Kurt’s eyes softened. “I get it, man. I really do. But do yourself a favor and get past this. You can’t keep this up. You haven’t shaved, your hair looks like you stuck your finger in a light socket, and you’ve put on probably a good twenty pounds. Dude, this isn’t at all like you.”

“Who cares?”

“I do,” Kurt stated.

“Well, I don’t.”

“Oh, I know. You’ve made that perfectly clear. But maybe you should since I’ve been the one picking up all your slack. I’ve been making excuses for you to your clients for the past few weeks, and I’m tired of it. I’ve already killed off all four of your grandparents as well as your stepmother and stepfather.”

Adam lifted his head and quirked a brow. “All four of my grandparents have been dead for years, and I don’t have stepparents. My mom and dad are still married, you nimrod. You know that.”

“Yeah, but your clients don’t. Unfortunately, I’ve run out of dead or fictional family members of yours to kill. The next funeral is going to belong to either your mom or your dad. Who do you want me to kill off first?”

Adam stared at his best friend in disbelief before a small chuckle slipped past his lips. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

Kurt smiled. “Yeah, but I got you to laugh, didn’t I? It’s nice to know that there are signs of life still in you. Especially since business has been more lucrative than ever. If you were here more often, you’d know that. In fact, why are you here? It can’t be to actually work. You haven’t done that in a while. You’ve been pretty much useless since Preslee walked out on you last month.”

“Gee, thanks for the reminder,” Adam said sarcastically. “As if I wasn’t depressed enough already.”

“Sorry,” Kurt said, wincing. He leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. “So why are you here anyway? To spread more joy and cheer?”

Adam picked up a large white envelope and passed it to his friend. “No, I came by to give you this.”

“What is it?” Kurt asked, looking at it warily. “More paperwork for me to fill out?”

“Actually, I’ve already filled the forms out. It only requires your signature at the bottom.”

Confusion warped Kurt’s expression as he slid out the paperwork. Then his eyes widened. “What the hell? Is this what I think it is?”

“Yeah. You’ve put as much work into this place as I have. So I thought I’d make this official. Therefore, I’m signing half of the business over to you and making you co-owner of the Body Shop.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“No, you deserve it.”