Risky Investment Part 21

Chris felt all of the air leave her lungs. "What?"

"Well, you know* you two are friends, she paid your tuition* it just kind of looks like*"

Chris cut her friend off in midsentence. "Looks like what, Debbie?" She felt her voice rising in anger, or was it in embarra.s.sment? "What? Payment for services?"

Debbie signaled for Chris to lower her voice. "No* but maybe trying to coax you to* you know, show your grat.i.tude?"

Chris looked at Debbie while she pondered the question herself. Then, folding the letter, she shook her head in disbelief. She quickly turned and jogged back down the hall, and, ignoring Debbie's voice, ran out to the parking lot.

Chris climbed in her car and slammed the door shut. Then she just sat there. The questions entered her mind so quickly that she couldn't even concentrate. Why would Lynn lie to her? Why would she portray herself as she had, a struggling waitress? It was almost as if Lynn had been an actress playing a part. And how did Matt really figure into all of this? She tried to make sense of it all. Then she remembered something Sam said, something that had nagged at the back of her mind, "seducing women is land of a game for Lynn." Could it be true? Had this been a game for Lynn? Had it taken too long, leading Lynn to play her last card* money? Chris knew that there was only one person who would tell her the truth. She started her car and headed back down the highway.

Chris drove like a wild woman to Matt's garage. She jogged into the building, where Matt smiled at her from behind the counter as he helped a customer. She tapped her fingers impatiently on the counter. The customer tore out the check in payment for repairs, thanked Matt, and hurried out the door.

"What's wrong with you?" Matt asked.

"This is what's wrong with me," Chris answered as she slid the letter across the counter for his perusal.

Matt picked up the letter, quickly scanning it, then ran his fingers through his hair and placed the paper back on the counter.

"Well?" Chris remarked.

"She's going to be really angry about this," Matt replied.

"So, you knew about this? You knew about her?" Chris backed away, running her fingers through her hair this time.

"Look, she doesn't like anyone to know," Matt said, trying to explain.

"She doesn't like anyone to know what, Matt?" Chris was irritated.

"That she has money and*"

Chris interrupted, "That she's working in some dive as a waitress?"

Matt smiled. "Don't let her hear you say that. She owns that dive."

Chris couldn't believe it. You could have knocked her over with a feather. "So, everything about her has been a lie?" Chris asked, feeling betrayed.

Matt shook his head. "Nothing has been a lie. She never said that she wasn't rich. She never said that she didn't own the restaurant, which by the way, her employees don't know. She never told you anything that was untrue."

"So, why did she do it?" Chris asked. "Why did she pay for my tuition, Matt?"

Matt shrugged. "I don't know, just trying to do something nice, I guess."

"Something nice? Are you sure? Or was she trying to buy me?"

"Buy you? What do you mean?" Matt answered, cleaning the oil off his hands with a towel.

"You know, her little game wasn't working. I wasn't responding to her s.e.xual overtures, so*"

Matt's face turned red with anger. "Don't even go there! I can't believe that you would even think Lynn would do something like that!"

"How would I know?" Chris said sarcastically. "I don't even know the real Lynn Gregory!" She picked up the letter, folded it, and left the building.

Matt jogged to catch up with her. "Chris, this doesn't change anything! She's still the same person," Matt tried to explain.

Chris opened her car door, not muttering a word.

"You see? This is why she doesn't tell anyone. People treat her differently when they find out who she is." Matt acted disgusted and turned to walk away.

"I wouldn't have thought any different of her if I had known!" Chris called after him.

Matt turned around. "Are you sure about that? You saw her as your equal before. Now how do you see her?"

Chris paused. Matt shook his head, flipped the rag in his hand motioning her to leave, turned, and walked away. Chris sped out of the parking lot. Matt watched her drive away and thought, This confusion about her s.e.xuality is going to drive her crazy.

Lynn towel-dried her hair and ran gel through it. Humming to the music that was blaring, she b.u.t.toned her s.h.i.+rt, and tucked it into her favorite jeans. Looking in the mirror, she checked her hair and unb.u.t.toned one b.u.t.ton to reveal just a bit of cleavage. She wanted to look her best, maybe even a little s.e.xy for Chris. Looking at her watch, she felt the excitement growing inside as she hoped Chris would be home soon. She had been disappointed that Chris hadn't been there when she had gotten off of work. Knowing that Chris didn't have cla.s.s on Fridays, Lynn wondered where Chris had gone.

Chris sped down the freeway, thoughts racing in her mind. Why didn't she tell me who she really was? After all the discussions that they had, Chris thought they didn't have any secrets from each other. She was so confused. People don't just give money away. Especially investment a.n.a.lysts, knowing that there was no tax benefit. And if it was supposed to be anonymous, why send it on letterhead? She screeched to a stop in front of the house and stormed to the door.

