The Millionaire Myth Read Free Page A

for a second, and I swear I saw drool on her lip.  “There was a huge fight over his will.”
                  I grabbed another Kleenex and blew my nose while Cathy teetered on the edge of her seat, dying to know what happened.  Once she heard the word “will” I had her.  She took a breath to speak but held back.
                  I shook my head and raised my voice, “I can't believe my family.  My grandfather just died , and all anyone could think about was their piece of the pie.  My mother isn't even speaking to me now because she can't believe he left me all his cash.”  Before Cathy could ask me the big question, I rambled on, “And it's not as though she didn't get anything .  Grandpa left her both properties, and all five vintage cars.  All that must be worth a lot, right?”  I looked over at Cathy, searching for an answer.
                  She stared at me, and her shocked expression was hysterical.  I held back my laughter as she responded,  “Um, well yeah.  I guess that depends on your definition of a lot.  Did you get more than what all that is worth?”
                  Gotta hand it to Cathy, the woman had tact.  I hesitated and looked at my untouched coffee.  “Well, I don't know what the houses are worth.  And I know nothing about cars, much less vintage ones.  But still, the building in Manhattan alone must be worth a lot, and the estate in San Francisco...”
                  Cathy's eyes got big, but to her credit, she resisted flat out asking what I got...for about thirty seconds.  “Do you mind me asking how much your grandfather left you?”
                  I looked at her wide-eyed.  “Well, I don't really want to say the exact amount, but after all of the taxes and everything, I'm going to get close to a million dollars.” 
                  I know I said I didn't want to say a million, but I was on a roll and it just came out.  Cathy's face was priceless.  Her mouth dropped open and she stared at me in amazement.  She was about to speak when I heard the front door chime as someone entered the office.
                  I looked at her in terror and whispered,  “Don't tell anyone, okay Cathy?  You promised, remember?” 
                  She nodded and smiled at me.  I could only assume she was trying to decide who to share the big news with first.  My money was on Slick.  I knew she had a little thing for him.  “Don't you worry, I won't tell a soul.”  She stood up and headed for the front of the office.  She turned and said, “You just take it easy today, okay?  Remember that your grandpa loved you.”
                  As she left the room I thought I heard her mumble, “obviously” but I couldn't be certain.  Once I was alone, I stood up, poured myself a fresh cup of coffee and sauntered toward my desk.  I think it was the most I'd ever accomplished in the first fifteen minutes of work. 
                  Let the games begin...
                 

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 5
     
                  Mondays were usually busy, and this one was no exception.  The entire office was buzzing-well, whispering.  I sat behind my desk, returning emails, receiving faxes, answering the phones, and ignoring the blatant stares.  About ten minutes after Cathy and I finished our heart to heart, Slick walked by my desk.  I was looking at a new listing, and pretended not to notice his stare as he passed by.
                  This was harder than I thought it would be.  I was really struggling not to grin.  Determined to play the part to perfection, I kept my face placid.  I knew that ignoring the curious looks played into my story.  I kept my head down as though at any moment the grief might wash over me.
                  Slick must have been keeping tabs on me, because as soon