know Rick and his love of Florida Man and other ridiculous headlines. In my new life, I would join him in seeking out the absurd, and I would remember my weird night with my brother’s friend. Had I met the new me before Mat’s wedding, I might’ve tried to take things too far.
He was handsome, single, and fun.
I was single, and I wanted to be fun. It wasn’t up to me to decide if I fell into the attractive category, but I hoped for somewhat interesting bordering on pretty.
“Or out of you. From where I stand, it looks like your common sense took a lethal blow.”
“I disagree. Just because I’m doing something for me doesn’t mean I lack common sense. It just means I’m not living my life to someone else’s terms or standards. I did too much for Mat. He’s married, he can handle his own matters moving forward.”
“But do you have to move to do it?”
“Yes. We’re talking about Mat here. He’d show up at my apartment until he got what he wanted, which would be, in this case, making his wife happy. Probably. Frankly, I question his taste in women, but she either played him really well or she’s a totally different person around him. Right now, I’m in a bad mood about it, so I’m assuming she’s played him and is pissed off she’s not getting out of that relationship without a divorce hearing.”
“While I’m not really fond of the woman, their relationship seems genuine enough.”
“Except she went out of her way to sabotage the damned wedding,” I muttered.
“You don’t have any proof of that.”
I stared at Ben. “Really? Every provider had an issue for the entire wedding. I had to essentially toss together a wedding on the fly. The only thing that wasn’t screwed was the church, and I bet that’s only because I dealt with the arrangements for the church on Mat’s behalf rather than hers.”
“While that is suspicious, you don’t have any proof.”
“One thing going wrong is life. Everything going wrong is intentional. Everything went wrong, Ben. Everything. If it had only been one thing, maybe. But not everything. Anyway, she’s not my problem, and I’m not going to stick around under my brother’s thumb when he’s pissed at me for making sure he had a wedding. Maybe that makes me a bit of a bitch, but I’m done being the workhorse.”
“What about your parents?”
“What about them? They like when I’m independent and self-reliant. I’m being independent and self-reliant. I’ll visit them at the appropriate intervals.”
“I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I do, but thank you for your concern. This time, I’m doing something just for me, and well, people are just going to have to deal with it. If Mat wanted me dancing to his tune, he wouldn’t have taken me and my hard work for granted—and he wouldn’t have taken that tone with me. Not after how hard I worked making sure his wedding worked out for the best.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what he said to you that pissed you off so much, but I’m sorry.”
“He dismissed me. That’s all.”
Ben grimaced. “Okay. I can see how you’d get upset over that. But moving and getting a new car?”
“If I’m going to have a midlife crisis, I will have one in style, Ben. Now, let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”
It took until midnight to empty my apartment out and finish cleaning. I thanked everyone with dinner, focusing on everything I needed to do before Thursday morning. I’d be leaving town with a few new outfits courtesy of Ben and Wolfgang, along with a new hairstyle.
I barely recognized myself in the mirror.
Wednesday night, I slept at a hotel in town. Thursday, I packed my new car with the basic necessities and hauled ass to New York in the wee hours of the morning. My new residence, an extended stay place I would spend too much on until I found an apartment, was a hop, skip, and a jump away from where I’d interview, which made it worth the staggering weekly rate.
Either way, I’d have to find a new apartment—or drive a hefty distance to a cheaper area to find somewhere to live in until I secured work. I would make my new situation work out, and if I had anything to say about it, I wouldn’t be unemployed for long.
Thirty minutes before my interview time, I walked to the building, checking out the block before showing up a