Good for You: A Novel (52)

“That’s not what I said. I won’t know if I like it until I go do it,” she said, hoping she sounded more certain than she felt.

“I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you this.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away. “Luke’s life insurance . . .”

“What about it?” she demanded.

He looked at her again. “It’s . . . a lot,” he said sheepishly.

“Define a lot.”

“More than a million.” He must’ve known that this news would be staggering—not just the amount itself, but the fact that he’d waited until now to share it with her—because the tone he used was one that Aly would’ve used to inform someone she’d accidentally run over their cat.

She was so stunned that it took her nearly a minute to speak. “And you didn’t tell me this earlier because . . . ?”

“Well . . . I . . . uh, kind of didn’t follow up with the paperwork until you arrived.” He had the grace to look mortified. “And I was waiting to find out the details before I said too much, because I knew it was going to change things for you.”

“Uh, you think?” she said. “Trust me—I’ve been an ostrich about Luke’s death, too. But you’re the executor of his estate. Didn’t you think you should have checked?” Even as she said this, though, she realized that it wouldn’t have changed much of anything before she arrived in Saugatuck. She wouldn’t have moved out of Seth’s apartment—because she didn’t think anything was wrong with their relationship. If anything, she probably would have volunteered to reduce her salary even more than she already had.

He leaned in toward her. “I’m sorry. I guess I was doing worse than I even realized.”

“It’s okay,” she said. “I get it.”

“Thank you,” he said. “The real point is, Aly, you’re about to have enough money to take a decade or two off if you want, and that’s even without selling the house. Or many more if you play your cards right. I know a thing or two about investing. I could help you.”

“You hate investing,” she said, though mostly she was thinking that she didn’t want the money. In fact, she’d happily throw it into the ocean or burn it in a bonfire if it would bring Luke back.

But nothing would bring Luke back. And although she was loath to admit it, he would’ve wanted her to use the money.

“He wanted you to have it,” said Wyatt, echoing her thoughts.

Aly blinked back tears as the truth sank in: this was the last way Luke was ever going to be able to take care of her.

“Are you okay?” asked Wyatt. He picked up his chair and moved it right next to hers, then took her hand again. “I really am sorry that I surprised you, and that I didn’t tell you earlier. I just wanted you to know that you have options other than going back to All Good.”

“I’m . . . overwhelmed,” she admitted. “It’s going to take me a while to wrap my mind around this. And yeah, I do wish you’d told me sooner.” Had he only told her now because he didn’t want her to leave Michigan? Was he really serious about making this thing between them last—if only for the rest of the summer?

She hoped not, because it was going to be awful to disappoint him.

“I know, and I’m sorry. For the record, I’d be happy to help you—if you want me to, that is. I don’t hate the numbers or the game, or even money. It just makes you more of who you are, and in your case, that’s a good thing. I just hate the industry and the kind of people I was working with.”

His smile began to thaw her. “Here I was thinking that being more of who I am was guaranteed to make you nuts,” she said.

He put his lips to the top of her head, but instead of kissing her, he inhaled deeply. “I like the way you smell.”

If Seth had done this in a restaurant, Aly probably would’ve been mortified. But with Wyatt she didn’t mind. “Thank you. Is that you trying not to confess that I drive you crazy?”

“You do, but in the best possible way.”

She was about to say something flirty but instead brought up his comment about Luke. “Hey—since we’re talking big things, I need to ask you something about what you said a few days ago.”

“I actually do love the way you look when you’re on top of me, if that’s what you want to know,” he said in a low voice.

She could feel her body growing warm, but she wouldn’t be so easily diverted. “For the record, I believe you. But this is about Luke.”

His expression clouded over. “Right.”

She broke free from his embrace and regarded him. “What did you mean when you said, ‘I never should have let it happen’?”

“Just that I wish I’d told him not to go,” said Wyatt, but it seemed to Aly he’d answered too quickly.

“Anything else?”

“No. And I don’t think it’s a great idea to rehash that day—not when it’s going to make us both feel lousy. We can’t change what happened.”

“I know that.” She was having to work hard not to get irritated. This was her brother they were talking about. Didn’t she have a right to hash it out if she felt like it? “I just don’t like to be left in the dark. For me, more information is better.”