Chapter 100 \o/
"I'm thrilled for you," Alan said, ironically.
"Anyway, Judith called," Alan added. "A pipe broke," he continued, "soaked her living room carpet... and she's completely freaking out."
"All true, Mother told me," I confirmed.
"Yeah, well, that's the difference," Charlie chimed in, smirking. "Between wife and ex-wife."
"With an ex-wife, you don't even have to pretend to care," Charlie finished with a chuckle.
"Hey, that's my mom," I protested.
"I told her she could stay here until the repairs are done," Alan said.
"Hey, what is the problem with you, Dad?" I said, looking at him incredulously.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up. Back up," Charlie interrupted, waving his hands.
"When you told her, did you have, like, a sarcastic chuckle in your voice?" Charlie asked Alan.
"It's just for a couple of days..." Alan tried to defend himself.
---
At lunch:
"Judith, sit down. I've got it covered," Alan said.
"No. I can pitch in," Judith replied politely.
"Where do you keep the salad tongs?" she asked. "Wait, I got them," she added when she found them in the drawer.
"Better use the wooden ones," Charlie chimed in.
"What's wrong with these?" Judith asked, holding up a plastic pair.
"I use those whenever I drop my watch in the toilet," Charlie replied.
"This is a regular occurrence?" Judith asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You'd think I'd learn," Charlie said with a shrug.
"And you keep them in the kitchen?" Judith asked, astonished.
"I used to hang them in the bathroom," Charlie said. "But it freaked some chicks out."
"He's just kidding with you," Alan said hurriedly. "Use the wooden ones."
Just then, Evelyn appeared in the kitchen.
"Hello, boys," she greeted cheerfully, and then, noticing Judith, added, "And Judith."
"Oh great..." Charlie muttered under his breath.
"So Jake, what do you want to talk about?" Evelyn asked, turning to me with a smile.
"You called her?" Charlie asked incredulously.
I ignored Uncle Charlie and addressed everyone. "I called Grandma because I decided to buy a new house, so Mom and I can live in it."
"What?" everyone said in surprise.
"I have more than enough money, and I think we could have a better place to live," I explained.
"Oh Jake, you don't need to," Judith said warmly.
"That's what I want, Mom. And I can live in a place closer to school and here," I added.
"Where do you want, sweetheart?" Grandma asked gently.
"I was thinking Santa Monica," I replied.
"I have some incredible ones there. We can see some today," Grandma said enthusiastically.
I started listing excitedly, "A pool, a room that can be transformed into a music studio, a mini cinema—since I'm making movies, having a place to watch them at home would be great—maybe twelve garage spaces, a place where I can throw parties, many bedrooms..."
I paused, counting on my fingers. "Help me, Mom," I said.
Judith was just sitting there, completely astonished.
"And a sea view," I added with a grin.
"I have two or three of that kind," Grandma said, smiling proudly.
---
At the third house, all five of us were looking around the property.
"This is it," I said, feeling the excitement. "This is by far the best one."
"And the owner went bankrupt," Evelyn added. "It'll be easy to close the deal."
"It already has a music studio and a mini cinema," I pointed out enthusiastically.
"It belonged to a former celebrity," Evelyn explained. "Seems he spent everything on women and booze."
"Why are you looking at me, Mom?" Charlie asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Are you sure, Jake?" Judith asked, her voice concerned. "This seems very expensive."
"Yes, Mom, I'm sure," I replied.
To be fair, Grandma, Uncle Charlie, and I are living kinda frugally for how much we have now...
After that, Grandma went ahead and took care of all the paperwork. It only took a few days to close everything.
Mom was so happy that not a single argument happened during the few days she stayed with us. Dad seemed a little conflicted about everything but, in the end, he said nothing.
The price of the house was $15.5 million. Not really much considering how much I have. Grandma even said it was a bargain.
---
A few days later, I was sitting on the deck of Uncle Charlie's house, enjoying the breeze. Mom had already moved into the new house—there were still a few minor repairs needed, but it was more than ready to live in.
As I sipped my drink, the doorbell rang.
Before I could get up, I saw Dad walking toward the door to answer it.
When he opened the door, Carly, Sam, and Freddie spotted me sitting on the deck and immediately started walking over with big smiles on their faces.
"Hey, Jake!" Carly called out, waving.
"Sup, dude," Freddie added.
"Yo, genius boy," Sam teased
I laughed and stood up to greet them. We exchanged quick hugs and fist bumps all around.
"So, where's Laura?" Sam asked, looking around.
"What? I'm not enough?" I replied, pretending to be offended, a playful smirk tugging at my lips.
They looked at me weirdly.
"Yeah, it works better on her..." I murmured.
Then I straightened up and said, "I actually want to talk with you three."
They gave me raised eyebrows in response.
I motioned for them to sit down. Once everyone was seated close together, I pulled out three envelopes and handed one to each of them.
"What is this?" Sam asked, eyeing the envelope suspiciously.
"Your salary from Paranormal Activity," I said casually.
"You already paid us," Carly said, smiling.
"Yeah, I even already spent the money. Had a big stomachache after..." Sam added with a sheepish grin.
"That was only pocket money," I said with a small grin.
"It was not..." Sam replied quickly. "Believe me, I tried to put it in my pocket."
I just rolled my eyes and said, "Just open the envelope."
Carly and Sam were still opening theirs when Freddie gave a small scream, dropping the check.
"Hey, don't let the check fall! I don't want to have to sign it again," I said quickly
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