Page 181 of Push

Toby shook his head. “It’s not what Dad would’ve wanted,” he said. “Dad liked Ian. He made sure he was part of our lives—hislife—”

“Not in the end. In the weeks before Teddy passed, they had a falling out. He said Ian was always in trouble, making stupid choices, and chasing a lifestyle he couldn’t afford…” Sarah reached across the table to hold Toby’s hand, but he snatched it away. “Tobias, your father loved you more than you know. I know he almost broke your heart when he told you he didn’t want you to go to dental school, but he saw how hard you worked and everything you achieved. He admired that.You. He was so proud of the man you became. You two weren’t on speaking terms by then”—her gaze narrowed on me—“but Teddy wanted to be part of your life. He wouldn’t have done what he did if he wasn’t trying to make it right. It’s theonlyexplanation for what he did. Isn’t it, Gwen?”

Toby and I glanced at each other. We both had no idea what his mother was talking about.

“The only explanation for what Dad…did…” Toby said slowly. “About what?”

“The money,” Sarah said.

“Uh…” Toby glanced back at me.

I blinked at him, my mouth slowly pulling into a confused smile. It was like two conversations were happening, and I only had half the story for both. I was lost. I had no clue. Should I? Why did his mother keep staring at me like that?

Sarah barked a laugh. “Oh, please. Spare us all, Gwen. You’re no wide-eyed, innocent debutante. You saw your opportunity, and you took it. Don’t pretend you don’t know exactly what I’m talking about.”

I threw my hands up. “I have literally no idea what you’re talking about!”

“You should have become an actress instead of a lawyer.”

Tanya flipped up the menu and stuck it between us. “Cease fire!” She counted to three and lowered the menu. “Mum, just spit it out. What exactly did Dad do?”

“Something changed in Teddy before he passed away.” Sarah’s voice was choked. It was strange to hear her speak with genuine emotion. “He’d always been so much larger than life, but it was like he aged twenty years overnight. He sat on the back deck for hours, watching the ocean, mumbling, constantly worrying. It’s like he knew death was on his heels. He was obsessed with getting everything‘in order’and making sure no one could take away what he’d worked for when…when…”

Tanya’s head bowed. “Dad knew he was sick?” she asked quietly.

Nodding, Sarah dashed a hand across her cheek, the tears vanishing in a second, and then she paused, steadying her breath. The eyes that lifted again were emotionless. “The bit of fluff Tobias had been chasing asked a lot of questions. Kayleigh. She asked me about the most important things to do once you were married.”

“Oh, great,” Toby muttered. “Glad to hear there were some valuable Stepford Wife life lessons when you were teaching her to cook.”

Sarah’s gaze turned sharp. “The silly little thing has a head only for romance, but she got me thinking. I suppose it was my own fault for not keeping a closer eye on what was happening in those days when your father was acting so strangely… But the money kept coming after he passed, and I’d never worried too much about where it came from…”

“Mum, what onearthare you talking about?” Tanya asked.

“Her.” Sarah glared at me. “I trawled back through every last piece of paperwork. I tried to talk to the lawyers.Tried.The funny thing was, they weren’t your father’s lawyers anymore. They were only on retainer to handle his will. He’d fired them all. A week before he passed away, he’d signed over control of every last dollar to his new lawyer.” Her emotionless eyes stayed locked on me. “Gwen.”

55

He Attended the Club

Toby

The hotel suite lookedlike a paper factory had exploded. Gwen had torn through the duffel where she’d stuffed our personal papers, snatching out one after the other, her eyes blistering over the tiny words on the pages before flinging another useless document across the room.

“Hey… Come on…” I crouched beside her and rested my hand on her hunched back. Sometimes, a touch was enough to drag her out of the noisy place in her mind. “Slow down.”

“Slow down?” She almost shrieked at me. “I can’t slow down! I have todosomething!”

I got it. I’d never been good at slowing down and thinking things through, either, but I needed to step up and be the strong one this time.

“Gwen.” My voice was gentle but firm. “You heard my mother. She hasn’t seen the…deed…” I grimaced. Was that right? They’d thrown around a lot of words I hadn’t understood—trusts,deeds, titles, and a whole lot ofblahhad shot across the table like bullets.

“Of course she hasn’t seen the trust deed!” Gwen gritted out, digging back into the duffel and grabbing another handful of paperwork. “I’m keeping it from her, remember? I’m biding my time to get my revenge.” She barked a frustrated laugh. “This isn’t possible! I didn’t sign anything!”

“Maybe you signed it and didn’t realize it? I signed that waiver thing at rock climbing with Zach and didn’t read a damn thing. I pointed at a line and signed. Boom!”

Gwen speared me with a glare. “I’m a lawyer. I don’t sign anything without reading it. And it’s not like your dad could’ve just slipped a bit of paper under my nose, and, whoops, I’m now administering your family’s fortune. There would’ve been a hundred things to sign. The deed. Titles over all the properties. Accounts.” She went very still. “You…believe me…” Her head turned, an anguished expression cutting deep lines around her mouth. “Don’t you?”

I didn’t hesitate to shut down any doubts she had. “One hundred percent. Nah…make that onethousandpercent. Tanya does, too. You heard her. She scored Dad full points for pulling the ultimate power move from beyond the grave.”

---