Chương 4
She looked at him.
“Can you not do this right now?”
He gave a short laugh.
“I’m asking a question.”
“The code is annoying.”
“You told me Daryl was giving us a separate code.”
My father looked toward the floor.
I watched him carefully.
“You knew?”
He did not answer.
“Dad.”
He exhaled.
“Your sister mentioned wanting easier access.”
“Did she tell you she asked the locksmith to change the master code?”
My mother’s head snapped up.
Jenna’s face went pale.
“I did not.”
“The locksmith called me because the account is in my name.”
“I asked about options.”
“You asked him whether removing my access would affect the garage keypad.”
“That is not what happened.”
Mark put both hands on his hips.
“What exactly are you doing here, Jen?”
She looked at him sharply.
“Don’t start.”
“I’m not starting anything.”
“You’re taking his side.”
“I’m trying to figure out why there was a locksmith.”
Jenna looked around the room as though searching for someone dependable.
She found my mother.
“Mom?”
My mother rubbed her forehead.
“I thought it was just a code.”
I stared at her.
“You knew too.”
“It didn’t sound serious.”
“You knew she wanted to change access to a house I own.”
“She said you were always losing track of the codes.”
“I use one code.”
My mother’s lips tightened.
“Well, that’s not how she explained it.”
There it was.
Not conspiracy.
Not exactly.
Something more familiar and, in a way, worse.
They had each accepted the version most convenient to them.
Jenna wanted control.
My parents wanted a free summer.
Mark wanted to believe his wife’s family was giving them a beach house.
Nobody had wanted to ask the one question that might ruin the arrangement.
Did Daryl agree?
Caroline came back inside alone.
“Mr. Mercer?”
Every head turned.
She hesitated.
“The buyers would like to see the bedrooms.”
Jenna stared at her.
“They’re occupied.”
“For the moment,” I said.
Her eyes flashed.
Caroline glanced toward the luggage again.
“We can photograph around personal items today and schedule interiors after they’re cleared.”
“How soon?” I asked.
“If you want to go live this week, ideally forty-eight hours.”
Jenna laughed.
“Forty-eight hours.”
Mark looked at me.
“You’re seriously giving us two days?”
“I gave you one weekend.”
“We have work.”
“So do I.”
“We have kids.”
“So do I.”
His mouth tightened.
For the first time, something like embarrassment moved across his face.
He looked toward Eli, then at the broken boat on the table.
“I didn’t know the boys did that.”
Jenna made a disgusted sound.
“Oh, don’t.”
He turned.
“Don’t what?”
“Perform guilt because he has an audience.”
“I’m not performing anything.”
“You were talking about a hot tub ten minutes ago.”
“Because you told me your brother wanted us to make the place feel more permanent.”
The room went still again.
I looked at Jenna.
She stared at Mark as if she could silence him by force.
“What did she tell you?”
Mark rubbed the back of his neck.
“Daryl.”
“What did she tell you?”
He glanced at my parents.
“That you were transferring part of the property into some kind of family trust.”
My mother closed her eyes.
I felt something cold settle behind my ribs.
“When?”
Mark looked uncomfortable.
“She said you were working on it.”
“I never said that.”
“I know that now.”
Jenna stepped between us.
“He misunderstood.”
“I did not.”
“Yes, you did.”
“You told me your parents were putting money into the place and Daryl wanted everyone to treat it like shared property.”
My father’s face changed.
Not much.
Just enough.
I turned toward him.
“Putting money into it?”
He held up one hand.
“Before you get worked up—”
“How much?”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“How much?”
My mother answered.
“Twenty-five thousand.”
For several seconds I heard only the refrigerator motor.
Jenna’s face drained completely.
I looked from my mother to my father.
“Twenty-five thousand dollars went where?”
My father straightened.
“We gave Jenna some help.”
“For what?”
“She said the cottage needed improvements.”
Mark stared at his wife.
“Jesus Christ.”
Jenna’s eyes filled, but her voice stayed hard.
“It was going to be paid back.”
“With what?”
“The renovation budget.”
Mark barked out a laugh.
“Our renovation budget is gone.”
“I know that.”
“Then what money were you paying them back with?”
“I said I would figure it out.”
My mother looked sick.
“Jenna.”
“Please don’t.”
“You told us Daryl approved the patio work.”
“I said he would.”
“No,” my father said quietly.
“You said he had.”
Jenna turned on him.
“Now you remember the exact wording?”
He did not answer.
She pushed away from the island.
“This is unbelievable.”
Eli flinched at her volume.
I stepped between them.
“Lower your voice.”
She stared at me.
“You’re enjoying this.”
I almost answered too quickly.
The first honest response in my mind was yes.
Some ugly piece of me did enjoy watching the story she had built collapse under its own weight.
I hated that piece immediately, which did not make it disappear.
“No,” I said after a moment.
Jenna smiled without humor.
“That pause says otherwise.”
“Maybe it does.”
She seemed surprised.
“So there it is.”
“It doesn’t change what happened.”
“It changes what you are.”
My father moved toward us.
“Enough.”
“No,” Jenna said.
Her eyes stayed on mine.
“He gets to stand there acting righteous while everybody else looks stupid.”
“I’m not making you look stupid.”
“You brought a realtor into the house.”
“You brought a locksmith.”
Her jaw tightened.
Mark walked toward the hall.
“Where are you going?”
“To get our bags.”
She stared at him.
“You’re kidding.”
“No.”
“You’re actually helping him?”
“I’m removing our stuff from a house that is apparently not ours.”
“It was never supposed to be his alone.”
Mark stopped.
He turned back slowly.
“What does that mean?”
Jenna folded her arms.
“It means Mom and Dad always intended things to be equal.”
May you like
My father frowned.
“Do not put that on us.”
