Page 76 - It Ends with Us

Than k you, Jesus.

I set it to brew and then go in sea rch for a mug when the kitchen
door opens behi nd me. I spin around and I’m rel iev ed to see tha t
Allysa isn’t always a per fec t conc oction of makeu p and jew el ry. Her
ha ir is in a messy topkno t and mascara is smea red down her cheek s.
She point s at the coffeema ker. “I’m gonna need me some of tha t,” she
says. She pulls hers el f up on the island and then slouches for ward.

“Can I ask you a ques tion?” I say.
She barel y ha s the energ y to no d.
I wave my ha nd around the kitchen. “How did thi s ha ppen? How in
the hel l did your ent ire ho use bec ome spotles s bet ween the party last
ni ght and me waking up just now? Did you stay up and clea n?”
She laughs . “We ha ve peo ple for tha t,” she says.
“Peo ple?”

She no ds. “Yep . There are peo ple for ever ythi ng,” she says. “You’d be
surprised . Thi nk of somet hi ng. Any thi ng . We probably ha ve peo ple
for it.”
“Groceri es ?”
“Peo ple, ” she says.
“Chri stmas déc or?”

She no ds. “Peo ple for tha t, too.”
“Wha t about birthd ay gifts? Like for family mem bers ?”
She grins. “Yep . People. Ever yone in my family rec ei ves a gift and a
card for ev er y occasion and I nev er ha ve to lift a fing er.”
I sha ke my hea d. “Wow. How long ha ve you been thi s rich?”
“Three yea rs,” she says. “Marsha ll sold a few apps he dev el oped to
Apple for a lot of money. Ever y six mont hs , he crea tes updates and

sel ls tho se, too.”
The coffee trans itions int o a slow drip, so I grab a mug and fil l it
up. “You want any thi ng in yours?” I ask. “Or do you ha ve peo ple for
tha t?”
She laughs . “Yes . I ha ve you, and I’d like sugar, plea se. ”
I stir some sugar int o her cup and walk it over to her, then pour

mysel f a cup. It grows quiet for a whi le as I mix in crea mer, waiting for
her to say somet hi ng about me and R yle. The conv ers ation is
inev itable.
“Can we just get the awkwardnes s out of the way?” she says.