24. Gage #3
“Your mom’s story and mine have parallels,” I say.
“Mom was in an unhealthy relationship for years until her loser of a boyfriend walked out on her for good, leaving her with a mountain of common-law debt. She had no choice but to move back with her parents with her two daughters. Dad always claimed he fell for Mom before she got involved with her asshole ex, but since he was much older and her father’s best friend, he stayed away.
When she returned home, he didn’t miss out on his second chance.
He played his cards right. He offered Mom a job at his construction company.
Working together allowed them to get close.
Soon, Mom was dating the boss. A year later, he proposed.
I was born eighteen months after their wedding. ”
“What a story,” she says. “You have two half-sisters? ”
I nod. “And an adopted sister. She’s also older.
My half-sisters head a couple of my European offices.
Lana is forty-four. She used to work for a leading TV network.
She’s posted in London, and oversees the London, Paris, Milan, and Madrid offices.
Marika is forty-two. She’s a former content director for MTV in LA and New York.
She now oversees the Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Berlin offices.
She lives in Copenhagen. My adopted sister Sara is thirty-eight.
She’s whip smart, which is why she’s a doctor.
She’s an anesthesiologist, who recently got promoted as a chief physician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center here in LA.
All three are married. Lana and Marika have kids. Sara is trying.”
“From the sound of it, you get along with your sisters,” Lily says.
“I do. I love them. Mom always joked that when I was a baby, I was their baby, not hers. They never allowed my tiny body to touch the floor. They would carry me around like a doll. They spoiled me rotten.”
Lily laughs.
“I understand your half-brothers would resent your arrival,” I say. “Eight years later, you’re all adults. It’s surely time to bury the hatchet.”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m not holding my breath.”
Which begs the question, why are you trying so hard?
“Did your mom also pass away from an illness?” Lily says, changing the subject.
I rub the back of my neck.
I knew the question was coming. It’s a natural progression. It still doesn’t prevent the familiar pang of guilt that hits me whenever I think of Mom.
“No, she didn’t.” I keep my answer brief.
Lily’s expression suggests she’s waiting for me to elaborate.
The topic of my mom’s death is off the table.
She shifts on the blanket.
Her cheeks are flushed. No doubt she’s embarrassed by my stoic reaction.
“I’m sure your mom is looking down at you from Heaven and she’s proud of the man you’ve become.”
“Right back at you,” I say. “I’m sure your mom is beaming with pride at the woman you’ve become.”
She moves her eyes to a spot over my shoulder. “Thank you for saying that.”
“I’m not bullshitting you.” I take hold of her chin, forcing her attention to me. “You’re an incredible woman. Don’t let the way Fisher and your half-brothers treat you dictate your self-worth. Don’t give them that kind of power.”
She shrugs. “It’s hard to do.”
“The more you do it, the easier it will become.”
I lean forward and drop a soft kiss on her lips.
The gesture surprises me. I don’t date anymore, so I’m never in a position to demonstrate PDA. Even when I dated, that was never my MO.
“You, mister, are a real Jekyll and Hyde,” Lily says.
I humor her. “In what sense?”
“One minute, you’re demanding as fuck. The next, you’re so tender.”
“Keeping you on your toes.” I wink.
She shakes her head. “Tell me about StreamTunes? I could do a search, but it’s more fun hearing it from the mastermind.”
“Those who can’t sing or play instruments, DJ. I took it one step further by launching a successful streaming service. The end.”
Lily laughs.
Her lightheartedness is contagious.
“Talk about giving someone the Cliffs notes to your life story,” she says, still laughing. “It took me forever to give you snippets of my life, and you summarized your existence in three clipped sentences. Sheesh. Way to go to make me feel like I suffer from verbal diarrhea.”
“Is that your way of saying you want more?”
“I do.”
“Sheesh.” I borrow her word. “Tough crowd.” I chuckle. “I wanted to be a rock star. That was instant bad ass factor and guaranteed chick magnet. Cliché, I know.”
She giggles. “I doubt getting girls was ever a problem.”
“I had my awkward years.”
“That’s a blatant lie. You?” She waves a finger up and down my body. “No way. I’m sure you were born with swagger.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, but the swagger came much later.”
“Do tell.” She wiggles her ass on the blanket, getting in a more comfortable position.
“Unlike pretty boy Beckett?—”
“Is that his nickname?”
