Beck uncaps a beer—his second. “Griff says you can’t help yourself.” He pulls on his beer.
“Griff? What does Griff have to do with… anything?"
“That’s all you got?” Beck smirks. “You’re worried about what Griff thinks?”
“Beck!” Lane hisses.
Beck burps and waves his beer bottle my way. “Are you gonna tell our sister?”
“Tell me what?”
Willow’s cutlery clinks against her plate. “Nothing… nothing major. We uh—”
My heart hammers in my chest. “Willow,” I warn her.
“It’s okay, Noah. You—wecan’t keep this to ourselves forever.”
She’s right, and the idea of sharing this burden feels close to relief. Yet the familiar panic takes over; It’s simply too big. “It can wait,” I plead, knowing it’s way too late for that.
“Can it, though? What are you gonna do when it comes out?” Beck sneers.
“What are you talking about?” Lane asks. “There’s nothing to be done.”
“Your family—” Willow starts.
“It’s yours too,” Lane interrupts.
“TheCallawayfamily has a trust—"
“Jesus, yes, Iknow. Why does everyone always treat me like a baby?” Lane looks at each of us in turn.
Beck rolls his eyes. “That isso notthe point.”
“Thepointis, they’remarried. So what is Cruella’s fuckingproblem?” A stunned silence falls around the table, until Lane continues, “I mean we all knowwhythey did it, but they did it, right? Not only did they do the getting married part but they’re also doing thedoing itpart so… for all intents and purposes the trustee has met the condition and Gail can go fuck herself.”
Beck’s jaw clenches. Vaguely aware that the loud pounding inside my chest is just my heart, I feel my mouth hang open. Willow seems to have stopped breathing.
“Or did I miss something else?” Lane asks.
“When did you find out?” Beck grits out.
She grabs a beer, then sets it back on the table. “I always knew.”
I glance at Willow, her wide eyes and paleness mirroring my thoughts. If Beck and Lane know, there’s bound to be other people—less scrupulous people—who could come forward or be convinced by Gail to share what they know. How will this affect us legally?
The more I think about it, the more I can see how this whole running to Vegas to get married a few months before my birthday only threw a mask on the problem and created many more.
After a few charged moments, Beck rubs his face. “How did you find out?”
Throughout the million thoughts crossing my mind right now, the one that tops them and seems to bother me the most is the realization that Beck is hurting from feeling left out. But what was I supposed to do?
Lane scoffs. “Oh, come on. It’s all in the office safe.” I’m not going to ask her how she knows the combination. If she’d asked me, I would have given it to her. If Griff, Beck, or Lane had asked to see the trust or any of the Callaway papers, I’d have shared.
But they never did.
The shadow of a smile plays on Lane’s face when she taunts Beck. “You never looked?” Resisting the temptation to mock him, she sets her gaze on me. “You didn’t need to carry all this on your own. But I understand.” With a pointed glance at Beck she adds, “AndI’mgrateful you did.”
Beck stands, his chair rattling on the flagstone. “It’s messed up,” he says, looking uneasily between Willow and me.
