Paid Girlfriend

A Death and A Life

After our shower, Zoe stepped outside to call her mom. I go into my office as I get in there my phone rings.

"Matthews," I answer

"Rafe, is it true?" Mum asked on the other end

"Is what true mum?" I ask, pouring me a glass of bourbon

"You back with Zoe," she asked

I smile "yes mum"

"Why, I thought you two were over,"

"I thought you liked Zoe," I say, sitting up straighter

"She broke up with you,"

"Actually, I'm the one that ended it," I tell her. "But I just couldn't get over her mum." I tell her it wasn't a lie

"All she's going to do is break your heart," Mum says. "She's a gold digger."

"Ok, mum, I have to go. I'll talk to you later,"

I hung up. There was just no pleasing that woman. I head into the living room. As I get in there, Zoe is coming in from outside. Tears stream down her prefect face, and I know our perfect night is over.

"What's wrong?" I ask

"Daddy had a heart attack," she says

"I'll call Maxwell to take you to the hospital,"

She shakes her head. "He's gone, Rafe. He didn't make it." she screams out

I go to step towards her "Zoe"

"No, please don't," she says. "I need to go home." she looks down. "And stop pretending,"

"Zoe, I"

"Please, Rafe," she says

I nod. "I'll have Maxwell drop you off at home," I tell her

"Thank you," she says. I watch as she climbs the stears to get her belongings. Then, make the call to Maxwell. It was quite in the house after she was gone. I found myself getting into my car to go in to work.

"Morning, Mr Matthews," Rosie says as I come through the door

"Rosie, do I have any appointments today?" I ask

"No sir, you're free," she says

"Call Heath and have him meet me around noon to talk about the new supplies coming out in May," I tell her

"Yes, sir."

I step into my office a stack of papers where already palled up on top of my old oak desk. I round it and sit in the huge chair behind it. Grabbing the paper off the top, I knew I was going to be here awhile. What does the CEO of the largest food industry do, sign papers and make piches for upcoming products to get into sales? There were a lot of other things like feeding the homeless and making sure our products got into everyone's home. We opened our doors to everyone, not just the rich and famous but those who actually needed it. Here at The Heart Locker, we care about our customers.

At noon, I meet with Heath, a man of business. We talk about new packaging to ship our products in so that they stay fresh longer. It was an idea that he had pitched at a meeting. I thought it was a great idea. The longer the food lasts, the better right. Afterward, my mind wonders towards Zoe. I had been thinking of her all day. I hope she's alright. I didn't want to interfere with family affairs, so I kept my distance.

Three months after the passing of Mr. Stone I had not heard word from Zoe. I showed up at the funeral standing in the back from a distance. I saw Mrs Stone and Zoe huddled together as they cried over the lost of Frederick Stone. Beloved husband and father. I didn't let Zoe see me there leaving out before they went to burry him.