Dean

It took forty minutes to get Jerry to go home.

He ranted about his ex-wife and her craziness, and I listened. Finally he left, and I sighed. I needed sleep. Just as I went to go to bed, I heard the sound of screaming coming from downstairs. On instinct, I bolted down the stairs and flung open the door to Kayla's room. She wasn't being murdered, but instead was jumping up and down holding a piece of paper. She smiled at me and just exploded with a gleeful shriek.

"Oh my god," she yelled. "Dean, it's amazing. Everything...I can't even. Twenty-two million!"

"Twenty-two million?"

"It's...the...lotto..." she said.

"Ok..." I said.

"I'm a millionaire!"

"What?"

"I bought a lottery ticket last week. Dean, I won! I won the god damn lottery! I just inherited Twenty-two million dollars! "

"Well, wow," I said. "That's amazing Kayla. Wow, that's so much money."

"I know," she said. "Hey, I can get my PhD."

"PhD?" I said.

"Yes," she said. "Pretty sure I could go to any college I want. I am so excited. "

"Kayla," I said. "Have you called that divorce lawyer yet?"

"What?"

"A divorce lawyer? You're kind of a Buzzkill, Dean. "

"No, I'm pragmatic. You just became a millionaire and you're still married. Darius is legally entitled to half the money, unless you get an awesome lawyer."

"Ok," she said. "You're right. I should hasten the divorce. It's not like we have a chance at reconciliation anyways."

"I'm so excited for you. But honestly, I'm exhausted. I need sleep. "

"Ok," she said, nodding her head.

I closed the door behind me, hearing the sound of her screaming with glee again.

It was all so odd, having this woman I just met in my house screaming over winning the lottery. And yet my mind didn't process how surreal the night was, but rather, I mulled over how cute she was. She won a fortune and just wanted to go back to school. She was, without a doubt, unlike any other woman I'd known. And that wasn't a bad thing.

*

*

*

Sunday afternoon flew by too quickly.

Kayla spent time with the girls, helping with their homework while I cooked and made lunches for the next day. Surprisingly, it felt less hectic with Greta gone. She was usually drunk on wine by now, so I had to referee her behavior with the girls. I smirked to myself as I thought about it. Maybe I didn't need Greta after all, since she wasn't really a role model or useful at all. Sure, Kayla couldn't stay forever, but I could hire someone else when she moved on. But as I watched her laughing with my daughters, something tugged at me. That was what was supposed to happen with children, they were supposed to be cherished. Now they had two grown-ups who gave a damn, and it felt good.

Which is why when the girls went to bed, Kayla made me some tea and we had a chat.

"So," Kayla said. "I set us up for an appointment with the divorce lawyer."

"Us? As in, we're going together."

"Why not?" She replied. "My only family lives out of town, and you're my support system Dean. I need a divorce before Dean learns about my money. You need to cut out Greta before she digs her claws back into you."

"Why do you care about my marriage?"

"I care about those girls," Kayla stated. "And they need stability. Divorce isn't pretty, but it's honest."

"Ok, fine. So, have you claimed your winnings yet?"

"No," she said. "I have twenty-one days to claim the money."

"So you have twenty-one days to get divorced before you lose eleven million dollars."

"Yes, that seems like the scenario. But either way, even if Darius gets some money, it's still good. We both need closure from this mess, and this is what we both need to do."

"Sounds reasonable," I replied. "Kayla, I think the girls love you."

"Well, I am pretty fond of them," She shrugged. "And to repay the hospitality you've shown me, I am going to force Kari to pass Algebra."

"Good luck with that," I laughed. "Kari has never been able to focus in math class."

"Yeah, because she's always had Math with Zane," Kayla laughed. "She has a huge crush and spends the whole period drooling over his hair. It's very bouncy and curly, apparently."

"What? That's ridiculous. She's not into boys. Kari is too young."

"No, she's too young to date, Dean. Crushes are normal. If she didn't have one, then I'd be concerned. I know the principal at her school; Kari will be put into a new algebra class next week when the quarter ends. No big deal and she'll never know."

"You're an evil genius, Kayla Stanton."

"Well, I do what I can," She smiled. "So, tomorrow we have a date with the divorce lawyers?"

"Absolutely," I said. "I'm going to be divorced."

My voice sounded less than enthused.

"Don't sound so down. Seriously, Dean, you're great. When you're ready to date again, just pick a woman and she'll beg you to be with her. I promise."

"Really?" I said. "So you'd date a thirty year old banker with three kids and a psychotic ex-wife?"

"If he had your charm, absolutely. This is good Dean. We both deserve fresh starts."

"If you say so," I replied. But all I could do was worry. Kari would understand, but what was I going to say to Marisa and Candice?