Chapter Five
Lana
About a week after Charlie’s funeral, I was just getting ready to go to class when Matt walked into the cottage unannounced, talking to a guy in a suit.
“What the hell, Matt? You can’t just keep walking in here without knocking. This is our home.”
He smiled insincerely at me and ushered the man into the kitchen. “Don’t worry, I’ll be out of your hair in a minute. I’m just showing the surveyor round so I can get a value on the estate.”
“Why? This isn’t even your property. It’s Gabe’s.”
Matt smirked and patted my arm. “For now.”
Mom came out of her bedroom. “What does that mean?”
“Oh, didn’t Gabe tell you? He’s going to be signing the estate over to me.”
My mouth dropped open in shock. “What? Why would he be so stupid?”
Matt made a big show of looking shocked. I hated it when he mocked me. He opened his mouth and took in a dramatic breath. “Really Lana, how rude! Now if you’ll excuse me, I don’t want to waste any more of this man’s time and we have a lot of property to get around.”
Mom stopped Matt in his tracks. “If what you say is true, and Gabriel is going to give the farm to you, what are you going to do?”
“Oh, I have big plans for this place.”
“Yes, but what happens to us?”
Matt cocked his head to the side. “Well, it will take a while to get planning approval but you’ll have to leave. Don’t worry though, you’ll be given adequate notice. Now, if you don’t mind, I really have to get back to business.”
We stood in the kitchen as he showed the surveyor around. Mom looked like she was going to pass out. I could feel the fury rising inside me. The jumped up little shit had no right bringing people into our house like this.
“Lana, what are we going to do? Surely he isn’t going to throw us out of our home?”
“Not if I have anything to do with it mom.”
“Please, you have to speak to Gabriel. We have nowhere else to go. Oh, your father is going to be destroyed.”
I marched out of the house and up to the farmhouse. Not bothering to knock, I stormed inside and looked around. Gabe was on his cell talking to someone.
“Hey! Hey Gabe!”
He turned round and motioned that he was talking.
“Put that phone down. I want to talk to you. Now!” My voice rose into an angry shout. My whole body was trembling as I took two steps towards him. He got my point and ended the call.
“What the hell is wrong with you? I was talking to my business partner.”
“I don’t care. I want you to explain to me why your brother just barged into mom and dad’s house with a surveyor.”
Gabe’s eyebrow shot up. “What, right now?”
Exasperated, I threw my hands up. “Yes. He’s going around the farm surveying it so he can put a value on the place. What the hell is going on?”
I was shocked that Gabe didn’t seem to be surprised. In fact, he looked very sheepish, like he didn’t want to make eye contact. “Gabe, answer me. Why is your brother telling mom and dad that they will need to move out? I thought you were supposed to be taking over the farm.”
He rubbed his forehead and sighed. “It’s not as simple as you think.”
I planted my hands on my hips. “Oh really? Well why don’t you try and explain it to me?”
At that moment, Louie came down the stairs and ran to his dad. “Why is aunty Lana shouting, daddy? What have you done wrong?”
Gabe looked down at his mini-me and fluffed his hair. “It’s okay, bud. We’re just talking. Why don’t you go into the den and watch a movie? I’ll set it up for you, okay?”
He looked up at me. “Give me a minute to set him up. Please.”
Five minutes later, Gabe came back and invited me to sit at the kitchen table while he prepared coffee. He placed it in front of me and sat down. He still looked exhausted. A tiny piece of my heart wanted to melt for him but I was pissed as all hell about what Matt had done and I wanted answers.
He took a sip from his cup and finally he was ready to talk. “Dad left the farm to me, but only on the proviso that I find and marry a local woman. Some shit about not blaming the town for the actions of one woman, whatever. Otherwise, the farm goes to Matt and he can do anything he wants with it. I assume that’s why he’s having the place valued. He made noises about having grand plans for redevelopment when we were at the lawyer’s office for the reading of the Will.”
I rubbed my temple, trying to grasp what had just been said. “Why would Charlie do that?”
He shrugged. “No idea. But it’s a no brainer for me. I have no stake in this place anymore. My life is in DC. I’m not going to haul my entire life back here and marry some local woman just so I can play house and keep the farm. As far as I’m concerned, if those are the stipulations dad has set – Matt can have it.”
“Are you out of your tiny little mind?” I was absolutely incredulous.
“Lana, I don’t really appreciate you barging in here and speaking to me like this.”
“I don’t give a fig for what you think. You might not have a stake in this farm, but did you ever stop to think about mom and dad? What about the rest of the employees? Are they all going to be out of jobs? Where are we supposed to live?”
Gabe drained his cup. “I don’t know. Look, I’ve just lost my dad. I don’t really know anything about what’s going to happen. All I know is that I can’t agree to the terms of my dad’s Will. So it all passes to Matt.”
“So you’re just going to take off and leave us?”
Sighing, Gabe stood up and rinsed his cup. “What do you expect me to do, Lana? What dad has asked me to do is crazy. I’m not going to marry some local girl just so I can keep my inheritance. I don’t need the money or the hassle in my life. For anyone to expect that of me is just plain crazy after what I’ve been through.”
I stood up and paced the kitchen, no longer able to sit still. “Do you think every other woman is going to be like Rebecca?” He winced at the sound of her name. It didn’t stop me. “Look, Rebecca was a flake. What she did to you and Louie was terrible. I know that. I get why you left for DC. But not every woman is going to be like that.”
“I had to leave a good position in the army because of that woman. I had to bring up Louie on my own, without a mother, because she was do damn selfish that she couldn’t stick around. It’s taken me nearly three years to try and get my head on straight. The last thing I need is having another woman tied around my neck like a noose, and the responsibility of managing the farm. My life in DC is fine the way it is.”
His eyes bore into me in indignation. I felt a spasm somewhere in my belly as he continued to stare at me. Eventually he looked away and I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. I moved towards Gabe and wrapped my arms around him. He buried his head in my shoulder, and I knew he was trying to hold back tears.
I closed my eyes, feeling guilt seep inside me for shouting at him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout at you. I know it’s hard.”
He pulled away and rubbed his eye, clearly frustrated with the whole situation. “Anyway, who the hell would I find to marry me? It’s just a cockamamie idea that dad’s gotten into his head. The whole idea of marrying someone just to claim an inheritance is ridiculous. Especially someone from this town.”
“What’s wrong with this town?”
Gabe tutted in dismissal. “Are you for real? After what I’ve been though, you ask me this? Lana, this whole thing is like something out of a stupid fairy story. It’s not based on real life.”
“Gabe, I sympathize with you, truly I do. But Charlie wasn’t the kind of person to ask you to do stuff that he didn’t think was good for you. There must be a reason for him putting this in the will. You’re just not seeing it yet.”
He rolled his eyes and laughed. “If only he was here to explain his thinking. He waited to die before throwing this ridiculous curveball at me, like my life isn’t complicated enough already.”
“I know it is. But it’s not just your life that’s affected with this decision. You know if Matt gets hold of the estate he will fuck it all up. And look at all the lives that will be ruined because you decided to let it all go to your whiny-ass little brother.”
“What do you suggest I do?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. There must be some nice women in this town that you would consider.”
“No!
“Well then.”
“Jesus! What am I supposed to do? Marry you?”
I recoiled in horror. “What? No. Where did you get that idea? Don’t be ridiculous.” I threw my hands in the air and walked away before I said something I would regret.