Chapter 4 - The House Was Part of the Business Problem
Dad came to my house Sunday evening.
I did not let him inside.
Gigi was sleeping.
I stood on the porch in sweatpants while Charles remained at the bottom of the steps, looking offended that his own daughter had created a boundary.
“CV Holdings owns the house,” I said. “Why is Hale paying it every month?”
He adjusted his jacket.
“The company uses the property.”
“For what?”
“Entertaining clients. Vendor meetings. Family business.”
“Twelve thousand five hundred dollars every month?”
“It’s an arrangement.”
“Is it in writing?”
His face tightened.
That was answer enough.
“Does the bank know?”
“Clara, stop.”
“No.”
His expression hardened immediately.
“You have always had a talent for turning one disagreement into a crisis.”
“My brother hit my child yesterday.”
“And now you’re digging through business records because you’re angry.”
“I’m digging because all of you suddenly care more about Monday than Gigi.”
Dad looked toward my dark living-room window.
Then he lowered his voice.
“If you delay the refinance, we may violate conditions with our current lender.”
That was new.
“You said this was expansion financing.”
“It includes restructuring.”
“How much debt?”
He hesitated.
“Enough that timing matters.”
“Does Arthur know?”
“Of course.”
“Does Mom?”
Another hesitation.
“Yes.”
I folded my arms.
“So yesterday, all three of you knew the company was under pressure, and none of you told me.”
“We didn’t want you worrying unnecessarily.”
“You needed my signature.”
“We expected you to behave like an owner.”
That sentence almost made me smile.
“I am.”
Dad stepped closer.
“Then separate your feelings about Arthur from the business.”
“You couldn’t separate Arthur from Gigi.”
He looked away.
For the first time in my life, my father had no prepared response.
Before leaving, he tried one final argument.
“Your brother has made mistakes. But he has also kept that company running while you walked away.”
“I had a baby.”
“You left.”
“I stepped back from operations. I didn’t surrender ownership.”
Dad’s expression cooled.
“You sound like a lawyer.”
“No. I sound like someone you expected not to read what she was signing.”
After he drove away, I went back through the financial statements.
One number kept bothering me.
The company’s debt had increased dramatically over eighteen months.
The monthly payments to my parents’ property were significant.
But they weren’t large enough to explain the whole problem.
May you like
Something else had happened.
And whatever it was, my parents were still protecting Arthur from it.
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