Page 107 of Bling

She found Catarina and Sarah in the kitchen playing a board game with her dad. “Hey girls. Your mom wants to talk to you.”

She put the phone on speaker in the middle of the table and wandered into the living room to wait for them to finish. A few minutes later, Catarina came in with the phone. “She wants to talk to you again,” she said.

Isabelle took the phone, checking the screen for a missed call from Garrett.

“Hey,” she said.

“Thanks for letting me talk to them. I just wanted to say I think your Mr. Oliver is really great. For the first time in a while, I have a glimmer of hope for the future.”

Isabelle wasn’t sure what she meant by that but wasn’t going to question it or burst her sister's bubble.

“He gave me a rundown of what you told him on Monday. I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that, Carmen,” she whispered.

“Hey, don’t feel bed. I’m not completely innocent in all of this. I’m glad I have someone to talk to now, who might get me out of some of this mess I’ve made.”

The robotic voice reminding them that their time was almost up came through the speaker.

“I should get off of here. Thanks for the money, by the way. I didn’t expect you to put that much on my account.”

Isabelle frowned. “I told you I could spare twenty.”

“Then why did you give me a hundred and twenty?”

Isabelle’s mouth dropped open. “I… may have made a mistake on the form?” she said lamely, not wanting her sister to know that Garrett must have done it.

They quickly said goodbye as the thirty second warning sounded. Isabelle glared at her phone as the call disconnected. Garrett’s meddling was going to get old.

As she was fuming, his number flashed across the screen and she stabbed at the green answer button.

“You have got to stop fucking meddling,” she said, in lieu of a hello.

“Pardon me?” he asked, his voice even and calm.

“A hundred dollars? Seriously?”

“Isabelle, I’m going to need a few more words. What has you pissed off?”

“I just got off the phone with my sister and she thanked me for giving her a hundred and twenty dollars. I only put twenty on her account.”

He sighed. “I just wanted to let her know I appreciated her cooperation. What’s so wrong about that?”

“Nothing inherently. I just asked you to not meddle in my family’s affairs and you do it anyway. She likes you though, so I guess there’s that.”

He was quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry, Isabelle. I didn’t think something so innocuous would upset you this way. Believe me, I dislike upsetting you, Doll.”

She dragged a hand through her hair. It really was harmless, and Carmen probably could use the money to buy things at the prison shop to make her life there somewhat more palatable. “Sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t know why I’m like this. Your money makes me uncomfortable though.”

He chuckled. “I can’t do much about the fact that I have money unless you want me to give it all away.”

She giggled. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m sorry I got upset. I’ll try to see things from your perspective more.”

“And I will strive to do the same.”

“How are your meetings going?”

“OK. I feel like we’re close to figuring out what Maddox is up to. Darren too. We still haven’t connected them to each other, but my gut says we will. I just emailed you some of the stuff Jax sent me if you’re interested.”

Isabelle smiled, happy that he was including her. “Can I look at it now while I’m on the phone with you?”

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