Page 51 of Ugly Duckling
“Hello?” I answered.
I really should’ve checked the caller ID, because my ex-husband’s voice was really grating as he said, “I’ve been trying to call you for a week, and you haven’t answered.”
I sighed and tucked my Caboodle underneath my arm before waving at the funeral director who’d shown me back in the first place. “Can I move to the next one?”
The funeral director nodded, but didn’t get out of her seat.
I chose to think that I had permission to move to the next room—they were each set up in opposite viewing rooms across the building from each other—and did just that as I said, “I don’t want to talk to you. You should’ve taken the hint.”
“It’s important,” he grumbled. “I have something to ask you.”
I found a seat near the sound desk and tugged it over to the coffin.
This client wasn’t an old woman, though.
This client was young, maybe twenty-three or twenty-four.
She’d died in a car accident, and the family wanted her in a full set of nails befitting her usual style. They’d even sent me her Instagram where I’d taken inspiration for the set of nails I planned on doing for her.
“What is it?” I grumbled. “I’m working and I’m a little busy right now.”
Someone whispered in the background, and Jackson cursed under his breath. “I wanted to ask you if it would be possible for me to get some of the sperm back that I let you have with the divorce.”
I burst out laughing. “Absolutely fucking not.”
There was a long pause and then Jackson said, “I knew you were going to be unreasonable about this.”
“Unreasonable?” I asked carefully. “You think I’m unreasonable? You wouldn’t even think about me getting the car I’ve been driving because, as you put it, you’re the one that was having to make all the payments on it. Because I was ‘living off your back’ and couldn’t ‘afford to pay for it. And you didn’t want your credit ruined.’”
“So?” he sneered.
“So, I’ve been very nice. I let you have the cars. I let you have the house. I let you have everything, and you so helpfully allowed me to have your sperm,” I said. “So no, I won’t share it with you. In fact, as of last week, I stopped paying the monthly stipend to keep it on ice. It is set to be destroyed. Tomorrow, actually. So unless you can get an emergency injunction, you’ll never have it.”
There were some raised voices on the line after that, but I hung up before he could really get going.
I went ahead and turned my phone on silent and got back to work, really going above and beyond for my young client.
I was so involved with what I was doing that I had no clue anyone was even in the room with me until a deep, low voice said, “Sutton?”
I looked up to find a familiar looking club president standing behind me.
My heart sank. “Please tell me this young girl isn’t related to you in any way.”
“She’s not.” He smiled softly. “She’s actually an employee’s little sister. I offered to pay for her service.”
I slumped. “Oh, that’s good.”
He gestured toward the girl’s fingers. “Whatcha doing?”
I explained what I was doing, and he looked quite shocked. “Do you work on live people still?”
“Not usually, no,” I admitted. “The dead ones really keep me busy, and they’re easier to work with because they don’t expect you to hold conversations with them.”
“I can see that.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “So you moved in with Gunner?”
“I did,” I confirmed as I sat back in my chair to admire my work. “Why?”
“Just wondering.” He moved to inspect my work as well. “This is nice.”
