Page 23 of Terms Of Un-Endearment
In the next second, I realized it was me.
“Excuse me?” Dad said.
And I knew if I backed down then, I’d not only be in Brisbane by Monday, I’d be under his thumb for the rest of my life.
“I’m not signing the deed until you give me the chance to create a business plan and seriously consider making me the trustee of my own money.” The words came out in a rush of heat.
“Archibald, are you threatening me?” The calm in Dad’s voice was more terrifying than if he'd yelled.
“I'm asking you to give me a chance, Dad.” My chest rose and fell in heavy breaths while I waited for his reply.
“Two weeks,” he’d finally said. “You get to be the one to tell Piper she’ll have to leave the house until then. I’ve paid enough of that girl’s expenses already. She doesn’t need free room and board from me before the house is Cynthia’s.”
Then he’d hung up, and I’d gone to tell Piper she’d have to leave.
Somehow what came out of my mouth was that we’d be sharing the house for the next two weeks.
Truth is, I feel a bit bad that Piper got dragged into this. It really has nothing to do with her, and there’s enough room here for both of us. I can’t kick her out.
There aren’t any messages from Dad or Sybil, but there is a text from Dex:
Found a place. Don’t worry about me & Britt. See you Wednesday.
I stop on the stairs. I shouldn’t be disappointed. This is good for Dex and Britta. But it seems like another step toward losing the house. If Dex doesn’t need to live here for easy access to the ocean and a gym equipped with everything for his physical therapy, I have one less reason to hold on to it. And to be honest, Dex was my least selfish argument for not letting Cynthia have the house in the first place.
But, I’m not giving up on my idea that she gets money instead. It’s not just the tax issue that could make the housemore trouble than it’s worth. If she tries to sell it, the buyer pool is small. It could sit for months—possibly years—depending on the market.
If she sells it for what it’s worth, she’ll pay a huge commission to her real estate agent. Ten million is probably what she’d net from the property after all the time and expense of selling it. I truly believe that, in the long run, a cash settlement will benefit her—and Piper, too—more than this house will.
I wander toward the gym where I find Piper on the treadmill with AirPods in. She’s wearing bright pink running shorts that ride high on her thighs with a matching sports bra. I pause at the doorway, hoping she'll do something embarrassing I can video. But a few seconds in, I’m flooded with thoughts of how the pink color shows off her bronze skin and I’m mesmerized by the way her ponytail swishes across her mostly bare shoulders with every step she takes.
I feel like a creeper, so I walk into the room and wave.
Piper startles, nearly stumbling off the treadmill before catching herself and standing up straight. It’s not as embarrassing as what she caught me doing, but I take the opportunity to laugh anyway, feeling slightly vindicated. At least I don’t flip her off—yeah, I totally noticed which finger she used to push up her glasses when we were last in this room together.
Piper stops the treadmill and takes the buds out of her ears.
“You okay?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes and nods. “Do you feel better now that you’ve had a laugh at me?”
“Little bit.” I hold up my thumb and index finger, centimeters apart. “You're up early.”
“Still on New York time. I woke before my alarm and couldn't go back to sleep, so I figured I'd try out the gym.” She mops her face with a towel, then steps off the treadmill. “Hope that’s okay.”
“You don’t need my permission,” I remind her, feeling like a guest in my own home now. “But could you turn down the volume on your alarm before tomorrow?”
“Oh no, I'm so sorry! Did it wake you?”
I nod as Piper walks by me, still wiping sweat from her face. My eyes travel from her sports bra to her very short running shorts. I lose all train of thought before remembering she’s myfakesister.
“I didn’t realize it was so loud. I wanted to be sure I woke up this morning. I've got a lot to do before I start my internship tomorrow.” She pats her chest with the hand towel.
She’s been hiding a fair set of curves under all her flowy skirts and dresses. Really nice ones.
I gulp, then move toward the door. “Not a problem. I'll check the waves. Maybe I can get a ride in this morning.”
I rush down the hall, needing to put as much space as possible between Piper and me. Forget being irritated with her and her stupid alarm. I’m irritated with myself now.
