I Won $1 Billion and Ditched the Deadbeats novel · Chapter 20 of 24

Chapter 20: Shelby Leaves

Shelby Rose Boutique went dark on a Wednesday, a month and a half after the day I read her the lease.

I knew because the lawyer called me from the sidewalk on Brown Street.

"She is moving out," she said. "She has asked for you."

"Why?"

"She says she has an offer."

I went with Lana, who had the afternoon off and a bruise still fading on her cheekbone.

The shop was half empty.

Racks stood tipped on their sides, and a mannequin lay in the window with its wig knocked sideways.

A hand-lettered sign taped to the glass said, "CLOSING. EVERYTHING MUST GO."

Three women stood inside holding hangers.

They looked at me.

Shelby stood behind the register in a cream blazer that had a stain on the cuff.

She had lost weight in the face, and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail with no shine.

She was boxing a pair of silver candlesticks.

"Tanner," she said, without turning. "Thank you for coming."

"You asked."

"I did."

She set the candlesticks down.

"I'm out by Friday," she said. "I couldn't make thirty-four hundred a month."

← Chapter 19 · All chapters · Chapter 21 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend