Page 31 of Crazy Thing

My eyes get a little misty.

I have a ‘difficult’ relationship with my parents. I love my mom and dad, but our values couldn’t be more different.

In my early childhood, my family lived a modest life, with a modest house and a modest car. But then Dad got big-time lucky in the stock market and that’s when everything changed.

My parents are now walking billboards for the ‘new rich’ lifestyle. Head-to-toe designer brands. A fleet of overpriced luxury vehicles. A pretentious, oversized glass house.

Ugh—that house. I couldn’t stand being in that house. It was like living inside a Petri dish. The minute I was old enough, I was out of there. And no matter how tough life gets, I’m never going back.

My parents’ new lifestyle just doesn’t resonate with me. And they grew to bitterly resent me because of my ‘rebellion’.

Thankfully, Aunt Rainbow has always been in my corner, mentoring me, guiding me, loving me unconditionally. And in return, I love her just the same.

“I know that you support me, and it means so much to me, Aunt Rainbow. But with this, I just couldn’t take the chance of losing the rest of your retirement savings.” I suck in a breath. “Plus, I’m genuinely not sure if I canreallytrust Darius. So, I thought that if I work for him, this arrangement could be the way to catch two butterflies with a single net.”

Aunt Rainbow has always said that it’s unnecessarily cruel to kill birds with stones. Not even imaginary birds with imaginary stones. So that’s why I’d rather catch hypothetical butterflies with my hypothetical net instead.

“And maybe Darius isn’t such a bad guy,” I say, sounding naive to my own ears. “Maybe it’ll all work out.”

But Aunt Rainbow doesn’t look convinced.“I hope so, dear. I hope so.”

I say goodbye to the group of ladies and I walk back to Darius’s office with the bagels in hand. I’m deep in thought, trying to convince myself that I know what the hell I’m doing.

Maybe if I keep telling myself I can handle this, the lie might actually become true.

15

DARIUS

Ziggy came through. Of course she did. I’m starting to feel like a fool to have ever doubted her.

In my defense, I’ve had a terrible history with hiring assistants here in Starlight Falls. But it seems that my luck has changed. Just days after Ziggy started working for me, we’re sitting in a courtroom, listening to all the witnesses she coordinated as they rake Edison’s character over the coals.

She’s been seated right here next to me throughout the hearing as my lawyer argues the case for an injunction to the county judge. Listening to him, I’m impressed. Frank may look like a harmless, old man, but only a fool would underestimate this guy. He has a whole lot of bite left to him.

Rainbow and a handful of her friends all testify. Then, my lawyer opts to have my sister and each of my brothers testify, too.

Most of the witnesses are asked the same questions, centered around the public’s interest in the waterfall, and why it shouldn’t be sold to the greedy dickhead who’s seatedon the opposite side of the courtroom, snarling at everyone from under his vintage pornstar mustache.

“Can you describe your interactions with the defendant?”

“Have you ever witnessed Mr. Sinclair acting unethically?”

That’s easy enough. No one likes that man.

It’s pure entertainment as we listen to stories about how Edison once ran over one of the witnesses with his shopping cart at the grocery store. About how he flipped off Rainbow—with both hands—in a road rage incident a few months back. About how he conned the city committee board into selling a playground last year, so he could bulldoze it and start building an apartment complex that nobody wants to live in. About rumors of him embezzling money from his own dad’s business.About how he cheated on his former fiancée.

It’s clear to anyone with eyes or ears that Edison is an unethical asshole.

But Edison’s lawyer is putting up a fight that’s starting to worry me.

“Are you personally aware of the defendant’s plans for the property in question?”

“Were you present during any discussions about the sale of the property?”

“So basically, you’re just repeating local gossip on the witness stand?”

“Do I need to remind you of the definition of ‘perjury’?”

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