Love Next Door (Lakeside 1)

“You’re a selfish bastard,” Teagan snaps.

“And you’re his damn lapdog!” Bradley says, motioning to our dad. “It’s pathetic the way you’re always pandering to whatever Dad wants. Taking care of him like he’s already an invalid. Staying in this stupid house, and for what?” His angry gaze shifts to Dad. “It’s not like any of us are going to get anything when you finally kick the bucket. You’re a walking corpse. You stopped living as soon as Mom died; you just don’t have the decency to do yourself in. Instead you bury yourself in work! Money is the only thing left you can give us, and you don’t even have any to give.”

“Bradley, you need to watch your mouth,” I snap. “You’ve already done regrettable things; don’t burn what’s left of your bridges because you’ve got an ill-placed vendetta.”

“I’m not wrong!”

I can’t believe how unaffected he is by what he has done. It’s like he doesn’t even know that it was wrong. It reminds me of what Dillion said—that sometimes we don’t want to see the truth, so we make up one that suits us better.

“But you’re not right either,” Dad says quietly. “Framing your brother and stealing from the foundation isn’t the answer. I realize I haven’t been the best role model, or even a very good father, but there’s more to life than money, Bradley.”

“What about Grammy’s cottage? Why go after that, especially after stealing the three million?” I need an answer, even though I’m probably not going to like it, or understand his motivation.

“Everything comes so easily for you. You’ve always been the golden boy who can do no wrong. It doesn’t matter what I do; I’ll never be as good as you. Hell, I’ve worked with Dad since I could hold a job, and still it’s you and all your successes and how much you’ve accomplished. Everyone fawns over you. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is? So I figured I’d take the thing that mattered most to you so you’d know what it’s like to lose out.”

“What you’ve done to your own family is shameful, Bradley,” Dad says. “If your mother were still here, she would be devastated.”

“Well, she’s dead, and I never really knew her because of you. She’s been gone for almost two decades, so how she would’ve felt is hardly relevant. Stop living in the damn past!”

My dad pushes out of his chair. “This isn’t a good reason for tearing what’s left of your family apart, Bradley. This isn’t something I can fix for you. You’re going to have to deal with this mess on your own.” I haven’t seen this version of my father in a long time.

Bradley’s demeanor shifts, and he looks suddenly panicked. “So what are you going to do? Make me pay it all back?”

“No.”

Bradley’s shoulders sag with relief, but only for a moment.

“You’re going to report yourself to the board and the police, and then you’re going to deal with the consequences of your actions. And if you don’t make the call, I will.”

His gaze darts around the room, and his half smirk slowly fades as he takes in Teagan and me, a somber, united front against him. I see the moment he realizes Dad is serious.

“But I could go to jail!”

“You should have considered that before you framed your own brother.”

There’s no satisfaction in watching my brother being taken away from our family home in handcuffs. Clearing my own name lacks the kind of closure I wanted, because it shines yet another negative spotlight on my family. And all the issues my dad has been burying for years are finally out in the open. I can handle it, because I don’t have to stay here and watch the fallout, but my dad and my sister don’t have the escape I do, and I worry that this will only serve to tear us further apart.

CHAPTER 27

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?

Van

The next few weeks definitely aren’t easy. People love gossip, especially the scandalous kind. I worry that my family drama is going to be too much for Dillion to handle on top of everything else she’s dealing with. Especially since my dad doesn’t bail Bradley out, and as predicted, he ends up in jail. Nothing says newsworthy headlines like your brother going to prison for fraud.

But Dillion stands by me.

In fact, the more drama there is, the more she and her family work to insulate me from it. I get invited over for dinners. Pies show up on my front porch. And through it all, Dillion is there, not only for me, but for Teagan as well, who has been visiting nearly every weekend.

While everything settles in the city, I decide to stay in Pearl Lake through the winter. I’m not in a rush to go back, and with the design jobs I’ve picked up on the lake thanks to referrals from Aaron and Footprint Renovations, I’m easily able to manage the simple lifestyle I’ve grown to love in Pearl Lake. I don’t know if it’s enough to make a career out of, but I’m getting by. And now that the $3 million in missing funds isn’t hanging over my head, companies are no longer shoving my résumé aside.