Chapter 27
Despite our surface-level failure - the Anderson team placed last overall- the results of the charity race were rewarding. The school had raised more than enough money to double the number of scholarships they gave out compared to when Nate, Claire, and I attended.
I celebrated defeat in a healthy way: No sulking over mistakes. No taking on extra work around the house. No planning for something big.
All morning, there was just me and my acceptance email as I considered things to take to California in a few weeks.
I’d checked the email countless times today, just to make sure that it was real and not a prank. On the what had to be my billionth re-read, Nate messaged me:
You’re going to want to see this.
My brother had been in the garage all morning. An hour ago, Derek parked in our driveway and hadn’t left since. I frowned at the words and pulled on a pair of pants before going down to see what was up.
“Hey, Kira,” Derek greeted when he saw me. His brow looked a little tense. He tried to give me a smile. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing much.” I shrugged. My eyes caught something on Dad’s computer screen. “What are you guys up to?”
“Seems like Derek found something off about the books when trying to log in a few extra jobs,” Nate said. When my brother’s gaze met mine, he slightly raised a brow. His expression read, here’s the fire. Wanna watch it burn?
Even though every inch of me screamed to join them at the table, I kept close to the side door.
“Just a few things out of sorts.” Dad used his soothing voice. The one he brought out when he thought we were on the brink of tantrums as kids. “Nothing we won’t sort out. Especially now that you’re here, Kira.”
I twisted my mouth to the side, considering his words before asking, “What seems to be the problem?”
“We’re missing more than a thousand dollars this week,” Derek explained.
Dad tsked and kept his eyes on his screen, studying our outbound expenses spreadsheet. “He’s overreacting. It’s not that bad.”
Nate blinked, staring at our father. “I don’t think the math’s wrong. Derek’s done it twice now. I’ve done the same.”
My brother grabbed a few sheets of paper and tossed them over Dad’s keyboard. The movement got Dad’s attention away from his screen.
“You try,” Nate challenged. “Or do you want to figure out how to doctor the numbers before giving it a go?”
Dad’s jaw was now tight. “You need to watch your tone with me, boy. Don’t think you can talk to me any kind of way.”
Nate chuckled. “Wow. Now you want to treat me like a kid? You want to turn around and call Kira a girl, too? How does it feel to have children running your business? Must be bliss because you can take money from right under their noses, right?”
“Nate,” Derek’s voice was stiff. “Calm down. We’ll figure this out. I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation.”
“Look at this.” Nate held a piece of paper up for Derek and me to see. “I don’t think that needs much explanation. It’s past the point of explanation and now, it’s simply a problem.”
I chewed on my inner lip because it was the same problem he’d shown me weeks ago. A problem I’d dealt with on my own last time. I could feel Dad’s gaze on me, waiting for intervention. He wanted me to speak up and share some kind of plan that would cover his ass and find some type of way to make up for the money.
I kept my shoulders straight as I said, “Nate’s right. That’s more than a thousand. It’s a growing problem that needs to be addressed. Especially when tax season comes around.”
“Where is this money going?” Nate stared at Dad and pointed his finger at the paper. “Because it sure as hell not going towards paying Derek’s crew or investing back into the company.”
Derek shifted in his seat. Now, his expression matched our level of concern. He reached over to the sheet Nate pointed to. Derek was always the kind of person who had to see it to believe it. And once he did, his jaw was tight and his gaze accusatory.
“You have an answer for us, Greg?” Derek asked. Out of all of us, he was the one who might get the most straightforward response.
“My children seem to be dead set on making something out of nothing.” Dad looked between Nate and me.
“This isn’t nothing,” Nate said. “It’s quite literally everything considering it’s how you pay the bills.”
“You got that right,” Dad spat back. “I pay the bills. I pay for those private swim lessons, your gear, your loans. So, I suggest you learn some respect before you go accusing me of something you don’t know heads or tails about.”
