Gypped by Carol Higgins Clark Page A

could you please let me know in advance?”
    “You’ll be the first to know. And I can’t wait to dance at your wedding.”
    “Oh, please. So why did you want to see me today?” Zeldaasked wearily. All she wanted to do was escape the world and sleep.
    “Well, I was going over your accounts. You’ve been so generous to charities and your students.”
    “I believe in giving back.”
    “Which is honorable. But we have to look to your future. You’ve said you want to be conservative, but there is no growth in keeping too much of your money in cash or treasuries. If your money doesn’t grow, then your account just goes down, down, down all the time. It might seem like you have a lot of money, but you’re still young. It won’t last forever if you don’t. . . .”
    Zelda’s eyes drooped while Rich blathered on about the economy. She didn’t understand most of what he was saying.
    “I think it would be wise for you to invest in new companies. They carry a greater degree of risk, but if successful would yield a great return. Who ever thought that a company like Google would make so many people rich? People who invested in Google early on must be patting themselves on the back. I just got word of a company that is bringing out a brand new vitamin. It is going to take over the market because it’s a vitamin aimed at everyone, not a vitamin just for kids, or women, or men. And it’s the only vitamin anyone will ever need. The scientist who developed this miracle pill said the human body needs certain nutrients no matter the age or gender. This is going to blow all the other brands out of the water. If you’re interested you’ve got to get in on it today.”
    “You think I should invest in vitamins?” Zelda asked when he finally stopped talking. She could barely keep her eyes open.
    “I’d be lying if I said no. Zelda, I want you to build your wealth, not deplete it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
    Zelda signed a piece of paper she didn’t read. Her glasseswere in the drawer and she was too tired to get them out. All she wanted to do was sleep. While Rich stuck the paper in his briefcase, she started to drift off. I should stay awake until he leaves, she told herself.
    But when she opened her eyes he was gone.

17

    W hile Bobby Jo was in the bathroom getting ready to go down to the breakfast buffet, Roger waited in the living room of their suite. The manager of the hotel had upgraded them on their return from the drive-through chapel.
    “What happy news!” he’d said as Bobby Jo announced to the front desk she’d be checking out of her room and into her husband’s. “If you’re giving up one of your rooms, then I really think you should be in one of our bridal suites, don’t you?”
    “ Yippee ,” Bobby Jo had exulted.
    My head is killing me, Roger thought, the sight of an empty bottle of champagne in an ice bucket on the coffee table making him queasy. The last two days we’ve done so much drinking. I don’t think I’ll ever want another sip of the bubbly. He was also starting to feel a little funny inside, and it wasn’t just the hangover. Three months of nonstop Bobby Jo, then the quickie wedding. He felt like everything was a blur. This morning he missed his first wife more than ever.
    “Honey, I’ll be just another minute or two,” Bobby Jo called.
    “Take your time,” he answered quickly, feeling ashamed. Bobby Jo’s a good woman. Her husband died years ago and she’s still got a smile on her face. It’s not fair for me to be thinkingabout Zelda’s mother. Nothing is going to bring her back. I’ve got to live in the present, although maybe I should have taken this more slowly. And I know leaving Zelda out wasn’t right. The two of us went through a lot together. I would hate it if she called me and said she’d gotten married. Heck, I want to be the proud father and walk her up the aisle.
    Roger unfolded the newspaper and thumbed through it. His eyes focused on an article