Chapter 31
thirty-one
Cash
A ll those years loving Charlie from afar, I thought I knew what real restraint was.
I didn’t.
Not until I was forced to stand on that stage, singing a love song about a girl who was sprinting from the concert like hot lava was nipping at her heels. It took every bit of willpower I possessed to stay there and finish the next two songs.
The second I was done, Bowen met me at the bottom of the stairs and showed me a TikTok someone had already posted. My hands fisted into my hair as I watched the whole sickening thing go down again, this time with words.
I jogged for the school, texting like mad.
Hey. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?
I burst through the band room doors—the makeshift green room—and scrambled, hunting for my truck keys. I dropped them in my pocket and sent another frantic text.
Don’t listen to a word they said. You’re perfect and beautiful and there’s nothing I would change about you. Please believe that.
Dad stepped into the room. “Hey. You have to do the press junket.”
“Dad,” was all I said, not knowing how I could go one more minute without seeing Charlie in person and making sure she was okay. In the last ten minutes, I’d run every worst-case scenario through my head, all of them ending with me coming home to find her gone for good.
“I know.” He looked sick. “Theo said he won’t let her out of his sight.”
I exhaled, my stomach uncoiling a smidge.
Both of our phones went off.
Charlie
I need all the adults to come over as soon as you get this. I have something I need to tell you all. See you soon.
My heart put a chokehold on my throat. She was going to tell us she was leaving. She was done being part of a famous family. And could I blame her after tonight?
“Cash,” Dad said. “Let’s get this done and then you can head over. She’ll be okay.”
Would she?
“Twenty minutes,” I said to Dad. “That’s it and I’m gone.”
He nodded. “Twenty minutes.”
It killed me to put a smile on my face and answer their questions but I did it. True to his word, right at the twenty-minute mark, my dad stepped up to the microphone and took over, excusing me.
Forty-five minutes after she’d left the concert, Dad and I came rolling over the hill to her parents’ house. Vehicles lined the driveway. Despite the hour, the front yard buzzed with kids playing touch football. Whatever was happening inside had pushed bedtimes to the back burner.
“What up, Cash! Funcle Ford!” Blaze hooted as he dodged out of his sister’s grasp.
I gave him a hasty wave and jogged for the front door. We could see the family through the sidelights and hear their loud chatter, so we didn’t bother knocking.
Charlie stood in front of her TV, facing everyone else who’d gathered in the living room. I started for her but she held her hand up, silently asking me to stay where I was.
Ouch.
Her shoulders rose and fell a few times, eyes on her perfectly green-pastel polished toes, and then she began, “I didn’t ask you all to come because of what happened tonight.” She lifted her eyes. “But what happened tonight is why I’m finally telling you the whole truth.”
“Do we not know the whole truth?” Granny hissed to Gramps. “Is there actually more?”
“Yes,” Charlie said, though she wasn’t supposed to hear what Granny had said. Granny’s face confirmed it. But we Duprees had never been great at whispering. “Unfortunately, there’s more.” Her hands twisted around each other as she gave us a worried look. “I’d burn my entire life to the ground and take this to my grave to keep you all out of it.”
“Charlie,” Tally said, horrified. “We’re your family. We’re going to love you no matter what.”
“I know,” she said with a nod. “You all love me way more than I deserve.”
“That’s not true,” Theo said.
“We only love you three-quarters of what you deserve,” Bowen said, making everyone laugh a little.
“Speak for yourself,” I said.
Charlie held up her hand. “The thing is, I know God is prodding me to get it out. He won’t stop punishing me until I do. Or at least He won’t shield me from the bad until I come clean.”
“That’s not how God works,” Aunt Lemon said.
Tally shook her head. “That’s the God you believe in. We Jews believe firmly in divine reward and punishment.”
“But I thought you believed in Jesus,” Anna said, her face screwed up in confusion. I was confused myself. Tally, Charlie, and Theo had become Messianic Jews back when I was in high school.
