Crazy Thing (The Brighton Family #5)

Chapter 14

14

ZIGGY

E ven though I promised that I would handle it, I’m not exactly sure where to find locals who would take Darius Brighton’s corner in court.

My first instinct is to go to his brothers, but I don’t think a judge would look past the nepotistic bias there. Maybe the other Brighton siblings could at least point me in the right direction, though.

Surely there’s someone in this town Darius hasn’t already screwed over. Surely I can find just two or three individuals in all of Starlight Falls that he’s helped at least once in the past thirty years.

I offer a dollar bill and a smile to the timid-looking homeless man stationed outside of Jittery Joe’s. Then I enter the coffee shop, moving quickly through the line. I approach the counter to purchase Darius’s bagel. Even though I know he’d feel far better if he’d just eat a healthier option, like my seaweed cookies or a kale breakfast wrap.

But since I’ll have to pick my battles carefully with Darius, I decide that this isn’t one of them.So I order two bagels with extra cream cheese on the side.

Once I pay and collect my order, I turn around and nearly run head on into a familiar group of ladies.

“Aunt Rainbow!” I exclaim, leaning in to give my mother’s sister a tight hug.

“Hello, moonbeam,” she replies, kissing me on the cheek. “I didn’t realize you were in town.”

“Yeah, what are you doing back?” one of my aunt’s nosy friends butts in, stepping in between us like she has every right to be included in this conversation.

My stomach gives an uncomfortable twinge. “I, well, actually, I now work for Darius Brighton. As his assistant,” I admit awkwardly.

Disapproving glances are shared among Aunt Rainbow’s friend group.

I cringe. It’s not like I’d be able to hide my new employment situation in a town of this size. ButI’d been hoping to at least get to tell my aunt about my new job privately first.

With this group of eclectic ladies standing here, I spot an opportunity, though. I decide to boldly seize the moment. “Speaking of which, Darius is hiring a lawyer to help save the waterfall. He wants to buy it so Edison can’t. He’s going to need some witnesses to testify on his behalf.”

When I say that, you’d think I just told these women that their favorite grandkid was fleeing the country, going abroad and volunteering to give naked foot massages to an evil dictator.

The ladies all start talking at once.

“He’s going to screw us over!”

“Darius Brighton is the devil!”

“Men like him are only after profits and more property!”

“Don’t you know you’re working for the enemy?”

They’re gasping out loud. Shaking their heads. Wagging their fingers at me .

It’s safe to say the lot of them are disappointed in my choices. Story of my life…

I’ll admit that I feel unsure of myself. I’m normally so good at standing my ground. But what if these opinionated women are right? What if this plan of mine backfires in the worst way?How would I be able to live with myself if I help Darius screw over the town?

In the midst of my inner debate, Aunt Rainbow speaks up. “Now, stop it,” she scolds her friends, her frown deepening. “You all need to stop being so darn judgmental. Ziggy is only trying to help. Isn’t that what we asked her to do? Why did we drag her into this if we aren’t going to trust her wisdom?”

Wisdom? I don’t feel all that wise right now. I feel like I’m winging it. Right now, I feel like I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.

Even still, a sense of relief begins to trickle in as the women gradually soften to the idea. That’s one of the many things I love about Aunt Rainbow—she always defends the people she cares about. I’m fortunate to call myself one of those people.

“In fact, I’m going to testify on Darius’s behalf,” my aunt boldly announces to the group. “You don’t have to like it, but this might be our best shot at saving the waterfall. If the man needs witnesses, I’m going to be the first in line.”

My heart pulses hopefully at my aunt's declaration. My eyes shift to her friends.

“Well, when you put it like that.”

“Fine, I’ll do it.”

“Yeah, me too.”

One by one, each of the women follow Aunt Rainbow’s lead, agreeing to stand before a judge on Darius’s behalf. I’m freaking overjoyed .

In fact, some of the women seem to have done a complete one-eighty. “Y’know, I’ve always found that man’s grumpy attitude to be so sexy. If I testify, do you think he’d give me a little something in return?” one of the women asks, making me shudder.

Another lady elbows her. “Leave that man alone. You’re far too old, Alice. Even to be a cougar…”

I don’t hear the rest of the conversation, because Aunt Rainbow pulls me aside, away from the ears of her friends. “What’s really going on here, Ziggy?” she asks, keeping her voice low. “I thought we were all in with that other lawyer. What happened?”

I sigh, tempted to only give her a whole lot of half-truths. But this is my aunt I’m talking to. After my siblings, she’s the most important person in my life. I can’t lie to her.

“I, well…okay. Things aren’t going so well at the shop, and I was going to have my lease cancelled. But then, Darius randomly stepped in and paid my rent,” I break down and tell her. “Part of the reason I’m working for him is to pay off my debt.”

My aunt’s eyes go wide with indignation. “Elizabeth Fiona Beaumont, why didn’t you come to me?”

I cringe when she calls me by my full name. “Please don’t call me that.”

Aunt Rainbow shakes her head. “Sorry, sorry. But, you were about to get evicted from the shop? Why didn’t you come to me?”

I cringe again over the hurt in my aunt’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t feel right asking you to do even more than you’ve already done for me and Daphne. It’s too much.”

“You know that I always want to be there for you. Both of you girls. You’re the daughters I never had.”

My eyes get a little misty .

I have a ‘difficult’ relationship with my parents. I love my mom and dad, but our values couldn’t be more different.

In my early childhood, my family lived a modest life, with a modest house and a modest car. But then Dad got big-time lucky in the stock market and that’s when everything changed.

My parents are now walking billboards for the ‘new rich’ lifestyle. Head-to-toe designer brands. A fleet of overpriced luxury vehicles. A pretentious, oversized glass house.

Ugh—that house. I couldn’t stand being in that house. It was like living inside a Petri dish. The minute I was old enough, I was out of there. And no matter how tough life gets, I’m never going back.

My parents’ new lifestyle just doesn’t resonate with me. And they grew to bitterly resent me because of my ‘rebellion’.

Thankfully, Aunt Rainbow has always been in my corner, mentoring me, guiding me, loving me unconditionally. And in return, I love her just the same.

“I know that you support me, and it means so much to me, Aunt Rainbow. But with this, I just couldn’t take the chance of losing the rest of your retirement savings.” I suck in a breath. “Plus, I’m genuinely not sure if I can really trust Darius. So, I thought that if I work for him, this arrangement could be the way to catch two butterflies with a single net.”

Aunt Rainbow has always said that it’s unnecessarily cruel to kill birds with stones. Not even imaginary birds with imaginary stones. So that’s why I’d rather catch hypothetical butterflies with my hypothetical net instead.

“And maybe Darius isn’t such a bad guy,” I say, sounding naive to my own ears. “Maybe it’ll all work out.”

But Aunt Rainbow doesn’t look convinced.“I hope so, dear. I hope so.”

I say goodbye to the group of ladies and I walk back to Darius’s office with the bagels in hand. I’m deep in thought, trying to convince myself that I know what the hell I’m doing.

Maybe if I keep telling myself I can handle this, the lie might actually become true.