Chapter Twenty
OWEN
At exactly ten a.m. on the morning after Christmas, the whole town descends on Grandmother’s cabin. I don’t know who these people are, but they know her. She’s had a wingback chair from her bedroom moved into the foyer and greets every person who comes through the front door. It gives me the impression that she is on her throne and the townspeople are her subjects coming to pay her tribute. The tribute being leftover Christmas dinner and unwanted gifts.
I’ve never seen Grandmother so happy.
Miles stands beside her and directs people to drop off the items for the gift exchange in the dining room and food in the breakfast room. The family room is set aside for games. Music and laughter spill out into the foyer. Within an hour, it’s a rocking party.
Spencer, Dorian, Ellory, and Gerald hole up in the office. They did not take Grandmother’s suggestion to visit the library, though I’m sure they’re regretting it now. This place is loud.
Ginger had the right idea and is spending another day at the spa. I should have joined her. A massage and time spent in a sauna might knock me out of my foul mood. Except both Mom and Brady reminded me last night that I promised to make this the best Christmas, which means I can’t disappear for the day again.
Brady’s around here somewhere, surrounded by a flock of kids. Under Sadie’s influence, they’ve decided that he’s the best thing here, maybe even better than all the desserts.
Mom stays close to Miles’ side. Whatever he’s feeling for her, she must feel the same. There will be conversations about their budding relationship in the future, but that’s definitely not something for today.
I catch glimpses of Layla and Tori together. They might be avoiding me. Either because I’m not good company in my current mood, or because Layla has decided I’m a distraction. Or maybe Spencer told her she can’t spent time with me anymore. Yesterday, she did make me hide in a closet to avoid anyone seeing us together.
I wander aimlessly from room to room until I’m sick of myself. Miles’ mom Susan is in the kitchen directing help and warming food. I head there. As soon as I enter, she pats my cheeks like she did when I was a teenager, then puts me to work.
I gather empty serving plates from the breakfast room and take out full ones. Then she has me clean the fridge of leftovers from the past few days to add to what everyone else brought .
“After the family leaves on Saturday morning,” she says, “It’ll just be Mrs. Eccleston, and she can’t eat all of this.”
I come across the last of the strawberry cheesecake and grab a spoon so I can eat it myself.
When the kitchen empties of the few women who have been helping wash dishes, Susan asks, “What has you so down? I’ve never known you to be morose.”
“Woman troubles,” is as far as I get before the door from the hallway opens and Brady runs in.
“Hide me,” he whispers, as he frantically looks around.
Neither Susan nor I move, too surprised by his sudden appearance. He ducks behind the counter just as the door opens and Sadie walks through.
“Where is Brady?” she demands. Susan and I both shrug. She stomps her foot. “He’s supposed to play with me.”
Once she leaves, we’re silent until we’re sure she’s not coming back.
Brady bounces up and sits on the counter. “Thanks. I was her pony, and she’d pull on my hair when she wanted me to turn.” He rubs his scalp. “She’s cute, but she’s demanding.”
Susan chuckles. “Steal some of that cheesecake from your brother and have a break. He’s telling me about his romance troubles.”
Brady grabs a plate and a fork and takes half of my cheesecake. “Normally, I don’t care about his love life, but I like Layla.”
“Yeah, me too,” I say. My sadness leaks into my voice. “That’s the trouble.”
“Isn’t Layla engaged to your cousin?” Susan asks.
Brady and I nod .
She grabs a spoon and scoops a bite of cheesecake for herself. “You better fill me in.”
I don’t like talking about my problems, but I must need to get this off my chest because, after swearing them both to secrecy, I tell them everything. About how I knew Layla before this week, all I’ve learned about her financial situation, and the marriage agreement she has with Spencer. I pause as people come in and out with dishes, but pick up again when we’re alone.
“This is too easy,” Brady says with an unsympathetic shrug. He drops his plate in the sink. “Tell her about the millions of dollars you have from selling your bag business. I bet you have more money than Spencer does. She’ll marry you instead.”
Susan looks from Brady to me. “Bag business?”
Brady doesn’t give me a chance to answer. “Yeah, Owen started a company with a designer friend of his. Boudron. Have you ever heard of it? Because everyone else has. I saw Zendaya in a TikTok ad last week.”
Susan’s eyes widen. “You own Boudron? Ms. Rheta said you owned a landscaping business.”
Even Susan has heard of Boudron. The new marketing manager knows what she’s doing.
I give her a weak smile. “I sold my half of Boudron and bought a landscaping company to keep me busy.”
She nods as she takes in the information. “And Layla doesn’t know? I agree with Brady. Tell her what you can offer her, and she’ll see she has another option.”
“No.” They don’t understand. “I don’t want her to choose me because of my money. I want to give her money to help her and then have her choose me because I’m who she wants.”