Chris walked in, confusion and betrayal filling her head.

"Hi there!" Lynn smiled as she turned down the volume of the music.

Chris began pacing back and forth in front of Lynn.

"Hey, calm down, what's wrong?" Lynn said, placing her hand on the woman's shoulder.

Chris pushed Lynn's hand off of her arm and shoved the letter in front of Lynn's face. Lynn took the letter and sat down on the couch. She scanned the piece of paper, placed it on the table, and turned to Chris, who was still pacing.

"I don't know what to say. You weren't ever supposed to see this," Lynn explained.

"I wasn't supposed to see it? You mean I wasn't ever supposed to know it was you?" Chris said, irritation filling her voice. "If I wasn't supposed to know, why send the money on a company check, with letterhead?"

"Those weren't my instructions," Lynn said calmly.

"Are you sure? Are you sure that maybe you didn't do it on purpose, knowing that I would find out?"

"Why would I do that?" Lynn asked, still trying to remain the calmer of the two.

"You know, just part of your little game you play with your women. Maybe you thought a little money would make it easier for me to sleep with you?" Chris shouted.

Lynn felt like a knife had just entered her heart. How could Chris even think such a thing? Standing, Lynn lashed back.

"Look, if this was just a game, I would've taken you already! I could've had you any night this week if I had wanted!"

"Taken me? Did you really use those words, aetaken me'? Why didn't you just use the word aef.u.c.k,' Lynn? You could've f.u.c.ked me already?" Chris was pacing now, words spurting out of her mouth. "That's all I am to you, isn't it? Just another person to add to your list. I didn't even have a choice in the matter, did I? The mighty Lynn Gregory set her sights on seducing me. And I was falling straight into your litde trap. But I wasn't responding quickly enough, was that what it was? So you threw a little money my way." Suddenly she stopped. "G.o.d, I just figured it out. I bet you lied to me about Susan, too! I bet that you're the one that screwed around on her! That's why Susan used that term, isn't it? That's why she asked if you were f.u.c.king me now!"

Chris watched as the tears that had been forming in Lynn's eyes stopped, as if being withdrawn back into their tear ducts. She saw the hurt in Lynn's brown eyes turn into a cold, hard blackness. She felt fear as Lynn breathed out as if to release all of the compa.s.sion inside and breathe back ice to fill her veins. Chris knew she had gone too far. Whatever Lynn did was not deserving of her last statement.

Lynn felt the sting of Chris's words. Anger rose within her, overtaking her entire body. She felt the roller coaster sliding off the tracks and cras.h.i.+ng into darkness. Lynn just stood there, frozen, unable to speak.

Chris, getting no response from Lynn, quickly walked to the bedroom and slammed the door. She again paced across the floor. She needed a response. She needed it now. She opened the bedroom door and started down the hall when she heard Lynn on the phone.

"Yes, Peter Hadley, please* Lynn Gregory." Lynn was speaking quietly. "Peter, Lynn. I just had a visit from Chris Newman* the tuition I paid out* yes. Peter, how did those funds get sent on a company check accompanied by instructions on letterhead?" Lynn paused and lit a cigarette, listening for a moment before raising her voice, "Always a cas.h.i.+er's check, Peter, always a cas.h.i.+er's check, and my G.o.d, Peter, letterhead?" She paused again, Listening, and continued, "If she's s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up my account, she's got to be s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up other clients' accounts. Fire her, Peter. I mean it, fire her a.s.s, before we lose a really big account over it."

Listening again, she replied, "I'm really happy to know that you can still see that I can be a coldhearted b.i.t.c.h. See what this business does to me?"

Lynn ran her fingers through her hair, then covered her face and started again calmly. "Look, what's done is done. Before I forget, that check for Miguel's hospital bills just wasn't enough. Send another five thousand, would you? And Peter*no company check!" Lynn slammed down the phone and turned to find Chris standing there.

"I thought that Matt didn't like you to smoke in the house," Chris remarked.

"It's my house, I'll do what I want," Lynn said, the ice crystals forming on every syllable. Then, seeing the look on Chris's face, she clarified her statement. "Yes, this is my house. I own it, and the cafe."

It had never occurred to Chris that Lynn might own the house. "And Matt?" she inquired.

"He needed a place to stay. I liked the company, so he moved in," Lynn explained coldly.

Chris nodded in bewilderment. She was having a hard time processing all these new revelations.

Lynn looked Chris straight in the eye. "Look, I'm sorry that you could even consider that this was a game for me, or that I would try and buy you like that." Lynn broke eye contact and lowered her gaze to the ground. "I'm sorry if you ever felt pressured to*" She paused for a second, and continued, "I'm sorry if I've made unwelcome advances. I thought something was happening between us."

Chris crossed her arms against her chest. "I'm not a lesbian, Lynn!" she stated loudly.

