“A luxury HOA bill isn’t an emergency.”
“But Dad always paid it.”
I looked through the cabin window at the moonlit trees.
“Your father is gone, Jared. The penthouse belongs to you now. So do its expenses.”
Then Vanessa took the phone.
“You transfer that money back, or you’ll never see us again.”
I almost couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“You threw me out and insulted me. Why should I finance people who treat me that way?”
“Because Jared is your son!”
“And he’s forty-three years old.”
I ended the call.
The following morning, I was working near the greenhouse when Jared arrived.
He marched toward me.
“You need to sell this cabin.”
“No.”
He blinked.
“Vanessa ran the numbers. We can’t afford the penthouse expenses. Sell this place, move into a small apartment near us, and give us the money.”
“No.”
He called the cabin a shack.
