I huff out a breath. “Just to be clear here. Renee said Brittany’s mother claimed she’d received a windfall to pay for Brittany’s adoption. Do any of you know where that money came from?”
My eyes move from person to person around the table. As my gaze lands on them, everyone stuffs their mouths full and shakes their heads. “Okay. Does anyone know how I can find Andrew? I need to ask if he knows where that money came from.” I focus my gaze on Brittany, assuming she has the best chance of knowing where her Uncle Andrew might be.
Brittany says, “He made me teach him the scam I was running so he could do it on his own. Once he’d made enough money, he moved to San Francisco. I’ve never heard from him again.”
Dylan sits up straighter. “Did your mom keep in touch with him?”
“I have no idea.” Brittany plays with her fork for a bit and then, without looking up, says, “I have a grandmother too. She tried to take me away from my mother, so we came here.”
I close my eyes and count to five. These are things I should have been told. What if the grandmother shows up wanting Brittany back too at some point? “Anyone else? A father, maybe?”
Brittany shakes her head. “You don’t understand, Sawyer. I had to get out of that family. None of them are good people. Renee and Zoe helped me escape. That’s why we lied to my mother about me being away at boarding school. To keep them all away from me.”
Meg finally pipes in. “Mom and I checked out the grandmother. Brittany’s right. They all saw how smart she is and wanted to take advantage of her. She was their meal ticket. We didn’t think we’d ever see any of them again. Especially when Dylan threatened to send the adults to jail if he caught Brittany committing online crimes again.”
Dylan’s arm slips around my shoulder, and he pulls me close. “Stella was an unfit parent. The choice was to send Brittany to foster care, or to let your mom adopt her. So, it worked when your mom told Stella, Brittany was away at boarding school. Stella thought Brittany was forced to go to the school because of her online scam.”
I drop my head into my hands. “Gage contacting Stella about the adoption payment opened this whole can of worms.” I tilt my face up. “Brittany, no offense, but why would you ever consider living with your mother again?”
Brittany’s brows knit. “My mom wasn’t always bad like her mother. Mom tried to get a real job and support us, but I guess it was too hard. I don’t think in her heart she wants to be bad. And with her new boyfriend supporting her, she says she’s out of the con game.”
While I grapple with what to say to that, Dylan pulls out his phone and says, “What’s the new boyfriend’s name?”
Brittany says, “Mica Wilson. But I’m not one hundred percent that’s his given name. They just moved to Vegas. I’m running a check on him now.”
Dylan taps some notes, then slips the phone away. “I’ll see if I can find your Uncle Andrew.” Dylan turns to me. “We tried to keep this quiet last year. Mainly because Brittany is a minor. But it’s possible Frank got wind that your mom planned to adopt Brittany. And he seized the opportunity to set your mom up for failure regarding the trust.”
I slowly nod as my mind races with what I’ve just learned. “Gage says technically it wouldn’t have been illegal for my uncle to give Stella the money. But if he did, it would show my uncle knew what was happening, so he couldn’t accuse my mother of violating the trust’s disclosure rule. Or at least Gage hopes to convince the judge to see it that way.”
Brittany slips out of the nook. “I’m not hungry anymore. And I’ve got homework.” She turns and heads for the door, with Cooper trotting behind.
I open my mouth to tell Brittany she should eat, but my sister’s shoe connects with my shin, stopping me. “What?”
Meg waits a moment to be sure Brittany is really gone, then says, “Let her go. She’s not doing homework. She probably wants to track down her uncle before Dylan can.”
I tilt my head. “What makes you think that?”
“Because I heard her tell Raphe she finished all her homework this afternoon. Trust her, Sawyer. She’s smart. She’ll do the right thing.”
“I agree.” My dad clears his throat. “Both you girls know what it’s like to love imperfect parents. And despite that, you turned out to be fine people.”
“Thank you.” I finish off my wine. “But that’s exactly why I should probably go talk to her. Because I do understand. And I want to make sure she knows I’m not angry with her.”
My father shakes his head. “You prove how much you love her every day, Sawyer. Trust that she knows that while she finds her own proof about her mother.”
I turn to Dylan. “What do you think?”
He lifts his hands. “I’ll defer to the people with parenting experience. Thanks for dinner. I have to get back to the station.” He lays his napkin on the table and tilts his eyes toward the door for me to follow.
“Be right back, guys,” I say to my dad and sister and then hop out of the nook.
Once Dylan and I are in the backyard, he says, “Want to go to The Blue Hippo for lunch tomorrow? Ask around and see if anyone can describe Pattie’s alleged married man?”
“I’d love to, but Pattie is cutting my hair tomorrow at twelve thirty. I plan to see what I can learn about her boyfriend through girl talk.”
His brows knit. “Guess I’ll have to ask Beth to go with me, then.”
“Very funny.”
He smiles. “I’ll make up for our missed lunch today soon. Let me know what you find out at Pattie’s.” Dylan gives me
