Page 10 of The Deadbeat Next Door

“Okay. I’ll support your desire to be a photojournalist, but I won’t support you spending more of Mom’s money to do it.”

She huffed. “So how am I supposed to do it?”

“Do what normal people do and get a job. Save your money, maybe get some experience in the field you want to go into, and then go get the degree.”

She huffed again. “Damn it, Cody, I think I liked you better when you were the wild black sheep of the family. When’d you get so damn sensible?”

“I’m still the black sheep of the family,” I said. “And I got sensible when my wild ways ruined our mother’s dream.”

She groaned. “Oh, my god, you are a bigger drama queen than Noah. You didn’t ruin Mom’s dream, you ruined one deal. As soon as she gets the capital, she’ll retire and get her horse farm.”

“She’ll never be able to find another property or house like the one she and Dad found together. If I’d acted with any kind sense, if I’d thought of anyone but myself, I wouldn’t have ruined the deal. Mom would have her dream and Dad would probably still be alive to share it with her.” The words just kind of slipped out and I realized maybe it was time I fessed up to my crimes.

She laughed. “Have you seriously been holding onto that for two years, Code Red? It sounds like a Shakespearean tragedy. Yeah, Dad was pissed at you and yeah you screwed up, but you didn’t kill Dad. You didn’t destroy any hope of Mom someday getting her horse farm. She’ll find another property. Is that why you won’t take any of Dad’s money to help with your winery?”

“I just need to do this myself,” I said. “Dad never would have wanted his money to go toward the winery. He hated that I didn’t want to be in the family business, he hated that I wanted to go my own way. I won’t use his money to do something he would have hated.”

“Maybe you need to pull your head out of your own ass, big brother. Dad was pissed when Jenna decided to get her PhD and be a college professor, but he got over it and bought her a house. He was pissed when Jared decided he’d rather be a veterinarian than go into the family business, but he eventually came around and invested in Jared’s practice. He would have come around and invested in your winery. He would have forgiven you for screwing up, and he would have been proud of you. His body just failed him at the wrong moment.”

“Sure.” I wanted to believe her, but she hadn’t seen the look on his face. She hadn’t seen the hurt under the rage. I’d let him down in every sense of the word and I didn’t deserve another penny of his money. “Listen, if you need a job, I could give you one just as soon as I get the right property.”

She groaned. “I don’t want to work in the middle of nowhere, digging in the dirt. You know I’d never survive that.”

“You could help with hiring,” I said. “And you could supervise the digging in the dirt and the plans for the vineyard and the winery. Don’t you have a degree in interior design? You could help me decorate.”

“Don’t try to butter me up,” she said. “No matter what you say, the job is still in the middle of nowhere. I would wither up and die in the country. I’m a city girl.”

“Maybe you could visit sometime. It’d be good to see you.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Love you, loser.”

“I love you, too.”

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