“You did.”
“Well, I hope you didn’t take it seriously. I was probably just… you know… processing. Plus, that was a lifetime ago. We’ve all moved on, right?”
Wrong. But I don’t want to admit just how much that phase of my life has defined the decade since—how much it still defines me now. It’s hard to believe Greg is quite so blasé about it. “You won’t be sad to leave Locust once the place sells?”
Greg knits his brow and shakes his head. “This property is just a money suck at this point, and it’s too far from the city. I have a place in Montauk now.”
Somewhere beneath his veneer, I know that he is still troubled and hurting—probably as much as I am—but I decide to let it be. I’m done sparring with Greg Seavey.
As I walk down the path, I can hear Gemma up ahead saying, “I feel like moss is going to be an important design motif…”
When I finally reach the unlikely trio of Anthony, my father, and Gemma, they are standing in front of the guest cabin where Seth stayed that summer. I don’t need to peek inside—I know every inch of it. After all, it’s the place where I fell in love for the first, and only, time.
Gemma continues to hold forth. “We could create a dedicated space for the oracle right here. It’s private, tucked away, and it has a really potent energy, don’t you think?”
My father nods, but also gives me a look like he has no idea what she is talking about.
“Excellent! The future home of the temple for the oracle at Catwood Pond,” she proclaims, then stands back and cocks her head. “Either that or a sauna. I’m still just spitballing.”
As we conclude our walkthrough and return to the driveway, I say, “Well, this gives us a lot to consider. Your offer is very generous, but I’ll need a few days to think about it.”
“Of course,” says Gemma.
“Don’t thinktoomuch,” says Anthony, finally pocketing his phone and making eye contact with me. “Remember, there are two kinds of people in the world.”
I hate false dichotomies, so I say, “Those who make two-kinds-of-people-in-the-world statements and those who don’t?”
Anthony gives a courtesy smile and continues, “Those who capitalize and those who don’t.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I say, holding the car door for my father as he climbs into the passenger seat and begins battling with his seat belt.
We head up the driveway, and I can see Gemma, Anthony, and Greg in the rearview mirror. As their shapes recede, I wonder whether this is the beginning or the end of something. I figure it’s probably both.
Chapter 42
$100,000 for the IP, clean and simple.
You and your father have already laid the groundwork.… We just want to take it to the next level.
For the next few days, I keep hearing Anthony and Gemma’s voices in my head, reverberating and accelerating like some kind of frenetic TikTok mashup.
IP. Groundwork. Next level. Clean and simple.
IP. Groundwork. Next level. Clean and simple.
IP. Groundwork. Next level. Clean and simple…
On one hand, I can think of a dozen reasons to turn them down and never look back. They’re calling it an offer, but I know Gemma and I know Greg. These people don’t offer. They take; they siphon; they extract. They slurp the nectar and leave a dry husk in their wake. Plus, I know my father would be appalled by the idea of “living indefinitely” through technology. After all, I once heard him say, “I’ve tried the internet. It’s not for me.”
But on the other hand: $100,000. I don’t see how I can turn down that amount of money—not when we’re just barely meeting our monthly expenses and I’m no closer to having a real job than I was at this time last year. With that amount of money, I could fix up the house, hire someone to help with my father, and go back to school without having to worry about taking on more debt. At the very least, I could buy myself more time with my father before we would need to sell the house and move him into a home.
Plus, there’s another irony: this is the kind of splashy success storymy mother always wanted for me, and, against all odds, I have manifested it.
I consider calling Carl and Paula to help me think through this, but I stop myself. I need to clear my head and cut the noise. I need an escape, and to my surprise, there is only one thing I feel pulled to do right now.
I want to play tennis with Max.
That evening, we meet at the courts with only an hour of light to spare.
