Chapter 8
EIGHT
LIANE
I’ve managed to keep my increasingly murderous thoughts about my son’s girlfriend at bay long enough for us all to leave the solicitor’s office and make it to a nearby restaurant for a late lunch.
Having heard how much he stood to inherit, Scott, unsurprisingly, decided to give himself the rest of the day off from fixing cars.
Frederik was done with work, too, and texted his boss asking for the afternoon off after some ‘developments in the family’.
Development is certainly one way to describe how it feels for my husband and me to have inherited a vast amount of money almost overnight.
As for Joel, as he is currently unemployed, he didn’t have to worry about work today, and given his chunk of inheritance, he might not have to worry about it for a while.
The same could possibly be said for Haven and, judging by the big grin that is still on her face, I’d say she is certainly thinking about the fact that she has gone from being broke to now in a relationship with a guy who has a substantial windfall coming his way.
That’s the reason why I’m still watching Haven like a hawk as we take our seats in this restaurant and are handed our menus by a friendly waitress.
I’m watching Haven because I’m still trying to figure out if the only reason she is here at all is because she knew Joel was coming into some money and once he has it, she is planning to spend it.
I don’t want that to be the case.
I really don’t want my son to get hurt.
‘Order what you like, everyone. Lunch is on us,’ Frederik says before glancing at me to check I’m okay with that.
I have no reason not to be. I can hardly dispute being a little generous with our money now we are going to have so much more of it very shortly.
‘That sounds good to me,’ Scott says with a satisfied sigh. ‘I think I’ll have the steak.’
‘Me too,’ says Joel.
‘I might order the salmon,’ Haven says. ‘Are we getting starters too?’
That could be an innocent question, or a cheeky one considering someone else is picking up the tab, but I let it go, mainly because Frederik tells her that starters are very much on the menu today as well.
I should make a decision on what I want for lunch, but the truth is, I cannot concentrate on the list of dishes in front of me.
Not when there is so much going on in my mind.
Mum’s death. Mum’s money. The impact the inheritance will have on mine and my husband’s lives.
The practical conversations that need to be had.
The changes that might come about from it.
But even more pressing than all of that is the worry I have that somebody seated at this table stands to gain from my dear mother’s death despite never really knowing her.
Of course I don’t count any social media messages between Haven and Valerie as really knowing each other, whatever Haven might insist.
Maybe it’s just sheer luck on Haven’s part that her boyfriend has just inherited ￡75,000 at a time when neither of them had any savings, any income or anywhere else other than my house to live.
Or maybe it was a calculated plot on Haven’s part to get exactly what she wanted.
Could Joel have mentioned to her during their time in Australia that his grandmother had saved quite a lot of money and that one day, when she passed, he would stand to gain some of it?
It’s possible, and if so, Haven could have taken that private information and made a plan with it.
Why bother worrying about what she would do with her life when her travelling days were over if all she had to do was keep herself attached to my son and wait for his inheritance to come in?
‘Are we ready to order?’ the waitress asks after returning to our table, and despite me not feeling ready at all, everyone else seated with me says yes.
As starters, mains of steaks and salmon, as well as champagne and cocktails are ordered, it’s as if I can see my mother’s hard-earned money flittering away before my very eyes.
I know Mum would have wanted us to enjoy the money she worked hard over her lifetime to accumulate, and she won’t begrudge any of us having a lavish meal like this one to toast to her and the wonderful woman that she was.
But I’m sure she would begrudge somebody enjoying this money who perhaps does not deserve to.
Somebody like Haven, who might have seemed all nice and polite in the messages she sent online, but who may very well be hiding a dark ulterior motive beneath that pretty face of hers.
‘Liane?’ Frederik says and I realise everyone is looking at me, including the waitress, who has her pen poised over her notepad to take down my order.
‘Oh, erm, sorry,’ I say, realising I need to figure out what I want to order and fast.
I glance quickly at the menu and see a Caesar Salad on there, so I just order that, along with a glass of sparkling water.
‘Is that it? A salad?’ Frederik cries, feigning mock dismay. ‘You’ve got to get something bigger than that, surely.’
