Chapter 7: What Brandon Said Before He Left
Brandon called three days later.
Not from his own number — from a landline I didn't recognize.
I answered because I thought it might be the school.
"Charlotte."
I sat down.
"My attorney advised me not to call you," he said.
"I'm calling anyway."
"That's consistent with your decision-making."
A long pause.
"That's fair."
I didn't say anything.
"I need you to know," Brandon said, "that the signature — forging your name — that was Paul.
I gave him the documents.
I know that's not better.
I know that makes me responsible.
But I didn't hold the pen."
"You held the documents," I said.
"You took photographs of my deed.
You gave him my mortgage signature page.
You knew what he was going to do with them."
Silence.
"Yes," he said.
"I knew."
It was the first honest thing he had said to me in longer than I could measure.
"Why?" I said.
"We weren't struggling.
I was paying for everything, but we weren't struggling.
Why did you need this?"
"Paul told me it was a clean way to pull equity without refinancing.
He said you'd never know.
He said it would be done in sixty days and the money would be back before—" Brandon stopped.
"It doesn't matter what he said."
"No.
It doesn't."
"Char." His voice dropped.
"How's Skylar?"
My hand tightened on the phone.
"She's fine," I said.
"She's been eating real meals."
He made a sound that might have been a laugh and might have been something else entirely.
"I know I don't get to ask you for anything," he said.
"But I'm asking anyway.
Don't keep her from me.
Whatever happens with the legal side — don't make her the punishment."
I looked at the wall.
"I'm not interested in punishing anyone," I said.
"I'm interested in making sure my daughter feels safe in her own home.
When you can demonstrate that being around you is safe for her, we'll talk about a schedule.
Through attorneys."
"Okay," he said quietly.
"Okay."
"Brandon." I paused.
"Gertrude.
Where is she?"
"With her sister in Phoenix.
She's — she's not doing well." He hesitated.
"She didn't know about Paul.
She knew about the renovation plan, but she thought it was real.
She thought I had a deal that was going to make us financially independent." A pause.
"She thought I was finally going to stop relying on you."
I sat with that for a moment.
"She put Skylar in the kitchen with instant soup," I said.
"Whatever she knew or didn't know about Paul — she did that deliberately."
"I know."
"Then you understand why I'm not ready to feel sorry for her."
"I'm not asking you to," he said.
"I'm just — I wanted you to know she's not hiding.
She's not part of whatever Paul is doing now."
"What is Paul doing now?"
A pause that told me Brandon knew more than he was supposed to say.
"His attorney is negotiating," Brandon said carefully.
"I don't know the details."
"You should tell Reyes whatever you do know."
"I already have." His voice was flat and tired.
"I've been cooperating since the second day.
It's the only card I have left."
We were both quiet.
"Take care of yourself," I said finally.
Not warmly.
But honestly.
"You too, Char." A breath.
"Tell Skylar — tell her I'm sorry.
Not for the legal stuff.
Just — tell her I'm sorry."
I hung up.
I sat in the quiet kitchen for a moment.
Then I got up, washed my hands, and started making dinner.
Skylar came in ten minutes later and stood beside me at the counter.
"Can I help?"
"You can cut the bread," I said.
She picked up the knife.
Her hands were steady.
She cut carefully, the way I had taught her.
We didn't talk about her father.
We talked about a project she had due on Friday, and whether she wanted to invite her friend Mia to visit that weekend, and whether chocolate or vanilla was the correct answer to a question that had no wrong answer.
May you like
We ate at the kitchen table, just the two of us.
She finished everything on her plate.
