How could he not use that money? I’d gotten it for him. To make sure he could have whatever life he wanted.
I slid off the counter as he cracked some eggs into a very old looking pan. “You don’t think you earned that money for all the shit my dad put you through?”
He didn’t respond.
“My dad clearly doesn’t miss it. He hasn’t come after either of us.”
“I don’t need it,” Miller said.
“What about your online classes?”
“I finished the fall semester. And I’ll pick the classes back up again when I save up some money.”
“But you have the money just sitting there…”
“I’ll save up soon enough. Probably by next fall. The following spring at the latest.”
I didn’t expect to come here and have my first fight with him. But this was ridiculous. The money was for him. I’d gotten it for him.“Saving up what money? You can’t get a job. You need like legal forms for that and stuff.”
“I’m getting paid under the table at a local restaurant.”
“You’re a waiter?” We were on opposite sides of the country doing exactly the same thing. Except he was the one with a fat bank account. He didn’t have to rely on crappy tips and pinching pennies.
“No.” He pulled out the monkey bread right before the timer went off. And then he plated the eggs and handed me one of the plates. “I’m a line cook.”
I was about to laugh. Miller was not a great cook. And yet…the eggs on my plate were perfectly scrambled. They weren’t even a little burnt. I looked back up at Miller. “You’re a cook?”
“Don’t act so surprised. I had a pretty good teacher.”
I opened my mouth and then closed it again. I wasn’t pissed anymore. I was…kind of impressed. Had he been practicing cooking this whole time? I scooped some monkey bread out of the pan and sat down on a stool at the kitchen island. The eggs were delicious. The bread too. “You can cook now.”
He laughed. “I had to learn how to do it on my own eventually. Someone left me to my own devices.”
I lightly shoved his shoulder. “Are you kidding me? I left you with millions of dollars!”
He blinked. “What?”
“Did you not even look at the account?”
“No. Did you just say there were millions of dollars in the account? Millions with an s?”
I laughed. “Yeah.”
“Huh. How about that.” He started to eat.
“That’s all you have to say? Huh? Are you going to use it now?”
“Nah. I have everything I need.”
What?“But…”
“I have everything I need, Brooklyn.” He grabbed my hand on the counter. “Really. Everything I need is right here.”
Me.I was everything he needed.
“Now eat before I start thinking you hate my cooking.”
I laughed and took a bite of monkey bread. It was so much better than last Christmas. I watched him as he took a bite of eggs. Last Christmas had been amazing. But this Christmas? Hands down, it was my favorite yet.