‘I’m not very hungry,’ I say before smiling politely at the waitress as I hand her back the menu.
As she scurries away to pass on our orders to the kitchen staff, the conversation at the table quickly resumes.
‘So, what are you going to spend your money on, bro?’ Joel asks Scott.
‘I think I’ll invest it in the garage,’ Scott replies rather sensibly. ‘I could expand. Maybe hire another mechanic. Take on more work. I think Grandma would have liked that.’
‘I like the sound of that too,’ I say with a smile, glad that my eldest seems to have sensible plans for the money. It could be worse. He could be planning to go to Vegas and blow it all on bad bets and pool parties like I’m sure some single guys in their twenties would.
‘That’s safe,’ Joel says to his brother. ‘Safe and boring.’
‘Okay, so what are you going to do with your money?’ Scott fires back.
‘I’m not sure yet,’ Joel replies.
‘There’s no need to rush. Take your time and think about it, the money’s not going anywhere,’ Frederik advises his youngest son. ‘Although don’t take too long either because we don’t want you living with us forever.’
Frederik and Scott laugh as Joel rolls his eyes.
‘Don’t worry, I’m sure we won’t be with you for too long now,’ Haven suddenly speaks up. ‘We can get ourselves an apartment, can’t we, Joel? In the city, like we talked about.’
‘Like you talked about?’ I reply. ‘So you discussed my mother’s inheritance money before you even knew how much you were getting?’
‘No, that’s not what I mean. I was just saying that Joel and I have talked about living in the city, and we always liked the idea of an apartment in one of those complexes with a pool and a gym, so we might do that.’
‘With my mother’s money,’ I add.
Haven doesn’t say anything to that, but she doesn’t need to because I’ve made my point very clear.
‘Is there a problem here?’ Joel asks me then, his question directed only at me, not at his girlfriend.
‘A problem? Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that my mother’s body has barely had time to go cold in the ground and your new girlfriend here is talking about using her money to buy a swanky apartment in the city so she can use the pool and gym facilities.’
‘I didn’t say anything about buying,’ Haven corrects me. ‘We would rent, wouldn’t we, Joel? And I would only do it if Joel wanted to. It is his grandma’s money, after all.’
‘Yes, it is,’ I say firmly.
‘What’s going on here?’ Joel asks me again. ‘If you have a problem with Haven then you need to tell us what it is.’
That question puts me on the spot and everyone around the table is quiet as they wait for my response. I realise that if I say the wrong thing here, it could result in my youngest son falling out with me, and I don’t want that.
‘There is no problem,’ I lie.
‘Your face says otherwise,’ Haven replies.
‘Excuse me?’ I snap.
‘You’re looking at me like you hate me, so tell me what the problem is,’ Haven demands.
She asked for it.
‘I don’t know, maybe the fact that you have suddenly come into a lot of money by being with my son and it seems very convenient for you considering you have no job or place to live without him.’
‘What are you saying? That I’m only with him for this money?’ Haven asks.
‘Maybe I am,’ I say, which feels like a very foolish thing to admit when I don’t actually have any evidence, but it’s too late because I’ve already gone and said it now.
‘How dare you?’ Haven cries, but how else could she respond to that?
‘Forget about lunch,’ Joel says, suddenly standing up. ‘We’re leaving.’
‘Wait, what?’ Frederik cries as Haven stands up too. ‘We’ve ordered our food. Sit down, let’s try and enjoy it.’
‘How can we enjoy it when Mum clearly has a problem with me and Haven?’ Joel says.
‘I don’t have a problem with you,’ I reply to my son.
‘So just me then?’ Haven asks.
I don’t answer that question quickly enough to prevent Joel shaking his head at me before he leads his girlfriend towards the door.
As Frederik calls after them and Scott looks around for that beer he ordered, I realise I have made a total mess of this. It’s not as if I won’t get the chance to see them again soon though. They live with us, for now at least, until they sort out whatever apartment they want to move into.
That means I will have the chance to rectify this issue with them.
Or make it worse…