My New Life Ch. 02 - My Plan

"What's up? You're home from work a bit early aren't you?" He asked.

"Got a confession to make but I want to make it to Betty and you. I have steaks ready to go on the grill and baked potatoes already cooking along with a salad in the fridge. How about calling Betty and having her stop on her way home for supper?" I suggested.

Getting a funny look from him, "What the heck are you up to? It's not illegal is it?"

Laughing, "No, but I haven't been at work at all this week."

"Spill it." He said.

"Only when Betty is here and we've had supper. Ask her to stop at the dinner and pickup a coconut cream pie for desert. I've been working on a secret project all week and it is about to come to fruition." I said.

"Damn! Now you have me intrigued." He said as he picked up the phone and called Betty just before she left work telling her to pick up the pie then come here for dinner.

She wanted to know what the occasion was. He just said, "Something big." and left her hanging when he said goodbye and hung up.

"Let me check the potatoes and I'll help you unload the supplies." I said.

We went outside as I checked the grill and then helped him unload still not answering his questions as he tried to pump me for some sort of hint.

Betty pulled in in about 15 minutes and got out carrying the pie in, "What's this all about?" she asked Lance.

"He's not saying until after supper. I've been trying to pry it out of him for the past half hour." Lance answered.

Damn, I was having trouble keeping a poker face.

I was taking the steaks off the grill along with the baked potatoes and carried them inside as Betty got the salad out and we sat down to eat.

I asked them how their days went and we discussed the upcoming harvest and some stuff that needed done around the farm.

Betty served up the pie and I got some of Dad's Jack Daniels pouring drinks for Lance and I with some coke and some wine for Betty after we finished desert. The look on their faces was priceless.

"Let's go to the living room and have a seat." I said.

They followed with their drinks and took a seat on the sofa.

I took a drink without sitting down and swallowed hard.

"Here's the thing. There is about to be a big change in my life and it will involve you two as well." I said. They looked at each other then turned to me.

Continuing, "I have been busy getting things in place to handle a financial windfall this week."

Betty and Lance just sat there with a blank look on their faces for a moment with me still dead panning before suddenly breaking in to a Cheshire Cat grin.

Lance's eyes started to get big as it hit him.

"Oh! MY! GOD! You had the winning ticket in the lottery in last Saturday's drawing!" He shouted.

When what he said sunk in, Betty screamed and just about passed out as she drew in a breath that she was not prepared to handle fanning herself.

Lance continued, "Well that explains why you got choked at dinner Sunday when I gave you the news and why you asked for the paper. You sneaky shit."

I grinned some more.

"What are you looking at? Are you taking the cash option?" He asked.

"Yes I am." I said.

"H...How...much...is...that....going.....t...to...be?" Betty stammered.

"About $22 million, give or take a half a mil after taxes." I said.

"Oh, shit, Oh shit, Oh shit!" Lance said.

Betty sat there stunned for a bit before asking, "W...What are...you...going....to do with it all."

Before continuing I asked, "This is going to be hard but, I need you two to keep quiet until I get things set up with the lottery office to collect my winnings. Hopefully that will be early next week. The LLC should be in place tomorrow. I paid to expedite it.

Betty, can you take tomorrow off since it will be the hardest for you to concentrate without letting things slip? If the clerk that sold me the ticket gets back from vacation this weekend it may get out anyway."

She nodded and said, "I have been fighting allergies this week, I can call in sick tomorrow morning."

"Been working on things all week. I faked going to work so no one around here would suspect a thing." I said.

"I have set up an LLC to handle most of the pay out with me keeping about $7 mil for myself. Putting the rest into the LLC with plans to do some good in the way of scholarships and helping some of the poor around here while investing most of it for various uses. Then I intend to travel some. Actually quite a bit for the next couple of years." I said.

Continuing, "This is where you two come in if your willing. I would like to hire Betty to help manage the LLC while I'm gone, as well as pay off all of our debts. Both yours and mine. Then if you want, we can remodel or rebuild here so that you two can move here if you want. I plan on also building a new building to house my motor coach when I am home from my wanderings. I also plan on buying some new farm equipment for the farm. I have set things in place for the two of you to be a co-manager Lance and an agent for Betty, of the LLC with some restrictions that I don't think you two will mind." I said.