“That’s what we call him,” I say. “You have to admit, it suits him to a T.”
“Not that I want to badmouth him, because I like Beckett, but you’re right. It’s the perfect nickname.”
“There you go.” I wink. “Pretty boy Beckett is a natural born singer. I can’t carry a tune to save my life.
After many hours of practice and too much money thrown out the window in the form of lessons, I had to come to the conclusion, I wasn’t much of a musician either.
So, I decided to focus my energy on my hobbies, creating music playlists and tinkering with computer codes?—”
“Creating music playlists? We share something in common.”
“We do.”
“Sorry, you were saying. ”
“During my senior year, I became obsessed with this new girl who transferred to our school. I overheard the blonde complain that her boyfriend spent too much time gaming. I wasn’t much better, but her boyfriend didn’t know it bothered her.
I did. I also overheard her lament to her friends about inequalities in the gaming world .
There should be cool computer games for girls who didn’t want to play bang ’em and shoot ’em down or sports games .
This girl was totally out of my league––pretty, rich, and unattainable.
She even had a rich girl name––Blair Elizabeth Marie Collins.
None of that stopped me from trying to catch her attention.
I went home determined to win her over. For hours after I was done with my homework, I would tinker around with codes until I created a game I thought girls would love. ”
“What did you end up with?”
“RodeoDoll.”
“What’s that?”
“Mom’s favorite movie was Pretty Woman . She must’ve watched that movie a thousand times. She always said every girl dreams of meeting a man who tells her she can shop to her heart’s content on his dime. So that’s what I did.”
“You sent Blair on a shopping spree on Rodeo Drive?”
“I created a virtual experience.”
“Oh.”
“Hours of hard work paid off. I was so proud of myself when I created an online game that would answer her prayers. RodeoDoll allowed you to create your own doll avatar based on a photo you uploaded on the app or you could create a fantasy version of yourself, go virtual shopping in the most luxurious shopping areas around the world, dress up, decorate your deluxe virtual suite located in one of the best ZIP codes, and socialize with other like-minded fellow players. Basically, with RodeoDoll you could live large without the sticker shock. ”
“That’s so cool.”
I shrug. “I thought so.”
Lily frowns. “Blair didn’t like RodeoDoll?”
“I didn’t have what it takes to get the girl.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve always been tall, but awkward—my long legs were always in the way.
I also had a bad experience with an overzealous coach who constantly pushed me so hard, I’d end up puking my guts out at football practice.
That only made me the target of ridicule.
My teammates didn’t spare me. So, sports and I were distant cousins.
On top of that, my social skills weren’t sophisticated—some might say they still aren’t.
All that to say, the prissy princess lifted her nose at my game, and chose the mayor’s son instead, who happened to be a star quarterback.
To make matters worse, Blair didn’t turn me down in private.
She did it in the middle of the cafeteria during lunch. ”
“That’s cruel.”
“Yeah, my ego was crushed. I was certain I wouldn’t survive, and if I did, I knew I wouldn’t recover. I had nothing to offer compared to a rich, star quarterback.”
“But you did. Her boyfriend ignored her. You listened and you created a video game for her.” Lily shakes her head. “Blair was severely misguided.”
“True, but revenge is so sweet.”
“How so?”
“Blair turned her nose up at a game that came to be loved by hundreds of millions of users.”
“Note to self, don’t piss off Gage.”
“Damn right.”
“Details. I want details.”
I’m happy to oblige. “Out of spite, I kept perfecting the codes. Eventually, I made the game public. I had invested so much time and sweat equity in it. Why not allow others to enjoy it? Given Blair’s reaction, I didn’t expect much.
To my surprise, it became a hit, real fast. My half-sisters who were working in showbusiness at the time, connected me with the right people who helped me with trademarks and other legalese.
I ended up forming a corporation at the tender age of eighteen, with my sisters and my mom as board members. ”
“So gifted at such a young age.”
“I had the skills, but I owe the women in my life for believing in me. They were convinced I had something big on my hands. I decided to ride the wave. Lo and behold, a few years later, Mattel approached me, wanting to buy me out. We’re talking about a life-changing offer.
I took the money and moved on. I was twenty years old, and I was rich.
My sisters and Mom benefitted handsomely as well.
With my pockets lined with money, I set my sight on a new challenge. ”
“Your streaming music service?”
“No. DJing.”
“Why DJing?”