Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Isla had touched Julian deeply with her quiet strength at a time of deep despair over the demise of her marriage.
Petite, with light brown shoulder-length hair and lovely brown eyes, she looked nothing like Denny, who was much taller and a true blond.
While Julian had never met Denny’s parents, they’d already been friends when Denny had been forced to step up for his younger sister long before he was ready for that kind of responsibility.
After Isla signed the retainer agreement and went to collect the kids, Denny said, “I need a minute alone before we go.”
Julian reached for the signed retainer. Mattie would see to listing Isla as a client in their internal database so no one else in the firm would agree to represent her husband. “I’ll ask Mattie to show Isla and the kids my dad’s fish tank.”
“Thanks.”
To the kids, he said, “Do you guys want to see my dad’s super cool fish tank?”
“Yes!” Theo exclaimed.
They abandoned the toys on the floor and ran over to their mom, who held out her arms to them.
She scooped them up in a practiced move that impressed Julian, who had almost no experience with little ones except for his siblings.
But he hadn’t been solely responsible for them when they were younger and couldn’t recall ever scooping up two of them in one smooth move the way Isla had.
He opened the office door. “Mattie, Isla and the kids would like to see Dad’s fish. Would you mind taking them?”
“You got it. Follow Ms. Mattie, and I’ll show you the way.”
“Thank you.”
“What’s going on?” Isla asked Denny when she realized he wasn’t going with them.
“Band business. I just need a minute.”
“Don’t talk about me.”
“Please… Don’t be so full of yourself.”
She gave him the exasperated look that sisters had been giving brothers for all of time and carried the kids out of Julian’s office.
“She’s not taking any of your shit,” Julian said to his friend when they were alone. “I love that.”
“Everything I’ve ever done has been to try to protect her. You believe me, right?”
“I do.”
“When our parents died… I had no clue what to do with a young girl who’d lost the most important people in her life while trying to manage my own shock and grief. I came home from Colorado and became her legal guardian, which was more complicated than you might think.”
“I can’t imagine what that would’ve been like.”
“It was tough. She had to do what I told her to, and I tried to be reasonable, but I had no clue what I was doing, and we fought. A lot. Especially as she got older and wanted more independence. We muddled through, you know? One day at a time, as they say, but it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
When she met Gabriel, she was immediately gone over him, but he always made me uncomfortable.
There was just something… off. I don’t know how to explain it, but I was adamantly opposed to her marrying him, which was the first time we were seriously at odds since our parents died. We didn’t speak for months.”
“That must’ve been rough.”
“It was the worst, and it happened right around the time I was leaving Revenge Tour, which was also horrible.” The breakup of Denny’s first real band had been a nightmare that’d cost him three close friends.
“I remember that.”
Denny ran his fingers through his mop of hair. “That’s why I kept the money hidden from Isla. I had zero faith in her husband.”
Julian thought about the divorce he’d brokered five years earlier for Denny and his ex-wife, Kath, in which the money from his parents had been treated as community property, since he and his wife had used some of it to buy a house, among other things.
Denny had been the executor of their parents’ estate as well as Isla’s legal guardian until she turned eighteen.
All the money that was left to them would’ve gone to him to manage for both of them.
“I’ve never told Isla about the money because at first I didn’t trust her not to burn through it during her rebellious stage, and then I didn’t trust Gabriel not to go through it like a madman, the way he apparently has with all their other money.
I’m afraid she’ll hate me for not telling her before now. ”
“You said she knew you didn’t want her to marry Gabriel. Maybe she’ll understand why you didn’t tell her about the money.”
“She won’t. She’ll never speak to me again.”
“You’re her family. You and the kids. She won’t turn her back on you if you tell her you kept this from her to protect her.”
“I don’t know what to do. It’s been eating me up inside for a long time because I knew they struggled financially, but I had no idea that things were this bad with him.
She always told me everything was fine, the kids were great, things were good.
I was so afraid of Gabriel looting the whole thing, which is the only reason I never told her about it.
I helped her out with college, paid the upfront costs on their apartment.
I did what I could to help them without giving away to him that there was more. ”
“Tell her that.”
