Page 14 of Crazy Thing

I’ve been feeling guilty ever since I got back from Honey Hill a few days ago. I’ve been overthinking how I handled things back at her shop. I probably came on too strong. And I definitely said all the wrong things.

But in my defense, there’s just something about Ziggy that makes me lose my cool.She makes me lose my mind.She always has.

And I’ve never liked feeling that way.

I’ve made my fortune by keeping a very tight rein on my emotions. A man doesn’t become a billionaire without focus, without discipline, without self-control.

The app that shot me to billionaire status wasn’t a sexy one. It was a boring but practical piece of accounting software that I developed during my sophomore year in college. While my classmates were out partying night after night after night, I was working. Always working.

And when my app got acquired by a tech giant from the Valley, I woke up to a cool hundred million dollars in my bank account overnight. I’ve spent the past few years investing and reinvesting my money, cultivating it into the billion-dollar fortune that it is today.

All that to say, I’ve always had the ability to shut everything and everybody out. Despite stress or pain or fear or even boredom.

For me, excitement has never been a requirement for crushing my goals. I’ve always prided myself on having the laser-sharp focus to block all distractions. Whenever necessary,I can ‘grind it out’ to complete the task at hand. It’s a skill that made me the man I am today.

But within days of Ziggy Beaumont strutting back into the picture, my ability to concentrate has gone to hell in a hand basket.

I hiss at the sudden pain in my foot. I’ve been experiencing this weird tingling feeling in my right foot since lunchtime. It’s the cherry on top of my shit-tastic day.

My curse is spreading! I’m fucking sure of it.

I’ve been trying to stay off the internet forums but I’m fairly certain that whatever this curse-driven diagnosis is, it’s going to be fatal. And the experts on Reddit agree. I’m officially dying.

As a last ditch effort, I found a new doctor in a neighboring town that I’ll have to see on the sly now. Felix and Mason just aren’t taking me seriously anymore at the Brighton Family Medical Clinic. How sad is that? I’m going to die from unknown causes even though my own brother and brother-in-law are goddamn doctors. And I can’t even let either of them find out about my new medical provider because it feels like I’m having a sordid affair.

Fun-freaking-times.

I should just pack up and move back to the city to get the quality medical attention I need. I didn’t used to spend this much of my time here in Starlight Falls. Just over a year ago, I used to split my time between New York and San Francisco.

But now that I’m dying from an untreatable curse, I’ve been in Starlight Falls more frequently. It might seem ironic that I’d want to stick around the strange small town that’s put a hex on me, but this curse has really shifted things into perspective for me. These days, I’m just feeling the urge to be close to home, close to the people who matter.

“Darius? Darius, are you still there?” my lawyer’s tired, crackled voice sounds through my phone. Finally.

“Yes, Frank. Still here,” I answer, heading for my desk.

“Great. I presume you’re calling about the property acquisition of the retail lot out in Tribeca?”

“I’ve got the property acquisition covered,” I tell him impatiently. “I need to know what I can do about the waterfall here in Starlight Falls. Legally that is. I sent over a draft of my initial thoughts on that. Have you had a chance to review them?” I drop down into my chair, silently wiggling the toes on my right foot.Yup. It totally doesn’t feel right.

“I have,” my lawyer says. “Your first step will be to get an injunction to pause the sale of the property to this Edison fellow.”

“Great. Get on that,” I instruct him.

“I’ll start the paperwork tonight,” he assures me.

That’s what I like about this guy. He works hard, around the clock. And there’s rarely anything I can throw at him that he can’t handle.

He continues, “Though it would help move the needle in your direction if you have some locals to testify on your behalf,” Frank suggests.

I grunt. Of course it would. Except I know that 99.99 percent of Starlight Falls residents don’t trust me. And the other 0.01 percent share my last name.

The locals hate me. Having them speak to a judge on my behalf would probably backfire in the worst way.

Frank and I trade a few more words, and then I hang up. I yank my tie away from my throat and roll my sleeves back to my elbows. I rub my gritty eyes and stare up at the water stains on the ceiling.

Sitting in my lonely office, the silence echoes so damn loudly around me. Now that one of my many problemsseems to be somewhat under control, my mind drifts back to Ziggy.

Shit. I’mstillthinking about that frustrating, free-spirited woman. Even after she chased me out of her shop with a broom.

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