Lynn felt the blade turn in her heart. "I really apologize. Your little charade is almost over. I'll just stay out of your way until you leave." With that, Lynn took her keys from the table and walked out, closing the door, and their relations.h.i.+p, softly behind her.

Chris changed into her running gear and began jogging through the soft sand toward the harder surface. She started out slowly, letting the cool breeze blow through her hair, watching the people taking advantage of the longer days. She saw the families, with their blankets stretched out, their children building castles from the sand. She watched as young men played a game of football. She stared as she pa.s.sed a couple of women, arms interlocked. She quickened her pace, and before long she was at a full run. She ran at foil speed until she doubled over with pain in her side. Her knees collapsing into the sand, she felt the tears running down her face. It didn't matter how fast she had run, she could not run away from her feelings for Lynn. She sat down on the gritty surface and covered her face with her hands. What had she done? Did she really mean those things that had spouted from her own mouth? She had pushed Lynn away so hard. Now she was gone.

Chris sat in the sand, watching the sun as it shone a brilliant red, then began disappearing into the sea. She felt like the setting of the sun closely correlated with the last week. She had seen the brilliant red*then saw it disappear before her eyes. Standing, she began jogging back, not really caring that it was probably past the time they were supposed to meet Matt's parents.

Lynn wandered into Matt's shop and leaned against the hood of the car that he was repairing. Matt looked up to find eyes hill of pain.

"Hey, are you all right?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"It's over between me and Chris."

"I tried to warn you. You didn't answer the phone."

"I guess I didn't hear it. So she came here first?"

Matt nodded. "I tried to explain. She just wouldn't listen."

Lynn shrugged. "Yeah, she wouldn't listen to me either."

"What did you say to her?" Matt asked.

"It doesn't matter. She had a right to be angry. I should have told her," Lynn mumbled as she stared off into s.p.a.ce.

"Just let her cool off, then you two can talk it out."

Lynn shook her head. "No, too many things were said. It's time for me to bow out."

"Bow out? You mean you're giving up?" Matt asked in disbelief.

Lynn nodded, then turned to Matt. "I'm through messing with her life, Matt. She's frustrated, I'm frustrated. I can't deal with it anymore."

"Wow. Stupid me, I thought you were actually in love with her." Matt acted disgusted as he cleaned off his hands.

Lynn felt the tears well up in her eyes. "I do love her. That's why I have to walk away."

"Lynn." Matt took Lynn's face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "She's in love with you, too, she's just fighting it."

Lynn backed away from her friend. "No more fighting, no more hurting, no more* love."

Reaching the edge of the building, Lynn stopped and ran her fingers through her hair. "I won't be around for a while, but if you need me, you know where you can find me."

Chris slowed her pace to a walk as she approached the house. Matt was dressed for the evening and was leaning against the railing watching her approach.

"She's gone," Chris said, not raising her eyes as she climbed the stairs.

"I know. Isn't that what you wanted?" Matt asked softly, still staring into the fading light.

"I don't know what I wanted," Chris replied.

Matt nodded, took a swig from his bottle, and looked back toward the water.

"Is that all you're going to say?" Chris asked, wanting some kind of rea.s.surance that everything would be okay.

Matt turned around, leaned back onto the railing, and shrugged. "What would you like me to say? " Matt paused, shook his head, and slid open the door, stopping only to say, "I called to tell my parents that we were running late. They're expecting us at seven."

Matt turned over the ignition as Chris slid into the car next to him. She reached over and pulled the door shut and remembered fondly how Lynn had always opened the door for her. She had tried to push the day's events back in her mind during her shower. Unfortunately, just having this one memory made her eyes fill with tears.

"Oh G.o.d, Chris, please tell me that you're not going to be like this all night!" Matt groaned.

Chris sighed. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. I'm sure the concert will take my mind off of it."

Matt laughed. "You do remember that we're going to a cla.s.sical music concert, right?"

"Yeah. I like cla.s.sical music. I just hope it's mostly upbeat." Chris paused, then began again, "Matt* about Lynn*"

Matt cut her off sharply. "Chris, I don't want to hear one more word about it, not tonight, maybe ever. Okay?"

Chris nodded and dried her eyes.

Although Chris found it unbelievably difficult, she was able to make small talk all through dinner. At least the dinner conversation kept her mind occupied; the concert did not. During the first hour, no matter how hard she tried, Chris could not keep her mind from wandering. She relived the past two weeks, then the events of that day. By intermission, Chris was sitting on the edge of her seat. As the lights were turned up, she immediately excused herself to use the bathroom.

Chris rushed to the pay phone, tore open the phone directory, and searched frantically for the number for the bar. Locating it, she dialed* one ring* two rings* three rings* come on, come on.

Someone answered, "Rainbow Room," the voice yelled over the music in the background.