AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"And…” He paused, staring down at the stack of papers, straightening the edges then cleared his throat. “Though, the news I have for you is not easy to relay. Unfortunately, there's not much to say." He stopped fidgeting with the papers and moved on to his gold tie, re-straightening the knot.
"Mr. Stokes," I began, totally confused.
"Please, call me Terrance,” he interrupted. “You two are both old enough to call me by my first name."
“Terrance. What's going on?" I asked.
"Yeah, you're freaking me the eff out, here,” Callie piped in.
"I think it would be better--" Benson spoke up, but faltered when Terrance shot him a look.
"I hate to be the bearer of such bad news, but… sometimes, this is part of the job. So, I'm going to get right to it." He fixed his gaze on the portfolio once more. "I won't read everything out loud, as that would be both mind numbing and time-consuming. However, I'll leave it here and email you copies, for when you want to go over it.”
“Okay,” I nodded, wishing he would get to it already.
“Now," he cleared his throat and made eye contact with me, "As I'm sure you've assumed, you will have legal guardianship over your sister.” He glanced at her. “Callie, do you have any objections to Summer’s guardianship over you?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Okay, that’s settled, then. There is still some paperwork to sort out, and I’ve highlighted where you need to sign, Summer.” He pulled some papers from the top, and passed them over to me. “I’ll give you time to go through them, and have my assistant pick them up when you’re done. But, call the office if you have any questions, okay?”
I nodded, my eyes glazing over at the legal language. I now understood why he didn’t want to read through them with us.
Terrance continued, “Darkmoor Manor is fully paid off, and its value will be split in half. Fifty percent to you, Summer," he nodded in my direction, "and fifty percent to Callie.” He paused, took a deep breath, then, “Regrettably, there isn't anything else left.”
* * *
"Wait, wait," I interrupted him, "Did you just say, there isn't anything else?”
“Unfortunately, yes." Giving me a sympathetic look, he squeezed my hand in what was meant to be a comforting gesture. "Your father was sick for the past year and, in that time, he made some....bad judgements. Bad investments. He lost most of his—of your—money."
Silence cut through the air.
I sat, frozen in my seat. Callie had gone pale.
Benson shuffled, his eyes glued to the table. His glasses were now perched on the edge of his nose, his signature polka dot bow tie askew.
It was raining outside--I could tell because there was a ping of water dripping through the roof and onto the hardwood floor.
"What do you mean," I repeated, “Are you saying we’re broke?”
"There is a trust fund that will pay out Callie's school fees, until she graduates. Other than that, you have a total of exactly," Mr. Stokes shuffled his papers, "five thousand, twenty three dollars and some change."
"Welp, this sucks," Callie said.
"Wait, wait—“ I felt like a broken record. Even though he'd made our financial position very clear—I wasn't quite absorbing it. “Dad lost all our—his—money?”
"Unfortunately," he adjusted his gold tie, looking down at the table, “yes."
"But what are we going to do?" I spread out my hands.
“I’d assume that you would sell Darkmoor Manor. That would give you a substantial amount. I can refer a real estate agent, if you wish.”
His words echoed in my ears, a heavy weight settling in the pit of my stomach. He couldn’t be serious. “No wait. Can’t you—I’m sure there’s something…” The ground beneath me gave way, leaving me suspended in a surreal and disorienting state. “Please. You have to help us."
“Of course, I’m here. Doug—your father, was my client for a long time. I will help you as much as possible. Unfortunately, however, there isn’t much I can do.”
"B-but," I stuttered, not knowing what to say or think. How were we going to live? I had barely just graduated from high school.
