Chapter 3: The Deal Behind the Birthday
“Before it's too late for what?”” I asked.
Vanessa wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand.
“Don't make me explain everything while you're angry.””
“Then explain it while I'm calm.””
“You're not calm, Michael.””
“I'm standing in a kitchen asking my wife why her ex-husband thinks we're going to sell a car I bought for my daughter. That's considerably calmer than I feel.””
She glanced at the phone again.
I held out my hand.
“Let me see the messages.””
“No.””
“Then tell me what they mean.””
Vanessa set the phone on the counter, but kept one hand resting on it.
“Daniel has debts.””
I waited.
“He got into trouble with his business. Things went badly, and now he's behind on payments. Some people are threatening to take his house.””
“That sounds unfortunate.””
Her eyes flashed.
“Don't be cruel.””
“I'm not being cruel. I'm asking what that has to do with Olivia's car.””
Vanessa pressed her lips together.
“Daniel thought if Madison had a luxury car, we could sell it and use the money to help him. He was going to contribute some money himself.””
I stared at her.
“You planned to sell a car that didn't belong to Madison?””
“The idea was that she'd have something better first.””
“Better than what?””
“A Mercedes.””
“Vanessa, stop saying the word as if it explains anything.””
She flinched.
For six years, I'd been the man who solved problems. When the roof at Vanessa's old house leaked, I'd paid for the repairs. When Madison needed braces, I'd covered the bill. When Vanessa wanted to return to work part-time after Madison started high school, I'd encouraged her to do so without making her feel pressured about money.
I'd never demanded that she justify every dollar.
Apparently, she'd mistaken my trust for unlimited permission.
“How much does Daniel owe?”” I asked.
“I don't know exactly.””
“How much did he expect to get from selling the Mercedes?””
“Michael, the car would have been worth a lot.””
“That's not a number.””
She looked away.
“Maybe forty thousand dollars.””
I almost laughed.
The Mercedes had cost substantially more than that, and it wasn't even registered to Madison. Even if I had somehow agreed to give it to her, selling it would have been an entirely different matter.
“So you and Daniel planned to take Olivia's graduation present, sell it, and divide the proceeds?””
“No! He said the money would help the family.””
“Which family? Yours and Daniel's?””
“Madison's family!””
The words rang through the kitchen.
I looked at Vanessa carefully.
There it was.
Not an apology. Not even embarrassment.
A declaration that she and Daniel were still a unit whenever his needs became important enough.
“And where does that leave me?”” I asked.
She stared at me.
“You're her stepfather.””
“I know what I am.””
“You promised to treat Madison like your own daughter.””
“I did. I still do. But treating her like my daughter doesn't mean letting her steal from Olivia.””
Vanessa's eyes narrowed.
“You always have an answer when it comes to Olivia.””
“Because Olivia hasn't tried to take something that belongs to Madison.””
“She's your biological daughter. Of course you'll defend her.””
I felt the last thread of patience inside me begin to fray.
“This isn't about biology. It's about right and wrong.””
Vanessa picked up the phone.
“Daniel made a mistake telling me about the plan. That's all this is.””
“Did Madison know?””
She said nothing.
“Vanessa, did Madison know?””
Her silence was answer enough.
I remembered Madison grabbing Olivia's keys in the driveway. At the time, I'd thought it was an impulsive outburst born of jealousy.
Now I wondered whether she'd been reaching for something she believed she was entitled to take.
I turned toward the door.
“Where are you going?”” Vanessa demanded.
“To talk to Madison.””
“You'll make everything worse!””
“Then perhaps you should have thought about that before making secret agreements involving my daughter.””
I found Madison in the upstairs guest room, sitting on the bed with her shoes off and her phone in her hand. A designer shopping website was open on her laptop.
She looked up when I entered.
“Did Mom send you to lecture me?””
“No. I came to ask you a question.””
She closed the laptop.
“Whatever.””
“Did you know your mother and Daniel planned to sell Olivia's Mercedes?””
The color drained from her face.
For a moment, I thought she might deny it.
Instead, she tossed her hair over her shoulder.
“Dad said he needed money.””
The casual way she said it stopped me cold.
“You knew?””
Madison shrugged.
“He told me he was having problems. Mom said you could afford another Mercedes anyway.””
I pulled a chair away from the wall and sat down.
“Madison, did you know they were planning to sell the car I gave Olivia?””
“They said they'd work something out.””
“That's not what I asked.””
She looked at the floor.
“Yes.””
The answer was barely audible.
I rubbed a hand over my face.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because you would've said no.””
“Exactly.””
She crossed her arms.
“Dad said it was supposed to be mine in the first place.””
“Your father said that?””
“He told Mom you were going to give me the Mercedes. He said she had already talked to you about it.””
I felt a chill crawl up my spine.
“That never happened.””
Madison's expression wavered.
“Mom said you changed your mind.””
I stared at her.
The plan wasn't simply to sell Olivia's car. Vanessa and Daniel had apparently prepared Madison for a completely different story, one in which I had promised her a Mercedes and then deliberately humiliated her by giving her a Toyota instead.
That would explain the anger in the driveway.
It wouldn't excuse it.
“Madison, did your mother tell you to throw the keys down?””
“No.””
“Did she tell you to demand Olivia's car?””
“No, but—”
“Did she tell you to call me a bad father because I didn't give you what you wanted?””
Madison's cheeks reddened.
“I was upset.””
“You were cruel.””
She looked away.
I took a breath.
“I've spent six years trying to be a father to you. I paid for things because I wanted you to have opportunities. I showed up because I wanted you to know you mattered. But none of that means you can demand that I take something from Olivia.””
Madison's eyes filled with tears.
“It's not fair that she gets everything.””
“Everything? She worked for four years to earn her degree. She took extra shifts at a campus bookstore when she needed money.
She studied while her friends went on vacations. I didn't buy her success, Madison. I bought her a car to celebrate it.””
“I didn't ask to be born into this family!””
The words hung between us.
I stood slowly.
“No. You didn't. But you are part of it, and you still have choices about how you treat the people in it.””
She wiped her face.
“Are you taking the Toyota back?””
I looked at her.
“I haven't decided.””
Her tears stopped almost immediately.
“That's my birthday present!””
“It's a vehicle I purchased. The title hasn't been transferred, and after what I've learned, I need time to decide whether giving it to you is the right thing to do.””
“You can't do that!””
“I can, and I will if I believe you're being given something valuable for the wrong reasons.””
She sprang to her feet.
“Mom said you couldn't take it back!””
I stared at her.
“Your mother said that?””
Madison realized her mistake too late.
I reached for the doorknob.
Behind me, she blurted out, “Wait! There's something else you should know.””
I turned.
She looked terrified now, but not of losing the Toyota.
“Dad told Mom that if the Mercedes plan failed, they had another way to get the money.””
My fingers tightened around the doorknob.
“What other way?””
Madison swallowed.
Then she whispered, “They said they were going to use your signature.””
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“Use my signature on what?””
She shook her head.
“I don't know. But Dad said you'd already signed something, and Mom told him to wait until after my birthday.””
Before I could ask another question, my phone vibrated.
An email had arrived from my company's bank, marked urgent.
*Subject: Confirmation Required — New Loan Application*
I opened it.
The first line read:
Dear Mr. Carter, we are contacting you regarding the commercial loan application submitted in your name...
Below it was a digital copy of a document bearing my signature.
I had never seen it before.
But someone had signed my name.
May you like
And at the bottom of the page, listed as the proposed beneficiary of the loan proceeds, was the name of my wife's ex-husband.
Daniel Reed.