“I can’t.”
“Do you want me to talk to her?”
Denny brightened considerably. “Would you?”
“Sure.” Julian would do it to help his friend, even if the situation was awkward. Isla had the right to the money her parents had left for her. “Remind me of the details again. It’s been a minute since we settled your divorce.”
A few minutes later, Isla returned with Mattie and the kids, who were excited about the fish tank and wanted to show it to their uncle.
Denny picked up Mila and took Theo’s hand. “Show me.”
“Is that okay?” Isla asked Julian. “We’re disrupting your whole office.”
“It’s fine. My dad loves when people enjoy his tank. Did you see him?”
“No, just his assistant, Luka.”
“Ah, okay. He must be out of the office, or he would’ve come out to see the kids. He loves kids, which is probably why he and my mom had nine of them.”
“You have nine kids in your family?”
“I do,” he said with a smile. “I’m the oldest of the Remington banana republic.” He gestured toward the chairs. “Have a seat for a second?”
“Oh, um, okay.”
She was lovely, with pale skin suffused with a rosy glow that became more so when she was flustered.
Her eyes conveyed warmth and humor as well as anxiety on behalf of herself and her children.
If he’d met her under other circumstances, he might’ve wanted to get to know her better.
Under these circumstances, she was off-limits as a client.
Not to mention, she was the beloved baby sister of his close friend.
“Denny has something he needs you to know, but he’s concerned you’ll be angry with him for not telling you before now.”
She sat perfectly still, seeming to barely breathe while she waited for whatever new bomb was about to drop on her life.
“I offered to talk to you about it because he wants you to know that he loves you very much, and everything he did was to protect you and your children.”
“Please tell me. You’re scaring me.”
“Your parents left you money. Denny has kept it from you because he was afraid Gabriel would burn through it.”
She let out a cry of distress. “Oh my God! Is that even legal? Can he do that?”
“As the executor of the estate, it was within his purview to manage it as he saw fit. And I want to add an important point. That you didn’t know about it until today keeps it out of Gabriel’s reach in the divorce.
It’ll be treated as your separate property as opposed to community property that you’d be required to divide with him. ”
“How much is it?”
“They had a million in life insurance between them. Half went toward support for you guys after they died, and the other half was divided between the two of you. Two hundred fifty thousand was invested conservatively for you and is at about six hundred thousand now.”
She covered her mouth with her hand, as if trying to contain her shock. After a moment of charged silence, she said, “If they left him the same amount, then why is he living in a shithole apartment and working like a dog to pay his child support?”
“Because he’s invested the money for his retirement.”
“I can’t believe he decided this for me like I’m still a child.”
“Let me ask you something… If he’d told you about it six years ago when you turned twenty-five, how would you feel about giving Gabriel half of whatever was left during the divorce proceeding, assuming there was anything left?”
“If it was mine, why would I have to give him half?”
“Because if you had access to the money during the marriage, it most likely would become community property under California law. That means half of it would be owed to him upon divorce, especially if you’d used any part of it for household expenses, rent or a mortgage or anything that benefited both of you. ”
After giving her a minute to process that information, he added, “Denny protected what was yours from being lost to a man who’d take a baseball bat to your home and possessions while you and your children hid in fear for your lives.”
Her eyes went bright with tears.
Julian handed her a tissue. “I’m sorry to be blunt like that, but it’s the truth. I’m not just saying this because he’s my friend, but Denny protected you and your assets. He did you a huge favor.”
“I guess the good news is now I can afford to pay you.”
“No charge for Denny’s sister. He’s been my friend for twenty years.”
“That’s very kind of you. Everyone has been so kind.” Isla covered her face with the tissue. “I’m sorry.”
“I’ll give you a minute.”
He left his office, closing the door.
“Everything all right?” Mattie asked.
“It will be. Not today, but in time.”
“Her kids are precious. The little guy is so polite and inquisitive. They loved the fish.”
“I figured they would.”
“Are you okay? You look strange in the eyes.”
He loved the way Mattie said things—and how well she knew him, which was helpful most of the time. “This is a tough one.”
“Aren’t they all?”