Page 59 of Terms Of Un-Endearment
I nod. Cynthia and I have more in common than I ever realized. “I was sixteen when Dad suggested making him trustee over my ‘Surf City’ earnings.” I start, then tell her the whole story about where my money is, the allowance I’m on, Dad’s demands. The one thing I don’t tell her is that he’d wanted me to send her packing.
“And the money you made coaching Dex? Did it go in the trust too?” The sympathy in her eyes encourages me to go on.
“I put it aside for Frankie after Dad cut her off. She’d refuse to take it if she knew, but I’m not touching it, anyway. Not that it would be enough to live on for long if I did, let alone start a company. I didn’t let Dex pay me much.” I stop long enough to rake a hand through my hair, forgetting there’s not a lot left to rake through. “But if I sign the deed and don’t go back to Brisbane, Dad cuts me off, too. I’ve got no money to stay in LA, let alone start Bombora.”
“Bombora?”
“That’s what I want to call it—my company.”
She opens her mouth, and I rush to say something that will convince her my plan isn’t bonkers. “But if I hold out, we canall get what we want. Your mum gets money, and I get to sell the house or gain access to my trust fund. Either option means I won’t be dependent on Dad anymore.”
“Archie—” There’s warning in her tone.
“—Honestly, Piper, it’s the best thing for all of us…”
With a hard look, she stops me from going on.
“It’s not your idea I have a problem with.” Her voice rises. “It’s the person you’re putting your trust in, and the fact you refuse to see that Malcolm’s doing the same thing to you that he’s done to Frankie, me, and Mom. He’s not going to give Mom money or give you access to your trust fund. Malcolm will never agree to any part of your plan because he’d have to give up control, which is what he lives for.”
I hear the truth in what Piper’s saying, but I’m not ready to give up on my last hope for staying in LA. “It’s not control he loves. It’s winning. That’s why, if Cynthia says she wants a payout that’s less than what the house is worth, he might go for it. The trick is to let him believe he’s won.”
Piper shifts away from me and lets out a sigh. “Malcolm’s already won. He’s cheated Mom in every way imaginable. She settled for this house—which he doesn’t technically own—when she deserves so much more. He’s taken her dignity and her self-worth, and all she gets in return is one house out of the dozen heactuallyowns.” Her voice is calm and controlled until I shake my head.
I open my mouth to argue, but she’s already speaking.
“Instead of fighting him for giving awayyourhouse, you’re fighting Mom and me.” Her voice rises, and she pulls back her shoulders. “After everything she’s been through with your dad, you want her to fight him again? You’re willing to fight me to force her to do it? Do you get how messed up that is, Archie? Because, if you don’t, you’re even more like Malcolm than I thought.”
Her words cut deep. All the way to a truth I’m not ready to face: I don’t believe I can win against Dad. Anger is the only way to run from that realization.
“If your mum hadn’t been so brutal in her demands when she first filed for divorce, we wouldn’t be here. Dad wouldn’t have had to fight in the first place.”
Piper winces, and I immediately regret what I’ve said. “Are you really trying to make my mom out to be the bad guy in all of this?”
“No!” I protest. “I’m saying they’re both at fault, and we’re caught in the middle of it. But if they both think they’ve won, then we win too. If Cynthia gets cash—and we all know she doesn’t wantthishouse—she’ll have the money to do whatever shedoeswant. She can pay off your student debt, buy you a car, even a house, if that’s what she wants to do.”
I stand and face Piper, but when she stiffens, I step back. I don’t want her to feel I’m trying to intimidate her. “And Dad will feel like he’s getting a deal if he settles for less than market value,” I say more calmly. “Yes, if I can keep the house, it works better for me—I admit that—but it works better for you and Cynthia, too. And I want that, Piper. Especially for you.”
Her shoulders soften, giving me hope, and I continue. “Your mum has moved on to someone else. She’ll be fine. But I want you to be okay, too.”
As soon as Piper’s jaw tightens, I know I’ve said the wrong thing. She stands and moves past me toward the door. “I don’t need you or Malcolm to take care of me. The only thing I need you to do is sign the deed. Then we can be done with all of this.”
I grab her arm. “Being done with this is exactly what I’m trying to do with the cash settlement. We want the same thing. If Dad gives your mum money instead of this house, you’ll have everything you need by next week.”
Her eyes drop to the hand I still have on her arm, and I slowly let it fall to my side. “If you want to put your trust in Malcolm, go ahead, but I don’t. Your cash settlement idea means going backwards, and Mom deserves to move forward. She wants the house. She shouldn’t have to cave because you suddenly want it too.”
Piper walks out before I can come up with a response. Not that I have one. Somehow, our conversation turned into an attack on Dad and me when what I want will be good for her and Cynthia, too.
I’m left questioning if Piper is right. Am I fighting her and Cynthia because I’m more likely to win than if I fight Dad? Those weren’t her exact words, but she implied it.
Maybe she’s right. Maybe Iamfighting them because the stakes are lower than fighting Dad.
If so, she’s also right about something else…
I’m like my dad in the worst possible way.
Chapter 20
Archie