We spent the next two hours going over what I had laid out in the way of the LLC and all of the plans I had put in place. Then brought out the paperwork for them to read over and sign.

We talked and went over things until almost midnight getting out my notes to show them my thoughts. They took a few minutes to

discuss my proposal among themselves and decided to take me up on my offer as long as the LLC would cover their health insurance and signed all the necessary paperwork so I could get it back tomorrow.

Betty got up and said, "Well, Lance, we should probably get home and try and get some sleep. Though that is going to be hard. I won't have any trouble sounding convincing in the morning when I call in sick."

"God! No kidding." Lance said. "Damn! Brother you sure know how to blow one's mind!"

With that they got up and left driving home.

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Friday - paperwork update to lawyer and setting up the receipt of the funds:

Since I no longer had to worry about putting on appearances of going to work for my brother and his wife I did not set the alarm. I got up about 7:00 am and had a leisurely breakfast, did the dishes got a shower, shaved, dressed Then got busy.

I called the regional lottery office and asked where I had to go to claim my large winnings. They told me they could handle up to Five Hundred Thousand but anything bigger I had to go to the main lottery office in Springfield, but needed to set up an appointment so they could get publicity shots.

I in turn called the main office and told them what I wanted. They insisted that they get a publicity shot but I had found out earlier that they had lost a lawsuit and that I could deny the publicity shot or the release of the individual name but could substitute the LLC that I had set up. If someone wanted to find out who the name or names were on the LLC filing they could without too much trouble but I would not be identified as the winner and just one of the managers of the LLC. This was OK with Lance and Betty. I told them I would call back later in the day after the LLC was in place to set up the appointment hopefully Monday or Tuesday next week.

I had already asked for an unlisted phone number for a land line and would leave my existing number in existence as the phone for the LLC. It would be left on an answering machine I installed on Monday so the calls could be screened by Betty. This had all been done on Monday with the phone company and the second line was to be installed next week with the existing number already listed as the LLC. I already set up a separate email account and deleted my old one letting the entities know that mattered what the new one was. I then set up an email account listed as LoneWolf.Enterprises_LLC@gmail.com to let Betty screen that as well.

I left home around 10:00 am with my paperwork updates for the lawyer and the credit union.

I had about Five grand in mad money saved in my savings account and withdrew a Thousand in eight one hundred dollar bills and $200 in twenty's. I handed them the signature cards for Lance and Betty for the LLC and left. Next stop was the lawyers to drop of a couple of signed documents that I had Lance and Betty sign.

I was getting hungry so I stopped at the local Dairy Queen to get some lunch. I went in to order and there stood Kinsey but her name tag was Maken-z. She finished what she was doing and looked up.

"Oh! My! God! Scott, how are you?" She exclaimed and asked.

"I'm doing quite well, and you?" I replied.

"Better. Kala and I got jobs here for now and that is helping some." She replied. "What can I get you?"

"I'll take the chicken tenders basket and a medium vanilla... no...pineapple shake." I said.

"That will be $9.36." She said.

She turned and got the milk shake for me and handed it to me saying, "I'll bring your chicken basket out when it is up. It's nice to see you again and thanks again for the pizza the other day." smiling big for me.

I sat down and in a little bit, true to her word she brought me my meal.

"So, where do you work?" She asked.

"I work as an engineer for Warhammer Engineering." I said.

"I've heard of them, what do they do?"

"We design systems and devices mostly for DOD and NASA but some commercial stuff as well."

"Wow, that must be cool work."

"It is but we have to deal with government regulations and that part can be a real drag."

"So, if you don't mind telling me, what is the deal with your and Kala's mother?" I asked.

She looked down and seemed a little embarrassed.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want. I am being a bit forward with this I know." I said.

