He frowned. “You haven’t even heard what I’m proposing.”
“I heard you say I need to sell my home.”
“Vanessa ran the numbers. We can’t cover the penthouse taxes and everything else. If you sell this place, you can move into a small apartment near us. We’ll have the cash to handle Miami.”
I looked at him for a long moment. He actually seemed to believe this was a reasonable plan.
“You want me to sell the home your father left me so you can keep the home your father left you?”
“Mom, don’t make it sound like that.”
“How should I make it sound?”
He rubbed his forehead. “It’s an old cabin. You don’t need all this property. We could use the money.”
I walked to the front door. Jared followed, apparently hoping he’d persuaded me to discuss the sale.
Instead, I opened it wide.
The morning light poured across the polished floors. The stone fireplace rose beyond the living area, and the custom kitchen stood clearly visible.
Jared stopped. His eyes moved slowly around the room.
“Dad did all this?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“During those weekends he spent up here.”
“But he said he was doing maintenance.”
“He told me the same thing.”
Jared stepped closer to the doorway without entering. He looked at the timber ceiling, the furniture, and the appliances. I could practically see him recalculating the property’s value.
“Mom, this place must be worth—”
“Don’t,” I said.
He looked at me.
“Your father left me a debt-free home. He left you a luxury you cannot afford.”
Jared’s expression hardened. “That isn’t fair.”
“Neither was asking me to sell my security to pay for your address.”
He stood there a little longer, apparently searching for another argument. Then he turned and walked toward his car.
I watched him drive away without calling after him.
It wasn’t a victory I enjoyed. It was simply the first time I had refused to make his problem mine.
Two weeks passed.
I settled into a routine. I learned the heating controls, worked in the greenhouse, explored the immediate property, and began to understand just how carefully Thomas had arranged everything. I also learned what quiet sounded like when it wasn’t interrupted by somebody else’s request.
Then, one afternoon, a large luxury SUV rolled into my driveway.
Vanessa climbed out wearing designer sunglasses. Her parents followed.
I recognized Richard immediately. He had always been a courteous man, though I hadn’t seen much of him during Thomas’s illness. His wife stood beside the vehicle, looking around with obvious curiosity.
Vanessa had an overnight bag. She marched toward my porch.
“We’re here to audit this property,” she announced. “We’ll be staying the weekend.”
I was sitting in my rocking chair. “No.”
She stopped. “Excuse me?”
“This is private property. You weren’t invited.”
Vanessa laughed. “Leah, don’t be ridiculous.”
I remained seated. She looked toward her parents as if expecting them to share her amusement.
Instead, Richard studied the cabin. “It’s a beautiful place,” he said.
“Thank you.”
Vanessa rolled her eyes. “That’s not the point.”
I reached into my apron pocket and touched the small black remote Thomas had left me. At the far end of the driveway, the heavy iron gate stood open. I pressed the button.
The motor started with a low, steady hum.
Vanessa turned. The two sections of the gate began swinging inward. Her mother lowered her sunglasses. Richard looked back toward their SUV.
“What are you doing?” Vanessa demanded.
“Closing my gate.”
“You can’t lock us in!”
“I’m not.” I pressed the control again, stopping the gate halfway. The pedestrian exit remained open. I pointed toward it. “You’re free to leave.”
Vanessa stared at me as though I had done something outrageous. “We drove six hours!”
“That was your decision.”
Richard stepped closer. “Vanessa told us you invited us.”
I looked directly at him. “No, Richard. I didn’t.”
His eyebrows rose.
Vanessa interrupted quickly. “I said she knew we were coming.”
Her mother frowned. “You told us she invited us.”
“Can we stop arguing about invitations?” Vanessa snapped. She lifted the overnight bag. “This is family property.”
“No.”
“It came from Thomas.”
“So did Jared’s penthouse.”
“Exactly,” she said, smiling tightly.
I understood where she was trying to go with the argument. Because Thomas had owned both properties, she apparently believed Jared’s inheritance gave him some authority over mine. But Thomas had transferred them separately, and the legal arrangements were complete.
“You need to let us inside,” she insisted.
“No.”
“We’re conducting an inventory.”
“Of what?”
“Everything Thomas owned.”
Before I could answer, I heard another vehicle. Jared had arrived.
He stepped out of the passenger side of the second car and looked toward the porch. For a moment, the sight of him brought back the same dull ache I’d felt in his kitchen.
He hadn’t come to see how I was settling in. He had come with Vanessa.
I looked directly at him. “Did you authorize this?”
He avoided my eyes. “We just need information, Mom.”
“About my house?”
“About Dad’s estate.”
“The estate is settled.”
Vanessa snapped her fingers. “Open the door, Leah.”
I didn’t move. That appeared to infuriate her more than an argument would have. She climbed the porch steps, her heels striking the wood.
Richard reached toward her arm. “Vanessa.”
She pulled away. “No. This is ridiculous.” She pointed at the door. “I want every receipt.”
“Then ask the estate attorney.”
“We did.”
That caught my attention. “And what did she say?”
Jared answered before Vanessa could. “She wouldn’t give us anything.”
“Because this property doesn’t belong to you.”
Vanessa folded her arms. “You don’t understand finances.”
I almost laughed. Thomas used to say that people made their biggest mistakes when they underestimated someone who didn’t feel the need to advertise what they knew.
“Let them,” he’d say with a grin.
Now, facing Vanessa, I understood the usefulness of that advice.
“I understand one number,” I told her.
“What number?”
“Zero.”
She frowned.
“That’s how much authority you have over this property.”
Richard glanced at his wife. Neither spoke.
Jared moved closer to the steps. “Mom, please.”
The word surprised me. Please. I hadn’t heard much of it lately.
I looked at him carefully. “What do you actually want?”
He rubbed his forehead. “The penthouse expenses are worse than we expected.”
“How much worse?”
Vanessa opened her mouth. “That doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me.”
Jared swallowed. “The insurance increased.”
“How much?”
“Almost eighteen thousand a year.”
Richard turned sharply toward him. I remained quiet.
“The property taxes are over thirty thousand,” Jared continued.
“Annually?”