By the way Brady is giving me the side-eye, he’s not impressed with my reasoning. “Don’t be a tool.”
I tap him on the back of his head. “I’m still your older brother. Be nice.”
He scoots further down the counter so he’s out of my reach. “I’m not being mean; I’m being honest. I don’t get you and money. You have so much of it, but you drive the same car you did when you started the bag business. You live in a fifty-year-old house with only one bathroom. You had the money to fly us out to Maine in first class, but we squished into economy. You couldn’t even splurge on business class. Look at me! I’m six feet tall! But you’re cheap. You act like it’s a sin to spend money.”
It’s a new level of low when my fourteen-year-old brother lectures me on finances. “I’m frugal, not cheap. I spend money.”
Brady levels a look at me. “No, you don’t. It’s like you’re ashamed to be rich. Since we’ve been here, it’s obvious everyone thinks you’re poor. No one knows Boudron is yours. Layla hugs her bag like it’s a pet. Spencer gave one to Tori for Christmas. It’s really cool what you’ve done, but you let everyone look down on you, and I don’t get why.”
This is the most I’ve heard Brady speak about anything other than a book in a long time and it’s unfortunate it’s to rag on me.
“Because money doesn’t matter,” I say.
My brother is not impressed. “Only someone who has money can say something so stupid. It obviously matters to Layla. ”
“Money doesn’t give my life value,” I amend. “Not having money doesn’t devalue Layla, but she seems to think it does. She’s acting like she’s a commodity to be bought. I promised her I would help her. Repeatedly. She doesn’t want my help. She doesn’t want me.”
I’m pouting, but I can’t seem to stop.
Susan pats my cheeks again. “Taking money from Spencer will not break him. Maybe she thinks you’re a landscaper like I did and didn’t accept your offer, because she believes taking money from you will harm you financially.”
“I don’t want to be chosen because of money,” I say stubbornly. “I want her to choose me because she loves me.”
Susan tisks and shakes her head. “It sounds like she doesn’t have the space in her life to worry about love. She might not feel like she has a choice. Tell her the truth and give her that choice. If she still chooses Spencer, at least you’ll know you tried everything and so will she.”
It’s not that I don’t understand what Susan and Brady are saying, but I don’t agree.
“I’ve always respected how Mom gave up everything to be with Dad,” I say. “The absence of money didn’t stop them from being together.”
“Your dad didn’t come with a bucket load of debt,” Susan says. “You’ll have to decide what you want to hold on to more: Layla or your hate for this family.”
“I don’t hate this family.”
“Ha!” Brady says.
“ Anymore . I don’t hate this family anymore.” This week has given me the chance to forgive and see the good in people I’ve villainized for years. “Susan, what do my feelings for this family have to do with Layla?”
“It seems to me you do everything you can to not be an Eccleston. Every attribute you associate with them, you do the opposite. You quit the firm to become a businessman. This family shouts to high heaven that they’re the best corporate lawyers. You hide what you’ve accomplished. You don’t buy flashy cars or a big house or vacation homes. If Spencer is wooing a girl because he has the financial means to do so, you refuse to do the same.”
“If I told Layla I have millions of dollars and she picked me, I don’t want to wonder if she did because of my money. How is that a bad thing?”
“It’s not, but do you believe Layla only likes you for your money? From everything you’ve told us, it seems to me she shares your feelings. Do you doubt that?”
I think back on our week and how happy she was when we were together. The beach, the tree farm, dinner on Christmas Eve. We’ve shared charged moments where I knew she wanted to kiss me as much as I wanted to kiss her. The attraction is not all on my end. Her belief that I don’t have money hasn’t influenced how she’s acted around me. She’s never tried to convince me to accept my inheritance.
It’s clear she isn’t obsessed with wealth. Her engagement ring is huge, but she didn’t expect Spencer to get her diamond earrings to match. She gave everyone knitted gifts quietly. Money doesn’t seem to be a big draw for her, unless it comes to caring for her grandma.
“No,” I say. “If I told her how much I have in my bank account, it wouldn’t change her feelings for me. ”
“How much do you have in your bank account?” Brady asks.
Susan and I ignore him.
“Tell Layla everything,” Susan says. “Don’t let her continue to believe she’d weigh you down with her problems. Show her you can take them on.”
“Yeah,” Brady says. “Stop being a snob about money.”
It is becoming clear that I am a snob about money. What I have sits in my investment portfolio making more money, but it doesn’t do anyone any good. What it does is make me feel superior to the rest of my extended family because I don’t flaunt it like they do.
Grandmother is doing good with her wealth; I want to do the same with mine. Specifically, in Layla’s life. Not only to help with her grandma, but to save her from a loveless marriage. She’s rejected my offer to help before, but when she knows about Boudron, it might be enough to change her mind.
I will also be one hundred percent transparent with my feelings. She should know it isn’t just a date I want, but all her years from this day onward.
First, I have to find her.