About Nigel

"Hey Abbs. What's up? I guess it's been a week huh? Did Nigel move into the hospice?" you ask.

There's a long pause. "He was going to yesterday but one of the girls found him **** on the ground outside. He must have collapsed while taking a walk on his own. He sometimes liked to be alone..."

"Oh shit. Is he okay?"

"No... by the time he was brought to the hospital it was too late. He's dead."

"Wow. I'm so sorry..."

"Yeah. It sucks... Anyway, I need you to sign some documents to finalize the handover of his estate to you. And it would be nice if you could come over to comfort the girls."

"Of course, I'll be right there."

You hang up and rouse Margot and Olivia from their sleep to give them an update. They offer to tag along to the house, but you decide that it's best to handle this alone. You'll integrate the two groups at some point, but now is not the best time.

You throw on some clothes and walk over to your new mansion. It's kind of crazy thinking about how much you've gained since coming into possession of the magic rings. Abby meets you at the gate and walks you into the house where all the girls Nigel had contracts with are gathered in living room. Most of them are wearing black in mourning and Abby brings you around to introduce you to them. They're all very beautiful women but it might take you a while to remember their names. You count 17 women, including Abby, and she tells you that 2 are away. Both absentees are attending to a family emergencies, one in India, the other in Maine.

There's a lot of weeping and story telling about times with Nigel, and you spend virtually the entire day listening and offering a shoulder to cry on. Luckily, one of the women named Julie used to be a local tv chef, and she cooks up some delicious food and snacks for everyone throughout the day. According to her, Nigel had seen her on tv one afternoon and sent a driver to pick her up with a dinner invitation. While she had refused his advances at first, she finally gave in after 5 more dates and slept with him. The next morning, he had presented her with a contract and she signed immediately.

After dinner, dessert, and drinks, you're feeling awkward about what to do next. It's getting pretty late and you're not sure if you should go back to Olivia's mansion or stay here for the night. If it was the latter, should you sleep in Nigel's room or with one of the grieving women?

As if sensing your thoughts, Abby pulls you aside and away from everyone else.

"Hey John, I think you should stay here tonight," she says.

"Yeah, I was just thinking that too. Should I stay in Nigel's room?"

She thought about it for a second. "That might be awkward for you. I'll have someone clean it up tomorrow and pack up his clothes and stuff. Bianca's an interior decorator, so she can show you some catalogs tomorrow to pick out your own style. In fact, if you want to make any changes around the mansion, that might help the girls move on too. I personally think you should add a tennis court."

You smile at her suggestion. Already she's trying to get what she wants and you decide to make a quick ally out of her. "Done. Make it happen."

Abby kisses you on the cheek. "In the meantime... I would invite you to stay in my room, but I think you need to be accessible to everyone tonight. There's an entertainment room below that has a wall to wall mattress. It's huge. We sometimes would all cuddle there together with Nigel and watch a movie or something else. You can sleep there and I'll let everyone know."

You agree and you two go back to the group where Abby announces that you'll be staying in the entertainment room until Nigel's room is refurbished for you. Everyone says their goodnights and scatters, while Abby takes you down to the room. As she said, it was a huge underground entertainment room that looks like a cinema, except that there are no seats and just one large mattress with so many cushions you can't count. Abby shows you how to work the remotes and demonstrates the clapping lights as well. Nigel had thought it was the most practical light switch since the room was plunged into complete darkness when the door was closed and it would be too tough to fumble around for a light switch. She gives you a kiss goodnight on the lips, then leaves you to yourself. You're curious why she hadn't stayed, but didn't want to make her feel like she had to.

Lying down in the middle of the enormous mattress, you turn on the sports channel and put it on mute and lean back.