"Naw, it's fine, its...its just a bit difficult. Mom is a drug addict and her boyfriend is a real bastard." She said. "She had stolen eighty dollars from Kala the other day to feed her drug habit."

"That's tough. Sorry to hear about your plight." I said. "What grade are you two in?" I asked.

"Oh, we both graduated this past spring and just turned 18 in late May. We are both expecting to be kicked out of the house soon unless mom wants to keep stealing our money. We are having to pay rent now that we have jobs. That bastard boyfriend keeps trying to hit on Kala and I."

My heart was going out to these girls. 'I could help them out some once things get set up next week.' I though.

"Say, Kala is working in the back cooking, If she gets a break for a minute between orders she would like to come out...Oh here she is now. Well I need to get back to the counter looks like we have some customers coming in."

Kala walked up and said, "Hello, thank you for helping us out the other day. Here is the $40 dollars to pay you back." handing me two twenty dollar bills.

"Sweetie, I don't want your money. I was glad to be able to help. I have heard a bit about your home and financial situation from the waitress at Pizza Hut and your sister just now." I said not reaching out for the money.

"I don't want to be a charity case. Kenz shouldn't have said anything." She said, starting to tear up. She left the $40 on the table saying, "Well I have to get back to work." and left.

'Wow, these girls have seen a hard time.' I thought to myself.

I finished my meal and left but not before catching Kenz's eye and winking receiving a smile in return.

I went out to my truck and got in. I recognized their car from when I saw them leave the parking lot at Pizza Hut before and noticed that the driver window was cracked just a little bit. I knew what I was going to do.

I got out two envelopes from my glove box and wrote Kala on one and Kenz on the other. I put the $40 and a one hundred dollar bill in Kala's and another hundred dollar bill in Kenz's then walked over and slipped them through the window crack letting them fall into the front seat and left.

When I got back home I checked the email I had set up for the LLC and found that there was a notice that "Lone Wolf Enterprises, LLC" had been established at 11:00 this am.

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I called Jim and asked him if he would be available Monday morning to got to the lottery office and accept the check on behalf of the LLC. He said he was available and would be happy to.

I called the state lottery office back and set up an appointment for Monday morning at 10:00 am.

I had already called Jim and set things up with him to go in and accept the check for the company as my financial advisor. So I called him back and told him the appointment was for 10:00 am. I told him I would go with him and treat him to a nice lunch somewhere before we came back and I could deposit it.

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On their joint break at Dairy Queen Kenz said, "God, I can't believe we got lucky and saw Scott again. Wonder why he was not at work?"

"Yeah, he seems really nice and is quite cute. I just don't want to appear as a charity case. I gave him back his $40 that he bought our lunch with earlier in the week." Kala said.

"I don't know if you should have done that." Kenz said. "He seemed to be really happy and intent on doing so."

"Guess we will probably never know." Kala gloomed.

About that time one of the other girls that was working the drive through came up taking her break.

"How do the two of you know Scott Stevens?" Stella asked.

"You know him?" Kenz asked.

"Yeah, he is from White County where I'm from. Super guy. Doesn't seem interested in dating though or just doesn't realize what a catch he is."

"He bought our lunch at Pizza Hut earlier in the week after mom had stolen my money and we didn't have enough to pay. We introduced ourselves to him then." Kala said.

Later when the girls got off work they found the envelopes with the money in them.

"Really, He put the $40 dollars back in and added a hundred dollar bill!" Kala exclaimed.

"Yeah, I got a hundred as well. No note or anything."

"Come on, we need to check on Gram's. Let's see what she has to say about this." Kala said knowing they could confide in their grandmother.

After checking on Gram's and getting her advice, "You two should go and check him out some more. He sounds like someone one of you should get to know. Take my car, it has plenty of gas and scout the next county to find out what you can. You are both pretty girls and could use a break from your mother."

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With the hectic week I had with getting everything in place to accept my lottery winnings, I decided to take the night off and relax. Not feeling like cooking, I ordered a pizza from the Pizza House in town getting my favorite in a large so I would have leftovers for tomorrow along with an order of cheese bread.

