Page 20 of Acadia Falls

Ryan swore and hustled to his room while we followed a delicious smell to the kitchen. My mother was not a sophisticated cook, but she was a great one. “You made stuffed quahogs?”

My mother prepared the clams the Portuguese way, even though we were one hundred percent Irish. Chopped quahogs, stuffing mix, and spicy chorizo. Mmm. I inhaled the scent. She hadn’t made them since Dad died.

Mom rolled her eyes. “So nice of you to notice. Now sit.”

Tommy and I took our regular seats, and Ryan was next to us in no time, stealing a hot biscuit and stuffing it into his mouth before he’d even sat down.

“Mmm, that’s good,” he said through a mouthful of bread. “I miss carbs. I’ve been eating Paleo for too long.”

“Chew with your mouth closed!” My mother shut her eyes and inhaled deeply as if she were praying for inner strength. Then, in typical Rose Brennan fashion, she got right to it. “Pour yourselves some sun tea. I have news.”

She got busy checking on the corn as Tommy poured us drinks from the pitcher. We passed around the lemons and the sugar, and then we waited. My mother knew us well. She set out a massive platter of quahogs to go with the biscuits and let us all start eating before she spoke.

“Jack got an email last week. It was about buying our fishing rights.” She sat down at the head of the table, her posture as perfect as ever. Mom had blond hair streaked with white; it brushed her shoulders. Her pale skin was flawless but clearly marked by years of living on the island; she had perpetually ruddy cheeks. She looked tired. But then again, she’d looked tired since we were teenagers. We’d raised a lot of hell.

Mom’s clear, pale-blue eyes flicked over us. “The offer is for more money than I thought possible. It’s worth talking about.”

Ryan swallowed another biscuit, then asked, “How much?”

“Three hundred million.”

Tommy spit out his iced tea.

“Tommy Brennan!” Mom hopped up and grabbed her dish towel, mopping up the table. “Get a hold of yourself!”

“Did you say… Did you say three hundred million dollars?” Tommy coughed.

“Yes.” She sighed and sat back down. “Eat another quahog, honey. I spent all afternoon making them.”

Tommy took another one, but he looked too stunned to eat—like Mom had spoken in a language he couldn’t comprehend.

I clenched my hands into fists. “I don’t think we should take it.”

“Jack—come on.” Ryan looked at me like I’d sprouted a second head. “Are you crazy? We can’t say no to something like this. No one wants to sell their rights. Of course not. But that’s life-changing money. Like, multi-generational life-changing money.”

I speared another bite of quahog before I said, “It’s not the best offer out there.”

Now my mother looked like she might spit out her iced tea. “Honey… What do you mean?”

“Somebody else is interested in the rights.” I chewed slowly. “You guys ever heard of Everly Reyes?”

Ryan scowled. “Everyone’s heard of Everly Reyes—she’s the richest person in the world.”

I nodded. “She’s been on a binge, buying up all the manganese she can get her hands on. Using it for a spaceship or some shit.”

Mom pursed her lips. “Jack Brennan, you mind your mouth at the table.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled. “Anyway, her assistant just emailed me. At first, I thought it was a joke, but I checked it out. It’s legitimate.”

“How much is Everly Reyes willing to pay for the rights?” Ryan asked. He had a funny look on his face, like he might either throw up or laugh. Or both.

“Triple the other offer.” I studied my plate.

“Triple?” Mom put her hand over her heart.

“That’s what she said.” I grabbed another quahog. “And she seemed ready to move pretty fast.”

Tommy crossed himself. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.”