Family Money(25)

“Your mom seems to be in better spirits this afternoon.”

“It comes in waves. It helps that the girls make her laugh.”

“It helps us all. How’re you doing?”

Taylor let out a deep sigh. “Up and down. I keep having these fleeting moments where I actually forget my dad is even gone. Like earlier, I was putting the dishes away. The girls were playing a board game with my mom in the living room. And for just a brief moment, I forgot. And I had this fleeting thought, like, I wondered what time my dad was coming over to join us. Then reality hit me again. I suddenly remembered and could barely breathe, it felt so overwhelming.”

“It’s going to be like that for a while.”

“How long? Because I hate the feeling.”

“I don’t know, babe.”

Taylor took a breath and exhaled. “I wish I had one more chance to tell him how much I loved him.”

“Your dad knew, Taylor. You made it very clear every day.”

“I guess. It’s just . . . I want to escape it all. Plus, I’m already tired of people stopping by the house with food and flowers. I know they mean well, but it all feels like too much. I really just want some space to breathe.”

“Well, what if right after the funeral on Saturday, we take your mom and the girls out to the lake house for a few days? Might be good for all of us to get away after this tough week. Turn our phones off and just be together. Share stories, drink, laugh.”

My in-laws had a beach-style house with a ski boat on the north side of Lake Travis about forty-five minutes away. The girls loved going there on the weekends and being out on the water. Joe and I would usually grill every meal. We’d all sit out on the deck and watch the sun set over the lake. They were really good times.

“I like that idea,” Taylor agreed. “I’ll run it past my mom.”

“Good.” I kissed her on the cheek. “Sorry to skip out on the rest of the folding, but I need to finish up some work in my office.”

As I began to walk out of the laundry room, Taylor said, “Hey, how did it go with Steve? Mom said you had some questions about the investment money.”

I swallowed. For a moment, I didn’t respond. I was afraid to tell Taylor the truth because I still didn’t know what I was going to discover at the end of all this. The truth felt frightening at the moment. Finding out that Joe had millions basically hidden in a foreign bank account that no one knew about and that he’d lied about his recent trip to DC left me wondering what else he might have misled his family about. I didn’t even want to crack open that door with Taylor right now. My wife was hurting. I wanted to protect her and shield her. But I also didn’t want to lie to her. We’d made a serious covenant a long time ago to always be honest. Standing there, feeling caught in the crosshairs of her direct question, I thought about how she’d made it so clear to me that she valued truth over everything on the night I’d proposed to her.

We’d had dinner and drinks at Jack Allen’s, one of our favorite restaurants, followed by the Broadway show Wicked at the Bass Concert Hall—Taylor loved musicals—and finally the moment of reckoning. I pulled my Jeep Cherokee into an empty parking lot outside of our old high school track stadium and parked. From the passenger seat, Taylor looked over at me with narrow eyes.

“Alex? Why are we at our high school?”

“I need you to come with me.”

“Come with you where?”

“Just trust me.”

I got out of my Jeep, hustled around to open the door for her. She climbed out. Taylor was wearing a simple black cocktail dress and heels and looked more stunning than I could ever remember. I wore a black sport coat with an unbuttoned white dress shirt and jeans. We were more dressed up than usual. Taylor thought it was just for the fun of going to a Broadway show. I had something more in mind. And I could feel my heart rate start picking up the closer I got to popping the life-changing question.

I held out my hand for her. “Let’s go.”

She hesitantly put her hand in mine. Then I guided her toward a gate in the fence that surrounded the small stadium. The gate was unlocked. People from the community were allowed to access the track for their own exercise throughout the week. But I doubted anyone would be out here tonight. It was late, and the stadium lights were off. I began to lead Taylor toward the bleachers.

“Are we going to make out under the bleachers like we did back in high school?” she asked me with a sideways glance.

I gave her a nervous laugh. “Not yet. Maybe later.”

Circling the bleachers, we moved out onto the rubber track. It was dark but not so dark that we couldn’t find our way forward. I saw no flashlights circling the track. It looked like we were here alone—except for a friend of mine who was standing near an electrical box, and Taylor’s parents, who I knew were hidden behind the bleachers somewhere. The thought of Joe and Carol watching this made me even more nervous. But I wanted them to be here for this moment. Taylor was their only daughter. I just hoped she didn’t throw me an unexpected curveball.

Continuing to hold hands, we began walking the track.

“You’re acting so weird, Alex,” Taylor said. “What’s going on?”

“This track is special to me.”

“Why? You didn’t even run track in school.”