last but not least significant thing that happened was that my sister gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy with black hair like his daddy. That happened only three days ago, and I was very thankful that things were getting back to normal at J.D.'s so I could spend time with my precious nephew.

Laney and Zack named him Henry James after Zack's grandfather, and he had already managed to steal the hearts of the entire family. Laney had a hard time with labor and ended up having a C-section. She was still in the hospital, but was scheduled to come home within the next day or so if all continued to go well.

I'd already been to work at the coffee shop and up to the hospital to see Laney, and now I was headed to the gym. I drove there in the same car I'd been driving before I won the lottery. It was a tiny hatchback that Laney bought for herself a few years before. She and Zack gave it to me for next to nothing about a year ago when she decided to get something bigger. My hatchback ran well and would certainly do for now. I'd been too busy in the last month to even think about buying a new car or spending any money at all for that matter, which was "an ideal situation," as Zack said.

He put my money into a few different bank accounts, but hadn't done anything complicated with it just yet since it was a busy time for all of us. I hadn't sprung for a new car, but I had plans to do it soon and had been doing some research online trying to figure out what kind I wanted. It was the first big purchase I would make and I had trouble even hypothetically spending the money. I had already changed my mind about what kind a dozen times. My old car would have to do until I figured it out.

I pulled up to the gym about 10 minutes before class started. I parked next to a car I recognized, and waved at the girl who was sitting inside, but she was looking down and didn't see me. It was a girl named April who was at the gym almost every time I was there. I wasn't sure how long she been boxing, but I knew it was a lot longer than me because she had major skills. I had partnered with her a time or two since I'd been coming, and she gave me pointers the whole time.

April drove a tiny, rusted-out car that reminded me of the one Laney sold for eight hundred dollars before we left Washington. Her windows were down and I leaned over to stick my head in her passenger's side.

"Hey April, you comin' to class?" I asked.

She gasped and jumped, making me jump as well.

"I'm sorry, I thought you saw me," I said.

She wiped at her eyes before looking at me with a smile that was clearly forced. "Hey Lexi," she said. "No, I'm not coming to class for a little while."

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

I barely knew her and figured I was overstepping my bounds with the question, but I just couldn't help myself when she was clearly upset.

She smiled really big and nodded. "Oh yeah, it's fine. I'm fine. I just—" she hesitated and then rolled her eyes, still smiling. "It's just this stupid car. It needs some work. Anyway, I'm just putting my membership on hold for a couple of months while I take care of it."

I nodded. I had no idea that the gym would let a person put their membership on hold, but it made sense that people would have to do that because it was pretty expensive considering the specialized training they offered.

"That's cool that they'll work with you," I said.

"Oh, they're really cool about it. I have to do it from time to time if something big comes up. You know how that goes." She smiled. "It's not a big deal."

"Well, I hope you make it back soon," I said. "We'll miss you in there."

"Oh, I'll be back, don't worry. I can't stay away long."

We smiled and waved and said our goodbyes and the next thing you know, I was inside wrapping my hands for class. I ended up partnering with Jason Lane. It was something I did on a fairly regular basis. He'd turned out way less despicable than I imagined, actually. He was a good partner and seemed to get the hint that I wasn't interested in jumping into bed with him. He was a total gentleman, which was a nice surprise.

We had a great work out that night. Josh was coaching the class and Jason and I hit a rhythm as partners. It was a lot of fun but it was tainted by my concern for April. I hated that she had to miss out on it and thought about her nearly the entire time. I should have just told her I would take care of her gym membership while she paid for her car. It would have been really easy for me to do that, and I felt sick with my own selfishness.

I should have been having a blast at that even better than normal class, but guilt ate at me. I told everyone goodbye and headed for the door.

"Bye Lexi," Jordan yelled from behind the counter.

"Bye Jordan," I said.

I almost made it out the door, but I just couldn't leave. I walked back inside and came around the counter to stand at the desk where Jordan was sitting.

"I need to ask you something," I said.

She looked up at me with a bright smile. "Sure, what's up?"

I leaned in and spoke in hushed tones so none of the people coming in or out could hear me. "April told me she had to put her membership on hold," I said.

Her brows furrowed with curiosity as she nodded.

"I was thinking maybe I could cover her until she can pay for it herself."

Jordan cocked her head at me with even more curiosity. I forgot that I had to fill out paperwork stating my income when I signed the contract, and neither she nor anyone else at the gym knew about the lottery. She must have been wondering how in the world I planned on covering two memberships on my coffee shop salary.

"I can pay cash if I need to," I said. "I just wanted her to be able to take class if she wanted to."

Jordan shook her head. "You don't need to pay cash," she said. "We can just bill it to your account." She hesitated. "I just didn't expect you to say that when you came up just now. It took me by surprise."

I shrugged. " I know how much I like class, and I think April does too. I hate for her to miss it. I'd want someone to do the same for me."

She smiled. "If you're sure, I'll call her and tell her right now. I'm sure she'll be thrilled."

I put my hand out to stop her. "Oh, don't tell her it was me," I said. "You can call her to tell her it's paid for, but I'd rather her not know it was me who did it. I don't want her to feel like she owes me anything. That might be awkward."

"That's really sweet of you, Lexi," she said. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "I'm sure. Just bill it to my account until she can start paying again."

"She said it should only be a couple of months when she was here earlier."

"It's fine. I'm not worried about it."

Jordan's smile still had that slight tinge of curiosity as if she wondered where my generosity had come from or where I was getting the money or both. It would just have to remain a mystery.

"Thanks!" I said, waving as I left.

I walked out feeling much better.