It was happening.

Mom was already gone, and I was going on a trip.

I couldn't believe she would agree to this, after she had to sign a paper that basically foiled all her plans. This guy saw through her in a glance, and it didn't help that I accidentally spilled the beans either. So here I was, with three packed suitcases, waiting for this complete stranger.

Well, Mom still pocketed a thousand bucks in cash. So I guess she took this as a win. She instructed me to find or fake something juicy so we can make more, but I didn't even know where to start. She disappeared as usual, probably to get her fill, and I didn't care anymore. I decided that I'll have fun too, no matter what. It was my summer vacation after all.

What I didn't expect was the Suit Guy showing up in a hawaiian shirt and shorts, and leading me to an ancient Mustang. Our clothing wasn't that much different this time, although my crop tee was less colourful and my shorts were denim. The car was the two door kind, no back seats, and we could barely squeeze in all our stuff. It had no AC, and was so loud, that once the engine was running we had no chance to talk. I never considered myself a car enthusiast, but man, it was pure awesome!

He was driving for two hours, and I wished we didn't get there so fast. It was a hot afternoon. Had to tie up my tee, but was still sweating bullets. The feeling of eating all those miles, flying over the road to the sound of the huge engine was worth it though!

Then we pulled over next to a villa, and I couldn't believe my eyes.

It was huge! It had it's own pools, yes, plural! Great view of the sea, less than five minutes walk from the beach. Unsuccessfull acting career or not, it was obvious, this guy was packed with money like crazy.

"Go ahead and look around. You can pick any room you like. I'll take your stuff inside!" He offered, but I was running so fast already, I could barely hear the end. The villa had three stories and at least a dozen rooms. I ran out of breath before I was able to check them all. "Once you settled in we can go down the beach. There is a great hot-dog stall every year. Or we can go to a restaurant, if that's what you prefer for dinner!"

If he didn't say, I wouldn't notice I was starving. But since I was still sweaty and disheveled after the drive, I settled with the hot-dog stall. It wasn't even my first time at the sea, but this place was something else. I kind of wished I put my bikinis underneath my clothes, so I could run into the waves before swallowing the food. But I got to enjoy the best hot-dog in my life properly this way! Mom was right, he was the Jackpot.

"I never would have thought that politicians are this rich!" I noted, once I calmed down a little. "Or do B movies pay this well?"

"As much as I hate to admit, this is my parent's villa, not mine. Of course I can come here whenever I want. Like, to impress my daughter-candidates... But being a failed actor or a novice politician doesn't actually make this kind of money." He explained with a laugh. I felt myself blushing. "Not like I'm poor myself, but this place belonged to my family even before I was born. I hope you'll like it as much as I do!"

"Yeah, I guess it's not bad..." I fought hard to suppress a smile. "And what's with the food? And the view? It has everything... Not really fair..."

"It's a popular spot, so I guess it draws in the best food stalls too." He said. "Everything's connected, you see. I can't be blamed for all of it."

"So how did your family get rich?" I asked a few minutes, one more hot-dog, and some ice cream later. We settled in the shades on the sand.

"From what I was told, their parents had a boat company. They were contracted to build those Liberty Ships during the war. Then sold the whole thing and bought some land in Texas." He explained, sitting next to me. I had no idea about half the stuff he said. "The land turned out to be on an oil field, so they started drilling. Then my parents sold it with hundred times the profit. They basically just bought and sold stuff, all kinds. Land, houses, rights, patents... And built this villa and a ranch way out west. They live there now, but still doing business every now and then..."

"And what do you do?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"You mean for a living?" He turned towards me then looked up to the sky. "Honestly, not much... I took over the family business in name after I quit acting. Also invested in some stuff, but nothing large scale. Once you get involved with politics you don't really have time for anything. I do try to squeeze my hobbies into the schedule though..."

"Such as?" I wasn't sure if the topic or his deep voice was the reason I wanted to keep him talking. I caught myself staring at his mouth a lot.

"That car for example." He said. "I bought it as a wreck and rebuilt it from scratch. I love to drive it. And it feels satisfying to bring something old and battered back to life... Something with a history..."

And he went on to talk about cars, engineering, and his other hobbies too. Stuff I never heard about or was never interested in. Yet I wouldn't stop him for anything. Seeing that spark in his eyes, and his thick lips moving... Talking about how he could pour his heart and soul into trivial things... Really wished I had something I could talk about, the same way...