“I do,” Tally waved that away. “We do.” She pointed between herself, Charlie, and Theo. “But we still have Jewish beliefs and that’s part of it.”
“We’ll take it,” Granny said, rubbing her hands together. “We’re just glad you believe in Jesus.”
“I know the secret,” Griffin said to Liam. “Charlie murdered someone. How much you wanna bet?”
“I didn’t murder anyone,” Charlie said. “Though I’m about to if y’all don’t let me finish.”
My heart was hammering in my chest and I wanted to shout at everyone to shut up. Whatever this secret was, it was big enough that her hands were shaking.
She released a slow exhale. “I’m just going to say it and I want you all to let me finish before you lose your minds.” She shook out her hands. “The truth is…” She looked at me like we were the only two people in the room. “The reason I keep telling you we should wait to get married isn’t because I don’t want to marry you. Because I do. It’s the only thing I want. And if I could, I’d head down to the courthouse tomorrow morning and make it happen.”
“Let’s go,” I said, trying to ease the pressure. “I’ll iron my suit when I get to the house.”
“It’s closed for the weekend but I’m sure we could figure something out,” Uncle Holden added.
“No, ma’am.” Tally shook her head. “We are having a big old wedding to make up for the first one that we all missed. Don’t you even think of eloping, you understand me?”
Everyone laughed. Everyone but me and Charlie.
Still looking at me, she said, “I wish I could…but that’s not an option. Probably not in five years either.” All the air in my body released in one big whoosh, like she’d sucker punched me in the stomach. “Because I’m five hundred and fifty thousand dollars in debt,” she said slowly and clearly so we couldn’t possibly misunderstand.
My stomach dropped to the floor.
The room erupted.
“ And !” she yelled, silencing them immediately, still looking at me, determined to finish. “I refuse to saddle anyone else with that kind of debt.” I was anyone . “Skin grafts and a stay in the ICU are stupid expensive with good insurance. But…” She took another breath and blew it out. “I didn’t have any when the accident happened.”
Ashton had both hands braced behind his head, like he’d just been hit and was trying to stay standing. Same, Ash, same.
“What?” Tally said, aghast.
Ashton shot Charlie a glare. “You told us you had Medicaid and it covered everything.”
It was the same story she’d told me when I asked.
Charlie shook her head and visibly swallowed. “I lied. I didn’t want to stress you out. But I’ve already paid eighty-five thousand off and?—”
“In the last year?” Ashton asked. “How? You didn’t make that flipping pancakes.”
“The music video for one,” she said. “That was twenty thousand. Then there was my IHOP job. But most of it came…from performing on street corners in L.A.”
I didn’t know what to think about that. Didn’t know what to think about any of it. I pictured the knoll where I wanted to build our house. I’d priced a few types and sizes—from a basic farmhouse to more modern plans with walls of glass overlooking the lake. But even for the smallest home we’d need a hefty down payment. With as much debt as Charlie had, we might get it built about the time our kids graduated high school. Unless I made it really big with my music, like Dad.
Charlie gave me a pleading look. I couldn’t even hold her stare. I turned away, facing the picture window overlooking the yard.
A hailstorm of words flew behind me. But as I stood there watching my younger cousins outside, laughing and whooping, oblivious and carefree, I wished I was back there. Wished Charlie and I were still kids, catching fireflies, teasing each other, fishing and swimming all summer. She could blame herself but this was just as much my fault as it was hers. If I would’ve told her how I felt all those years ago, none of this would’ve happened.
Dad’s voice pulled me to the present. “We’re already on top of it. You don’t need to worry. Blue and I have it covered.”
Charlie’s head gave a shake, like she hadn’t heard him right. “What do you mean you’re already on top of it?”
“I mean, that I hired a PI right after that segment aired on The Truth Is and I’ve known about the debt for about a week now.”
What?
Everyone was staring at Dad, except for Blue, Holden, and Mom, who clearly already knew.
“Why are y’all looking at me like that?” Dad said like he was shocked the rest of us hadn’t figured it out. “I wanted to make sure she was really in the clear. Turns out, she’s not.”
