Page 169 of Finding Us

I don’t agree to stop running because I think Garret’s being overly cautious. Even though our neighbors next door are gone, the houses a few down from ours still have people living there. And the beach usually has people on it, so I’m not really alone when I run.

“I have something else to tell you.”

I groan. “Do you have to say that every time you give me bad news?”

“It’s not bad news.”

“It still makes me nervous when you announce that you have to tell me something. Just say it.”

“My dad gave me some money. A lot of money.”

“He can’t do that. He’ll get in trouble.”

“He found a loophole that allows me to have it. And this money isn’t really his. It kind of is, but not really. It’s the insurance money he got after my mom died. He kept it in a separate account ever since he got it and now he wants me to have it.”

“How much is it?”

Garret reaches in his pocket and hands me a check made out to him for $2 million.

“Wow. That’s a lot of money.”

“It’s not even close to what my inheritance would’ve been. And it’s a lot less than I had in my trust fund.”

“It’s still a lot of money, Garret.”

He takes the check and stuffs it back in his pocket. “I’ll go put it in the bank today.”

“We don’t have a bank here. So you’re opening an account?”

“Yeah, I’ll have to. I’ll just go do it right now. It shouldn’t take long. You can stay here.”

“But I have to sign stuff, don’t I?”

His eyes shift to the floor and he doesn’t answer. It takes a moment but then I get it.

“You don’t want me on the account.”

He looks up at me, his brows raised. “Are you okay with that?”

“Um, yeah. I guess.”

“I just thought since your trust fund and credit card are only in your name, I would get an account of my own.”

“I could ask Grace to add your name to those accounts. It’s not like I was intentionally leaving you off them. I just didn’t think about it.”

“That’s okay. You don’t need to do that.”

This money conversation is causing tight knots to form in my stomach. This is the first time we’ve really addressed the money issue and I wasn’t ready to do it right now.

“Garret, I’m okay with you having your own account, but I get the feeling there’s a reason behind it. Like you’re not telling me something.”

He doesn’t say anything.

“You’re mad that I’m the one paying for stuff, right? You liked being the one with money and now you don’t like that I have it.”

“It’s not that, Jade. I’m happy you have money. I just want some, too.”

“You already have it. What’s mine is yours.”

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