The Harrison family wasn’t nearly as wealthy as everyone believed. They had been maintaining appearances with credit cards and borrowed money.
Now the cards were maxed out.
Several vendors hadn’t been paid.
I wasn’t particularly surprised.
People who spend the most time talking about money sometimes have very little of it.
“Emily has been trying to call you all morning,” Nathan said. “She needs money to save the venue. If they don’t receive the payment by tomorrow afternoon, they lose the date.”
“I see.”
I looked out across the desert.
“That sounds stressful.”
“You’re not going to pay it?”
There was no judgment in his voice. If anything, he sounded relieved.
“No, Nathan, I’m not.”
Another pause.
“You can tell her I’m out of town.”
I ended the call feeling something I hadn’t expected.
Relief.
Emily had decided I wasn’t sophisticated enough for Daniel’s family. Now Daniel’s family had run out of money.
And suddenly, my boring retirement savings were extremely attractive.
By that evening, Emily apparently realized Nathan wasn’t going to convince me. So, she found another way to reach me.
The cabin had a landline.
It rang four times before I answered.
“Hello?”
“Mom.”
Emily sounded frantic.
“Thank God. Why is your phone going straight to voicemail? I’ve been trying to reach you all day. Everything is falling apart.”
No apology. No acknowledgement of our previous conversation.
She went directly to the emergency.
“I’m on vacation, Emily.”
“Mom, this is serious.”
“What do you need?”
“Daniel’s parents had a banking problem.”
The lie came effortlessly.
Nathan had already told me the truth, but I let her continue.