Silas huffed. “I can’t believe y’all have been having a powwow and didn’t include me.”
Again, same.
“It’s ’cause you’re a tightwad,” Bowen snickered.
Silas shut him up with a hard stare.
Ash swung his glare on my dad. “I should’ve been included in your discussion. I’m her father.”
Blue smiled. But that sucker always smiled. “You just had your sixth kid. Keep your money.”
“We’ll help,” Aunt Christy said.
“And so will we,” Silas said defiantly.
“Us too,” Gramps said.
Panic flashed across Charlie’s face—like she was trapped in a cave with rising water. “No! This is my mistake and I’m going to fix it.”
Ashton stepped from behind Tally. “It wasn’t a mistake. You didn’t do anything to deserve this.”
“It’s too much debt,” Gramps said. “Surely you can see that.”
Everyone started in, talking over each other.
I’d listened to what they all had to say and I appreciated that they wanted to help. But Charlie was my responsibility now and it was time for them to start realizing that.
“I’ll cover it,” I said, over the noise. “I got my advance. Thank you, Dad.” I gave him a nod. “And we can?—”
“Absolutely not!” Mom retorted. “You are twenty-two years?—”
“And I love her,” I shot back. “So I’m going to take care of it.”
“Ford!” Mom yelped.
Dad groaned, dragging a hand down his face.
“We all love her,” Ashton snorted in my direction, like this had suddenly turned into a chest thumping match. “Y’all are pissing me off. Let me take care of my kid. Put your wallets away.”
Dad sighed. “Ash, be logical. If Blue and I cover it, we won’t even feel it.”
Ashton rolled his eyes. “You know, it’s starting to get old that you’re always throwing your money in our faces like freaking Scrooge McDuck. Let me guess, your mattress is stuffed with dollar bills.”
Dad looked completely wounded.
“ Ashton ,” Tally said, horrified.
“Well, it’s true.”
Holden chuckled. “Ford can throw his money our way any time he wants.”
Aunt Christy raised her hands to the roof, seconding that.
“Stop acting like a jackass,” Mom barked, eyes blazing at Ashton. “Ford’s just trying to help.”
“We don’t need anyone’s help,” Ashton said with a huff. His eyes snapped to my dad, full of fire. “I swear on Grandma Louise’s grave, Ford, if you--”
“You aren’t swearing on your grandmother’s grave,” Granny snapped. “What is wrong with?—”
“—pay off her bills, we will tussle in the front yard and you won’t come out on—” Ashton tried to finish.
“ I’ve got it!” Charlie roared, silencing the room. “This is why I didn’t tell you all! I made this mess when I married Lorne and I’m the one who needs to clean it up.” She looked directly at me, her expression pleading for me to understand. “It might take me a decade but I am paying it off and no one else. My credit is completely shot and I love you too much to drag you into my financial ruin.” Her hands balled into fists. “I won’t.”
The room was zero decibels, a total shutdown, as everyone’s attention volleyed between the two of us.
“What do you want me to say?” I asked, so frustrated I wanted to punch something. “Do you know how hard it is for me to leave you every night, even to drive up the hill and sleep in my own bed? There’s enough money in this room to wipe your debt out in a blink.” I threw my arms out. “I mean, take your pick, really. But no. You’re determined to be as stubborn as ever, too hard headed to accept anyone’s help.” She stared at me, shamefaced, but I didn’t hear her relent. So I kept going. “Just rushing headlong into decisions, not taking anyone else’s feelings into account. Telling us all how it’s gonna be. And you think I’m going to be okay with that?” I exhaled carefully. Then I looked her right in the eye and very slowly but firmly said, “You are out of your damn mind if you think I’m waiting a decade to marry you.”
Everyone let out a collective oof.
Her face fell like I’d shattered her. But she wasn't as shattered as I was right now.
“Cash,” she said, taking one step toward me.
I held a hand up to stop her. “No.”
Then, for once, I turned and walked out of the house.