Page 12 of Lost and Found

"We're going to do better, Dani," Goldy says. "None of us want to live here, and we've been taking it out on each other. Clover and Honey and I have all agreed to be more civil."

"Didn't sound like you were off to the best start just now."

Goldy winces. "We can all do better about being more considerate of others, myself included."

Honey snorts softly, but doesn't say a word.

"I've made a chart." Goldy gestures behind me and I turn to see her white board, meticulously sectioned with neat handwriting in each of four zones. "I've assigned chores and times we can each have the shared family areas to ourselves. If we have to live here for a year, this is the way to make sure we don't kill each other before we get our inheritance."

"How much of an inheritance can it really be?" Honey asks in her soft, warm voice. "Even with Dad already owning the land, clearing it and getting this house built had to have cost over a million dollars."

"Three actually," Goldy says. "According to the lawyer, Dad had a net worth of ten million dollars when he died. On top of that, he had a life insurance policy worth another two million. All of that will go to the five…" She clears her throat. "Four of us after we've served our year in hell."

I swirl my spoon in my yogurt, appetite fleeing. Three million dollars. Even with the estate tax, that'll be enough for me to be truly free to do whatever I want, to live wherever I want.

Since I have no idea what to do now that my bakery dream is dead, it's definitely worth living in this house for a year, even if I have to sleep on the mountain every night.

"Daisy still insisting on staying in New York City?" I ask.

"She's discovered an unknown author she claims is going to make her career. She's set on becoming the youngest senior editor at Rage Publishing. Money might make her life easier, but it won't buy her the career she wants."

As the two oldest sisters, Goldy and Daisy are closer to each other than to the rest of us. I haven't even talked to Daisy in over three months.

"Makes sense," I say. "Have you given any thought to what sort of business we're going to make this place into?"

Both Goldy and Honey freeze and turn to look at me. "Business?" Honey asks.

Goldy shakes her head and narrows her eyes at me before smiling at Honey. "Originally, Dad wanted us to make this place into a business to create a legacy for him or something, but he altered the will a couple of weeks before he died. We don't have to do anything with this place. It can fall down around our heads for all I care."

I wince at the venom in Goldy's voice. "He wasn't the best father, but there's no reason not to take advantage of the opportunity—"

"Wasn't the best father?" Goldy asks, seething. "He told me I'd be better off losing ten pounds and looking for a husband than going to college since I'm not smart enough to want to follow in his footsteps and join his snake oil corporation."

"He was an asshole, but that doesn't mean he's wrong about us all working together. He was our father, and--"

More emotion than I've seen from her in years flares in her eyes and her cheeks redden. "A father doesn't tell his daughter college would be a waste of his hard-earned money. He was a con-artist, Dandelion. He lied, and he cheated, and he stole, and he never did a damn thing for me that didn't somehow benefit him."

"He told me a kindergartner could make my pottery," Honey says. "Said if I wanted to make a living making plates, I should go work for one of the designer dinnerware companies."

I sigh. They aren't wrong. "He told me I should learn a skill because no man will ever want to marry a little troll like me."

Goldy gasps and Honey snorts. "You are adorable, Dani. He must have been drunk when he said that."

"He probably was. Or pissed about something that had nothing to do with me. Dad was a narcissist and a shit person and he didn't love us the way he should have, but ignoring this opportunity just to spit on his dying wish doesn't make any sense." Not to mention I won't survive the year if I don't figure out a way to make some money.

Neither of my sisters seems convinced. "Just think about it," I say. "I know we've had our differences over the years—"

"Anderson Hawley," Honey says in a mock angry tone.

"He was my boyfriend, Honey. Sister code says you don't kiss your sister's boyfriend."

Honey sighs. "I know. I was a horrible sister. But do you have any idea what it felt like to have the hottest senior boy in school notice me? And you'd just broken up with him. If I'd known you wouldn't talk to me for three years, I'd never have done it."

Hadn't talked to her for three years and had been distant with her for five more. I could see now how stupid I'd been to let a boy I didn't even love come between us, but it had felt like such a betrayal. "I thought I was going to marry him, Honey. Can you believe that? It seems so naïve and stupid, but it felt like you were ripping my future away from me when you kissed him."

"I was mad at you for saying I was too young to go with you guys to the end-of-summer bonfire at the lake and I figured kissing Anderson was as good a revenge as any. If I'd known I'd lose you over it…" Her eyes go glassy.

"Don't cry over it, you dork. Honestly, you did me a favor. Anderson was never the one for me, but who knows how many years I would have wasted trying to figure that out if you hadn't kissed him."

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