“I didn’t do what they said I did,” she said, her teeth clenched. “How many times do I have to tell you that?”
“Yeah, well, you were out at a bush party,” her brother shot back. “And something happened...”
“I fought off a guy with a big mouth and embarrassed him! That’s what happened!” she hissed.
A couple of people looked over their shoulders toward them. How much of their conversation was audible?
“So you walked away, spent every last penny from Mom, and left me here with all those rumors you didn’t stick around and fight.” Brian dug the toe of his shoe into the grass. “You know how that looked?”
“You think if I’d stayed in Beaut, it would have made them believe me?” she retorted. “Brian, quit being so naive!”
“I’m the naive one now?” He rolled his eyes. “So, if you don’t think you did wrong by me, what about Mom?”
“I had to start my life, Brian,” she said, her voice trembling.
“Yeah, well, great.” Brian eyed her angrily.
“If I hadn’t had my nursing degree—which I could only get in the city, by the way—I wouldn’t have been able to take care of our mom toward the end,” she added. “But these are old arguments. I left town, yes. I ran away from it all. But I had no idea our time with Mom was going to be so short. I didn’t know you wouldn’t get your turn at starting your life! What do you want from me?”
“I don’t know,” Brian replied. “You got the education. You got all the money. What do I want? Nothing! There isn’t anything left for me! I’ve got this crippling debt hanging over me, and I can’t get a loan without ridiculous interest rates. And they’d never give me enough to start my business. I had plans for my life, too, you know.”
“I’m in debt, too!” she countered.
“But you’ve got your career. Do you know what Mom told me when I asked if she’d help me with some seed money for my business? She said she couldn’t afford an extra penny, but when you were done, she’d focus on me. Well, that never happened, did it? She worked herself to death for you—”
“You can’t blame cancer on me!” she snapped.
“Whatever. I’m not. I’m saying you got it all. Every last penny. Every last ounce of her strength. Congratulations.”
They could bicker the same points for hours, but people were starting to look now, and Olivia caught her brother’s arm and tugged him farther from the milling after-church crowd.
“I might have a solution to our money problem, at least,” she said.
“How?” Brian frowned, and he pulled his arm free of her.
“I might have a way to get us out of debt a whole lot faster,” she said. “And then we could get a small business loan for you—or I could work a bunch of overtime and put some money aside...”
“So you have a couple hundred thousand in your back pocket?” he asked skeptically.
“No. But Mia’s parents have some clout with the hospital board, and they’ve asked me to help them reconcile with Sawyer. If I can make that happen, they’ll talk to the right people and get our debt lowered considerably.”
Brian stared at her, the information slowly sinking in. “By how much?”
“As much as possible. I don’t know how much, exactly, but Mia’s dad seemed pretty confident that he could make our lives a whole lot easier. That’s why I’m back. But Sawyer had an accident that affected his memory, and he’s really slowly getting it back. I have to wait until he can remember them before they can reconcile.”
“He has amnesia?”
“Short term. Yeah. He’s going to be okay, and his memory is coming back slowly, but he can’t reconcile with people he doesn’t remember yet.”
“And the Whites are willing to help...” He still seemed stuck on that part.
“Brian, I’m doing my best here,” Olivia said earnestly. “And if we could get that debt lowered, I’ll put every extra penny into paying it off so you could be freed up to do whatever you want to do.”
And he could stop resenting her for using up the last of the family resources. Brian’s gaze moved toward Shari again, and Olivia watched him for a moment.
“She’s special to you, isn’t she?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He heaved a sigh. “And she deserves more than what I can offer.”
“She looks like she’s just fine with what you can offer,” Olivia said with a low laugh. “Any woman who wouldn’t take you because you’re not rich enough isn’t worth having.”
“That’s not it,” Brian said, shooting her an irritated look. “If it were only the two of us, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but—” His face colored slightly, and he licked his lips. “It’s not going to be just the two of us for much longer.”
“Wait—” Olivia’s gaze flickered toward the other woman. “Is Shari pregnant?”
“Yeah. And of all people, you don’t get to lecture me about that.”
“I’m not lecturing,” she said, but her heart clenched just a little. He still believed the rumors, didn’t he?
“This wasn’t exactly the plan.” Brian sighed. “It just...happened. And I hear Mom’s voice in the back of my head constantly, so I don’t need any additional yelling.”
“Congratulations,” Olivia said quietly. “I think Shari seems great, and you should probably put a ring on that pronto.”
“With what money?” he retorted.
“A cheap ring,” she said with a weak shrug. “Who cares? You love each other. You’re going to be parents. So get married already! That is what Mom would have wanted.”
“I only just met her parents,” Brian said. “And they’re nice and all, but her dad is pushing me to do more with myself.”
Pushy in-laws seemed to be a bit of a theme lately, and Olivia felt her stomach tighten. Who were these people to tell Brian he wasn’t doing enough?
“Don’t let them push you around,” Olivia whispered.
“They’re her parents. They have certain expectations for her.”
Yeah, so had
