'Yes. I'll get it.'
He grabbed his arm and jerked him back. He whispered close to his ear, 'Your uncle's going to die real soon, isn't he?'
Roger began to cry. 'Yes, he is.'
Two hours later Roger took a cab to the airport and flew home on the red-eye. He was too scared and too sick to drink anything. He knew he had to get clear-headed. When he got back to Savannah, he was going to have to pay a visit to his uncle Compton to see for himself just how far gone the old man was and to assure himself the money would be coming soon.
Chapter Sixteen
Kate had wallowed in self-pity long enough and knew it was time to take charge. The trip to Boston had actually helped her get a grip on things. Dylan certainly had taken her mind off her problems, but she was determined never to do anything crazy like that again, and by the time she was released from the hospital a second time she was able to put everything into perspective.
She was going to have to make some huge changes. The first change was the most important to her. There would be no more secrets, and so she called a family meeting and explained to her sisters just how bleak their financial situation was. When she was finished, she put the stack of bills in the center of the kitchen table.
Kiera was rendered speechless. Isabel didn't want to believe any of it. She refused to hear anything that might discredit her mother. Kiera became the peacemaker when Kate demanded that Isabel open her eyes and stop trying to make their mother a saint.
'How about we all agree that mother did the best she could,' Kiera said, 'and then let's move on. Arguing won't help us figure anything out, and right now we need to form some kind of a plan.'
Isabel finally calmed down. 'You're right, Kiera. Mother did do the best she could. We never went hungry, did we? And I got braces when I needed them, and she made sure all of us were educated.'
Her sisters were quick to agree. 'And Kate, Mom wouldn't have hocked your company if she hadn't needed to, so stop being angry at her,' Isabel demanded. 'She can't be here to defend herself.' She didn't give Kate time for a rebuttal but said, 'Okay then.'
'Okay, what?' Kiera asked.
Isabel took a deep breath, folded her hands on the table and said, 'I guess this,' she nodded toward the stack of bills, 'means no college for me… yet. Since Kiera is on a full scholarship, she should finish her last year of medical school, right? And you and I, Kate, are going to have to get jobs right away if we're going to keep the house.'
Kiera was trying not to smile. 'Aren't you the little planner? So there is a brain under all that blond hair.'
'No need to be sarcastic,' Isabel snapped.
'I wasn't being sarcastic,' Kiera said. 'I was giving you a backhanded compliment.'
'Isabel, your education is far more important than keeping the house. This place has served its purpose. We have to let it go,' Kate said.
'But if you got a real good job… with your education…'
'Do you honestly think she's going to let the bank take her company?' Kiera asked.
'I don't think she can stop them,' she said. 'And we need money now, don't we? The electric company will turn off the power if we don't pay their bill. How long do we have? Hey, I've got an idea. You know what I think we should do?'
Kate was afraid to ask. Isabel was famous for coming up with nutty ideas. This one turned out to be a real whopper.
'Let's rent out rooms.'
Kate wasn't certain if she laughed first or Kiera did. Isabel let them have their moment and then said, 'It makes sense.'
'Are you…' Kiera began.
Kate nudged her under the table. She didn't want Kiera to make fun of Isabel's harebrained scheme now. Their sister had just had the rug pulled out from under her. She was losing her home, and right now she thought she was losing her college education, too.
'Even if we rented rooms, we couldn't make enough money to pay all of these bills and a huge loan,' Kiera said. She smiled as she added, 'Unless we charged around ten thousand a week.'
Isabel ran her fingers through her hair. 'Okay, it was a dumb idea.'
'No,' Kate said. 'You're brainstorming and that's good.'
'If I were smart like you and Kiera, we wouldn't be worried about this. Kiera got a full ride through college and medical school. The money she gets even pays for her living expenses. I'm the drag on this family.'
Kate rolled her eyes, and Kiera shook her head. 'Now isn't the time to play the drama princess,' Kiera said.
'I guess I'll unpack my stuff.' She sounded pitiful. 'It took forever to get it all inside Kiera's car. And I'll have to call the school tomorrow and ask them to send back the boxes I've already shipped with all my room stuff.'
'Don't unpack the car. You're still leaving for college.'
'How can I-'
'The plan hasn't changed. Kiera's going to drive you there in her car, and then she'll drive on to Duke.'
'But where will we get the money for my tuition?'
'The initial fees have already been paid,' Kiera said. She turned to Kate. 'I could take out a loan, couldn't I, to pay the rest of her tuition and expenses?'
'That's a good backup plan, but for now I think I can come up with enough from my business account and the household account to cover the first semester.'
'But how will you live?' Isabel asked. 'You don't have a car.'
'I'll rent a car. Since mine was totaled, the insurance company will be sending me a check.'
'You won't be getting much for that old pile of junk,' Isabel remarked.
'Could the bank put a hold on the money in the accounts?' Kiera asked.
Kate shook her head. 'The bank can't touch the money until the loan is due.'
'But that's less than a month away,' Isabel said.
Kate got up from the table and went to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water. It was a luxury she would soon be doing without. Nothing wrong with plain old tap water, she thought.
She reached for three bottles, handed one to each of her sisters, and said, 'When I first opened all of those bills and notices and read the letter from the bank explaining that our mother had signed away everything, including my company, I can tell you, I was extremely upset.'
Isabel dropped her head and Kate hurried to add, 'You have to stop trying to understand or defend Mom. You said it yourself. She did the best she could.'
'Then why did you go and bring it all up again?'
'I'm trying to explain. I was stunned and furious, and I certainly wasn't thinking straight. Now, however, I'm back in control.' She circled the table and sat down. 'No one's going to take my company away from me.'
'How was Mom able to use your company as collateral?'
'She was an equal partner. I set it up that way because at first I was underage and it turned out to be convenient when I was in Boston. She had the authority to sign checks and act on my behalf.'
'But how are you going to stop the bank from taking your company?' Isabel asked.
'I'll work something out with the department store, maybe give them a bigger percentage for a lump sum up front. Don't worry.'
'But if that doesn't work?'
'I'll follow Isabel's advice. I'll take in renters.' She smiled as she added, 'Maybe the men will pay more if I throw in a little something extra.'
Kiera laughed. The doorbell rang, interrupting the discussion. Isabel jumped up and headed for the door.
