Chapter 5
I went to my mom’s house the next morning.
I needed someone to talk to.
Someone who’d tell me everything would be okay.
My mom, Linda, had always been Vanessa’s biggest fan.
But she was still my mom.
Right?
She opened the door in her bathrobe.
Hair in curlers.
Coffee in her hand.
When she saw me, her face tightened.
“Vanessa called last night,” she said. “Said you and that husband of yours ruined her life.”
I stepped inside.
“Mom, Ethan stole thirty-two million dollars,” I said. “Vanessa helped him. Richard threatened to destroy us if we don’t drop it. I need your help.”
My mom walked into the kitchen.
Sat down at the table.
“Vanessa says Jake’s just a con man,” she said. “Says he married you just to get back at the Whitmores.”
I stared at her.
“You believe her?” I said. “After thirty years? You think I’d marry a con man?”
My mom didn’t look at me.
“Vanessa finally had everything she ever wanted,” she said. “The big wedding. The rich husband. The nice house. And you just had to take it away from her, didn’t you? You always had to be better than her. Even when we were kids, you had to get the better grades, the nicer boyfriends, the more attention. Now you had to one-up her wedding too.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Mom,” I said, my voice breaking. “I didn’t do anything. Ethan stole from people. Jake is just trying to make it right.”
“Right,” she said, snorting. “A mechanic trying to make right with a billion-dollar company. Give me a break. Richard called me this morning, you know. Said he’ll give me a brand-new condo downtown—three bedrooms, lake view—if I can talk you into making Jake back off. Said he’ll pay for Vanessa to go to Europe for a year to get over this. All you have to do is tell Jake to take the money and run.”
The room spun.
My own mother.
Had been bought.
For a condo.
“You’d sell me out for an apartment?” I said, tears stinging my eyes.
Linda looked up.
Her face was hard.
“Vanessa is fragile,” she said. “She needs this. You’re strong. You’ll be fine no matter what. You always have been.”
I stood up.
My hands were shaking.
“I’m not strong, Mom,” I said. “I’m your daughter. And right now, I need my mom. But you’re not here. You’re just another person who chose Vanessa and money over me.”
I walked to the door.
Turned back.
“For the record,” I said. “I never tried to one-up Vanessa. I just tried to be loved by you. And I spent thirty years failing. I’m done trying now.”
I walked out.
Got in my car.
Drove to the shop.
Jake was in his office going through old boxes.
Papers spread all over his desk.
He looked up when I walked in.
Saw my face.
Stood up immediately.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” he said, pulling me into his arms.
I told him.
About my mom.
About the condo.
About how she’d never loved me as much as she loved Vanessa.
Jake held me while I cried.
Rubbed my back.
Whispered that he was sorry.
That he loved me.
That I was enough.
When I finally stopped crying, he pulled a stack of old letters out of the box on his desk.
“I found these last night,” he said. “They’re from my dad. Written the week before he died.”
He handed me one.
The paper was yellowed.
The handwriting was shaky.
I read it out loud.
“Richard knows I found out about the money. He came to the house last night. Said if I told anyone, he’d hurt Jake. Said he’d make sure he never amounted to anything. I’m scared. I don’t know what to do. If anything happens to me, the proof is in safety deposit box 742 at the downtown branch of First Chicago. The key is in the lining of my old leather jacket. Tell Jake I loved him. Tell him to never let anyone make him feel small. Not Richard Whitmore. Not anyone.”
I looked up at Jake.
“Safety deposit box 742,” I said.
Jake nodded.
“I found the key this morning,” he said. “Sewn into the jacket he was buried in. I had to get permission from the cemetery to dig it up.”
He held up a small brass key on a chain.
“We go get it today,” he said. “Before Richard finds out it exists.”
We left the shop ten minutes later.
Drove downtown.
The bank was a big marble building with pillars out front.
We walked inside.
Jake showed the key and his ID to the teller.
She nodded and led us back to the vault.
But when we turned the corner to the safety deposit room, two people were already standing there.
May you like
Vanessa.
And Ethan.
