Page 23 of Patio Lanterns

“Damn straight,” Robin said.

Lark shook her head. “Well, what about Nova? What about Nova’s kids and their kids’ kids…? What about your future kids, that is, if you ever settle down—”

“I said keep the freaking cottage in the family,” Robin barked. “All I want is my fair share. No reason to lay a guilt trip.”

“Please you guys,” Dove spoke up. “Let’s all just take a deep breath, okay? We don’t need to decide this today.”

Robin ignored her middle sister’s white flag waving. “Look around. Lake Whippoorwill isn’t even the same place anymore. Old neighbours have moved on and new neighbours are moving in. Did you happen to count the number of cottages for sale around here?”

“That may be so, but our great-grandfather built this place. After a hundred years, we can’t be the generation of Pelletiers who throw it all away,” Lark reminded them. “Not to mention that the Blue Canoe Cottage is our lasting connection to Mom and Dad.”

“I know,” Robin said softly, lowering her eyes.

“Like I said, we don’t have to decide anything right now,” Dove said. “But I think we really ought to talk about this again before we leave. Who knows the next time we’ll be together?”

“I agree,” Lark said, clearing her throat. “And while we’re on the subject of finances, there’s something we need to address about Mom’s will.”

Lark wore the title of their mother’s executor like a crown. Just like she did being the first-born unicorn. Not that Robin wanted that job or would’ve even been considered runner-up for the top spot, but if she had, she was certain she would’ve handled it with a tad more humility.

“Mom gave me power of attorney and put me in charge of managing her estate, which, as you know, includes distributing assets to her beneficiaries. Aside from the cottage, she also left each of us a tidy sum of money.”

Robin wiggled upright in her chair. A sum? No one called any amount a “sum” unless it was substantial. Was it four figures? Five? Even if it wasn’t on the higher end, surely it would be enough to tide her over for a lost summer without a steady paycheque from the Dawn Cherries. She had fallen behind on paying rent at the house she sometimes shared with four others, if they even bothered to assume she was coming back and hadn’t sold her possessions. Plus, she’d already maxed out her lower-than-zinc credit card. “Exactly how much are we talking here?”

“Let me put it this way,” Lark said. “It would be enough for you to buy a decent vehicle, go back to school to finish your degree so you can finally get a real job, and still have enough left over to find a nice place of your own.”

Robin scoffed at anyone telling her what to do with her money. “But I get to spend it on whatever I want, right?”

Lark sighed to Dove. “See? This is exactly what I was afraid of.”

“Rob,” Dove said gently. “This money could help you achieve your future goals. You could set up a retirement fund or a tax-free savings plan, and with the right investments, you could grow—”

“Whoa, whoa, wait a minute,” Robin stopped her. “I don’t want to let it grow. I need that money now. My bank account is running on fumes.”

Lark shook her head. “Mom didn’t want you squandering her money away.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call buying food and paying rent squandering.”

“Rent?” Dove said. “I honestly thought you lived in that van.”

“Well, yes, sometimes I do,” Robin admitted. “But only when I’m on the road or if the band’s been kicked out of a hotel in the middle of the night again.”

“God, you and those hooligans!” Lark howled. “This nonsense has to stop, little sister. It’s time for you to grow up and get a life. I mean a real life.”

There it was. Robin looked around for a shot of vodka to down. No such luck.

“Like it or not, sometimes I sleep in the back of my van, and sometimes I shower at truck stops. Sometimes I don’t eat a single vegetable for a week, and sometimes I like to party until someone calls the cops at three in the morning. So what? My life is my life, and just because you don’t approve of it doesn’t make me a loser.”

“Relax, no one is calling you a loser,” Dove said. “But maybe you just need…”

“What? To grow up and get my shit together?” Robin finished for her. “Well, maybe I do have my shit together, but you two are too busy living your perfectly-manicured lives to notice.”

“Yet, you can’t make ends meet,” Lark said. “If only you’d finished school and gotten a decent job instead of running around with a tattooed travelling circus.”

Robin ho-hummed. “You really need to change your tune. That one’s really worn out.”

Lark’s eyes narrowed. “How about this one? Until you can prove that you won’t blow your inheritance on partying, you’re not going to see a penny of it until your thirty-second birthday.”

“What?!” wailed Robin. “You can’t do that.”

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