Page 50 of A Fool's Game

I have to chuckle to myself at the idea of billionaire heir Ainsley opening a pair of Walmart slippers on my parents’ fifty-year-old couch, but the hilarity of it all is cut short by my mom taking my arm and dragging me aside as the others go ahead into the kitchen.

“I got another notice on the door yesterday, Taylor.”

I let my breath out in a long, slow stream, trying to keep my cool. “On New Year's Eve? That seems inappropriate.”

She’s shaking a bit. I can feel it where her hand rests gently on my upper arm.I want to be mad that they’ve let it come to this, keeping secrets and ignoring problems until they created a situation dire enough to cost us everything.

And I am mad.

But right now, my mom just seems so…old.

“I’m going to take care of it, okay? I’ve got another meeting with the bank on Thursday, and we should be settled with the mortgage. You and dad sent in that paperwork, right?”

She looks down at her hand before meeting my eye. Never a good sign. “I’m pretty sure your father did, yes.”

“You’re pretty sure? Or he did? This is really important. I can only do so much. You two, as the owners of this house?—”

“We’re doing the best we can, Taylor.” Her tone turns sharp as she cuts me off.

I know what those words mean. Conversation over.

She walks back into the kitchen without even giving me a chance to respond.

If Gem wasn’t here, I’d follow her in there and push the issue. But I can’t do that today, so I let it go as best I can. There’s always tomorrow to pick up where we left off. And the next day. And the day after that.

When I rejoin the lively group in the kitchen, my brothers are introducing themselves to Ainsley, shaking hands, and no doubt fawning over the guy’s freaking aura. I come up next to Gem and watch, keeping my mouth shut. She leans back into me slightly, offering the warmth of her body as reassurance. Letting me know she understands this is hard for me, and as usual, it works.

We’re herded to the dining room, only separated from the kitchen by a low eating bar. My mom walks around the table,pouring coffee like a diner waitress, and I try to focus on the conversation, rather than jump up to try and help.

It would generally annoy me to have everyone’s attention on Ainsley, but for once, I’m grateful. The kid fields questions like it’s his damn job.

“Your family’s in New York?” my mom asks him as I dig into our traditional New Year's morning meal of Danish pancakes, bacon, and applesauce.

He nods, chewing with his hand over his mouth for a moment before answering. “It’s really just my dad and me, but yeah. He lives most of the year in New York.”

I keep my eyes on my plate, refusing to let his leading statement get to me. How easy it would have been to just say the guy lived in New York. Now we get to talk about how they’re rich and probably own houses all over the world.

Sure enough, one of my naive brothers takes the bait.

“And the rest of the year?”

“He and his friends own a resort on Faraday Island, which is off the coast of Belize. My dad has a house on the tiny neighboring island, Merit. He, and now his fiancé, spend about a third of the year down there.”

The table is alive with interested, impressed murmurs, as if being born into lavish wealth was some kind of moral achievement.

“Do you get to go down there, too?”

“Yeah, I go down pretty often.”

I know he’s not done, probably gearing up to tell some hilarious story about his childhood growing up jet setting from an estate in New York to the tropical island they own, but I can’t take it anymore.

“Gem just published a new ‘Zine.” I say, too quickly and too loud.

Everyone looks at me, including Gem, who understandswhat I’m doing and, judging by her face, does not appreciate having her art used as a segue to pull attention off Ainsley.

“Oh, Gem,” my mother shifts focus easily, looking at Gemma like she’s the only person on the planet. “I loved the poetry in the last edition. I hope you brought us a copy.”

Gem tosses me another look, but I just smile at her. “What he means is that I have another edition coming out at the beginning of the quarter. They’re getting printed this week. I’ll send one out with Taylor next time he comes.”

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