Free Priceless by Nicole Richie

breakfast.”
    He smiled at her, a real smile, and for a second, things seemedbrighter. “Maybe tomorrow will be better.”
    But it wasn’t. In fact, it was a hell of a lot worse.

Chapter

ELEVEN

    Emily had the balls to call in the morning. You had to hand it to her, she was fearless.
    “Hey, Charlotte, did you see me on TV? Did you know your phone is going straight to voice mail? Do you have to go to jail to see your dad today, or do you want to have brunch?”
    Charlotte had woken up feeling much better and had decided to tackle things head-on today. Accordingly, she was dressing carefully and was in the middle of creating a low, braided knot at the back of her head when the house phone had rung. After spitting a hairpin out onto the bathroom counter, she spoke firmly to her friend on speaker.
    “Emily, you have some fucking nerve calling me as if appearing on CNN and essentially calling me a spoiled bitch wasn’t a bit, oh, I don’t know, totally uncool and messed up.”
    Emily sounded shocked. “Charlotte! I never said you were a bitch.”
    “You said I was raised by servants.”
    “Which is true. So was I. So was everyone we know.”
    “And you said I went off the rails.”
    “Which is also true. So did I. So did everyone we know. Come on, Charlotte, I came over to give you moral support, and you weren’t there. The CNN guy was super-hot and told me Iwas really photogenic, and I decided to go with it.” She sighed. “My parents weren’t too pleased with me, either, if it’s any consolation.”
    “It isn’t.”
    “I won’t do it again. Promise.”
    “Did you give them those photos?”
    “I might have. Look, just think of all the ones I could have given them.”
    Charlotte looked at herself. She’d gone Ralph Lauren today. Wide slacks, tightish man’s shirt, blazer. Simple makeup, elaborate hair, no jewelry. It would make a nice counterpoint to the seminaked and completely drunken photos Emily could release if she decided to. Well, live by the sword, die by the sword.
    “Emily, I’ll have to call you back once I know what I’m going to be doing today, OK? I have to call Dad’s lawyer.”
    “OK, babe, call me back.”
    Emily disconnected, and Charlotte hit the hang-up button. She immediately hit it again and dialed Bedford, picked up the phone, and carried it downstairs. Enough hiding in the bathroom. Time to face the world.

    GRETA LOOKED AS if she’d been crying, and Davis didn’t look much better. Both of them avoided her eyes when she walked in, and once she was finished talking to Bedford, she called them on it.
    “Hey, guys, what’s going on? You both look mad. I realize this is terrible, but we’ll get through it, OK?”
    Davis looked at Greta, who shook her head almost imperceptibly.
    He grimaced, then spoke. “Miss Charlotte, Greta thinks I shouldn’t ask you this, but I have to.”
    “Don’t.”
    Charlotte raised her hand. “It’s OK, Greta. We can’t have secrets from one another now. Please, say what’s on your mind.”
    Charlotte sat down at the breakfast table, and her two employees slowly joined her. She realized suddenly that they were her employees; with her dad not there, she was in charge of everything. She didn’t even know where her dad kept the checkbook. Or if they even had a checkbook.
    Davis cleared his throat. “Miss Charlotte, both Greta and I invested money with your father, and it appears that it, too, is gone. Neither of us can access our accounts, and when we call the office, we’re just told the fund is under investigation.”
    Charlotte’s stomach turned. How could her father have done this? “Was it a lot of money?”
    Greta hung her head, a tear plopping off the end of her nose. Davis nodded.
    Charlotte got to her feet. “I’ll write you a check right now.” She walked to her dad’s office and then realized it was useless to do so. There was nothing there. She didn’t even know if there was money in their bank account. For a second, she