In about 20 minutes I headed to town to get my pizza take out. At the Pizza House I ran into a couple of old HS buddies of mine and talked to them for a few minutes while I waited.

Stan asked, "He Scott, have you heard who had the winning lottery ticket?"

"To my knowledge no one has stepped forward to claim it at this point." I said, being truthful. "If they are smart they will get with a financial advisor, lawyer and accountant before they do."

'Damn! He's gonna be ready to kill me when it finally comes out in a couple of days or so.' I thought.

Larry spoke up, "Well, if it is someone local, I hope they don't just take the money and run away but step up and use at least some of it to do some good for the community. This place certainly could use the help."

"Yeah, I said, I hope so too." inwardly smiling to my self knowing what I was planning so far.

My take out order was ready and I went to pay and leave.

Stan said, "Hey Scott, don't be a stranger. We haven't seen you around for a while."

"Yeah," Larry said, "Where have you been keeping yourself?"

"Busy with a major design project that I just finished." I said. "See you guys around."

Taking my stuff and heading to the truck.

I got in and backed out and went to leave the parking lot and noticed an old car that looked pretty rattly across the street at Gas Buddy. 'I'd hate to rely on that car with the shape it's in for any long distance travel. Wonder where their from?' I couldn't make out if it was a man and woman or two girls or what. I had not seen that car around here before but it is a gas station on the main drag through town.

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"Kala! Look! It's Scott's truck." Kenz said. "Think we can follow him and see where he is headed? Maybe he's headed home."

"Yeah, he shouldn't recognize Gram's car. I'll try and hang back just a bit though to be safe."

"This is more fun and excitement than I've had in a long time!" Kenz squealed.

"Yeah, know what you mean."

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I pulled on out and started down the highway and after a few blocks looked in my rear view and noticed the same car coming my way.

I turned off the highway onto the blacktop to head home and the car did so as well. I decided to by pass the house and come back around the next road and take the back drive into the farm lot then to the house where I parked. The car followed me part of the way then turned into Lance's drive and backed out heading back the other way slowly. I speed up and had time to get back into the drive by the house when I saw head lights turn in next to the grain bins.

I got out and went in the house with my supper but grabbed my pistol and strapped it on then dawned my night vision goggles and went out the back door. I snuck around the back of the grain bins and climbed the one in the middle to where I could watch the car.

Through the goggles green tint it looked like two young girls in pigtails and their silhouettes looked somewhat familiar. Almost like Kala and Kenz but this was not the car I had spotted them in before.

I climbed down and snuck around the 1st bin and was able to get in position to get the license plate. I then retreated back to the house and saw the car back out and head back toward town going real slow before I got back in the house. I wrote down the license number so I could try and find out who the car belonged to.

I opened the pizza box and got me a plate out as well as a drink and got out a couple of slices of pizza, a piece of cheese bread and a drink and went into the living room and sat down to eat and watch some TV. I got about a third of the 1st piece ate and the dog started going nuts. I had put her in the garage a bit ago.

I got up and went to the front door and turned on the outside light just as two petite blonds started to knock on my door.

They both jumped not expecting the light to go on just as they got to the door. Before they could knock I opened the door and there stood Kala and Kenz who took one look at me and looked down pursing their lips and rolling their tongues around in their left jaw.

Before either one could say anything, I spoke, "So, do you two get your thrills stalking unsuspecting guys?"

"Oh! You again. H..How did you get here? I..I..mean you had driven on past here and when we turned around, you didn't pass us again." The one on the left said.

"There is a back way into the farm lot on up the road. I decided to go that way since I was being followed."

They both put their hands over their eyes and the one on the left said, "Oh, god. I told you this was a bad idea." to the other one.

"What brings you two girls to my front door this evening?" I asked.

"Um...O..Our car...I..I think it may be out of gas." The one on the left said.

"Yeah, I..It kind of sputtered and died when we started to speed up down the road." The one on the right said.

"Well that's not good. Did you leave your emergency flashers on since it is starting to get dark out?" I asked.