“Wake up, because everything in this world is about money,” she snapped.
“Tomorrow you are going to learn that lesson the hard way.”
She turned toward the gate, but before leaving, she threw one final cruelty over her shoulder.
“You really should start packing, because Calvin and I are going to remodel the second we move in.”
“We are going to start by ripping out these old fashioned rosebushes since everything here needs a more modern look.”
Her heels clicked along the stone path until she disappeared.
I looked down and realized my muddy hand had crushed several delicate petals.
I took out my phone and called a number I knew from memory.
“Attorney Penelope, it’s me,” I said as soon as she answered.
“Tabitha just came here to threaten me.”
Her professional voice immediately shifted into concern.
“What exactly did she say to you, Paige?”
“She said exactly what we were afraid of, so I need to know if you can come over right now.”
“I am on my way,” she replied firmly, “and you shouldn’t worry because your father thought much further ahead than any of them.”
After ending the call, I noticed something trapped beneath the leaves of one rosebush.
It was a small envelope, damp from the morning dew and marked with my father’s unmistakable handwriting.
My name appeared on the front.
I lifted it with trembling fingers.