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considered looking for someone to be my wife, but I figured...why?”
    Jesse chuckled. “The money could be one reason.”
    Derek looked away from Jesse’s eyes. “Money isn’t a good enough reason. The money will go to this town, and frankly I’m alright with that.”
    “You do realize that if the money went to you, you wouldn’t have to worry about winning the next election. You could retire and travel the world. You’ll be given all that up. Are you prepared for that?”
    Derek didn’t even have to consider it. He nodded. “No one can be too sure of what the future holds. I could go out next week and meet the woman of my dreams, and we could marry on our own terms. Maybe we would meet the deadline and maybe we wouldn’t, but the point is it would be for all the right reasons.
    “Are you open to that?” Jesse asked.
    Derek nodded. “Of course. I’m not saying that if the right woman walked into my life, I would turn away from it. I’m not a hermit for heaven’s sake.“ He laughed. “I just don’t know why you’re so vested in it. You act like you have a stake in the money.” He picked up the will and looked over it. “Did I miss the fine print?” He laughed as he looked up.
    Jesse snatched the papers from Derek’s hand. “No, but I want you to be happy. Besides, I did meet someone that I think would be perfect for you.” He grinned and Derek covered his face and shook his head.
    “You are unbelievable. So, who is this wonderful woman I should meet?”
    “My girlfriend’s best friend,” Jesse replied proudly. “She’s gorgeous…almost right up there with Ana.” He winked at Derek. “You should meet her.”
    “I appreciate the gesture, but really…I’ve made up my mind.” Derek laughed as he stood to his feet. “Want a drink before I send you off to interfere with someone else’s life.” He smiled to show that he was sort of kidding.
    “I’ll take a scotch,” Jesse quietly replied. Derek went to the bar and poured two glasses of Scotch, then walked it back over to Jesse.
    “I might not be interested in getting to know her best friend, but I would like to meet this mysterious girlfriend I’ve only recently heard about. So, her name’s Ana?”
    Jesse nodded. “I believe she could be the one.”
    Derek took a drink from his glass, before replying. “Wow, that’s saying a lot coming from you.”
    Jesse eagerly nodded. “I know, but there’s something different about her. Maybe that’s another reason why I want you to consider meeting someone and getting married. Ana’s changed my heart, and the perfect girl could change yours.”
    Derek rolled his eyes, as he took a slow drink and thought about Jesse’s words. Jesse didn’t understand why he believed the way he did, but he couldn’t force things to happen just so he could walk away with his father’s fortune. It didn’t work that way and eventually Jesse would have to understand.
     
    ***
     
    Charity stood at the microwave, staring absentmindedly into her steaming hot soup. When the microwave dinged, she opened the door and pulled out the bowl. “A gourmet meal fit for a Queen,” she replied with a chuckle, taking a seat at her kitchen table. She took a bite from the bowl, then took a drink of water, before reaching for her first piece of mail.
    She opened it up to find her credit card bill…late again. She stared at the past due amount and dropped the bill on the kitchen table. She reached for another envelope and opened it up to find a late notice for her doctor’s bill. She had only gone for a physical, but they seemed to charge enough to pay for three surgeries, at least that’s how it seemed. Again, she flung the bill to the kitchen table. She groaned at the bills still left on the table. She didn’t need to open them to know what they were about.
    She took another bite of her soup and thought about how she never expected her life to get this bad. She took a drink of her ice cold water and sighed as it went