Page 61 of The Surprise
I can’t even process what she’s saying.
“As much as I respect and admire Jeff and Kevin, I doubt they’ll be able to make a competitive offer for the ranch,” Mom says. “But if they do, and if they want to cut you in, well, you’ve earned that chance.”
I must have misheard. “I have?”
“You haven’t slacked off, and they obviously agree, or they wouldn’t be offering to let you join them.”
I guess that’s true. I’m having trouble understanding why she’s not freaking out, though. “So, you aren’t mad?”
She puts a hand on my arm. “Ethan, what good would that do?” She looks tired. Really, really tired. “You’re an adult now.”
That’s true.
“Why do you want to stay?”
I think back to what I said to Izzy. I can’t remember exactly, but I don’t think we talked about Beth. I could leave that part out, but I already feel guilty for leaving Mom out, especially when she didn’t even explode. “Beth,” I say.
“Beth. Donna’s niece?” Mom’s lip curls. It’s slight, but it’s there.
“You don’t like her?”
“I don’t know her,” Mom says, “but I’m not a fan of her father.”
“Neither is Beth,” I’m quick to point out.
“That’s hard,” Mom says, “but I bet you know that already.”
“She’s not like her dad,” I say. “That can happen.”
Mom laughs. “I hope it can.”
“Huh?”
“I’m nothing like my parents,” Mom says. “But I learned from them, and you need to remember that. Beth will have learned from hers as well. She’ll have baggage she’ll need to check or chuck, and that part is both painful and dangerous.”
I’m not sure I know quite what she means, but she’s taking it all way better than I thought.
Amanda Saddler was right.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“For what?” She arches her eyebrow. The OG eyebrow arch.
“For being you, I guess.” Something about that makes me cry. Ihatecrying, but I especially hate to do it in front of her. I know she needs me to be strong, and it feels weak. Even so, I can’t help thinking that, if I’m going to have only one parent, at least it’s a really freaking good one.
Mom hugs me, and it almost makes up for the crying.
The next day, Mom walks me through the amount of money in my college fund and then explains all the details. There’s more than I thought, just shy of a hundred grand, but the penalty is pretty crappy. After taxes and whatnot, I’d have around what I thought I had in the first place. When I meet with the guys, they’re fine with it. They’ve saved a hundred and twenty between them, so they don’t even demand I include all of it.
I know from what Mom said that we’ll likely need it all to have a hope of being competitive, and we may still fall short. “Let’s just make an offer including everything,” I say.
“Then we can split the ownership that way, too,” Jeff says.
I shake my head. “We split it three ways, because we’re going to all be working the same.”
Mom helps us go over the paperwork, and she even offers to co-sign. I don’t cry again, but it’s a near thing.
Only, when the auction comes, someone comes in andsmokesus. They offer a full three hundred grand over us, and it’s an offer made incash. How anyone could have that kind of money is beyond me, but the offer’s closed, so we don’t even know who beat us. I’m in the grove, kicking snowdrifts and thinking how cold my toes are, when Beth shocks me by showing up.
