Kevin ran a hand through his hair, then glared at me. “Was it his idea to keep this from me . . . and I assume from Erin as well?”
“We weren’t hiding it,” Mom insisted. “It was my money. I didn’t need anyone’s permission.”
I looked away because, while neither of us had ever spoken of it, we’d tacitly agreed to keep the loan quiet to avoid the appearance of playing favorites. Truthfully, while Erin had been Dad’s pet, I’d been Mom’s. Maybe that was because I was her first daughter, or because I’d been willing to meet her high expectations. I don’t know. I never wanted to question it.
Kevin shook his head. “I’m a lawyer, Mom. You didn’t think it might be a good idea to let me structure the loan?”
“I didn’t want a lot of guff.” Despite her firm voice, my mom’s shoulders curled over her chest.
“Stop it, Kevin,” I said. “If you’ve got to yell at someone, yell at me.”
His glower’s sharp edge slipped beneath my skin like a splinter. He opened his mouth but then, after a quick glimpse of my stomach, clamped it shut. The living room pulsed with tension. With his eyes now closed, he drew another long breath. “Tell me there are loan documents and a bank account we can access.”
Now I really and truly wished to disappear.
“Lyle printed a form off the internet—a promissory note. It seemed good enough to cover a family loan. He’s meeting with potential investors in Florida now. As soon as they kick in, he’ll pay her back . . . probably by the end of this year even.”
That’s what he’d promised, and despite everything, I believed that much.
“If he gets investors. Real estate deals are risky as hell.” Kevin pounded the heels of his palms against his forehead. “How could you two be so reckless?”
“I’m sorry!” I croaked. “At the time I had no reason not to trust my husband. He’s always been hardworking and successful, kept his promises, been good to our parents. Mom offered. I saw no harm. We thought this deal would be a game changer for our future.”
“And now?” Kevin spoke through gritted teeth.
“In hindsight, we could’ve been smarter. But he signed the loan papers. Lyle always pays his debts, but until those investors come through, it might be hard to make both the loan payments and pay child support. That’s why I need your advice.”
“Amanda, if he only signed a note, then it’s an unsecured loan. What happens if he isn’t married to you anymore and his big deal flops? He won’t be very motivated to figure out how to repay Mom then, will he?” Kevin scrubbed his face with one hand, while my stomach turned at the wrinkle I’d never considered. “Given what he’s putting you through, he should return whatever he hasn’t already spent on this deal.” Kev turned to Mom. “Where’s that promissory note?”
“It’s in the office, I think.” Visibly shaken, she stared at the ground. The thousands of kids she’d intimidated as the school librarian would be shocked to see her humbled.
My skin was now cold and damp. “Mom, look at me. This is not your fault. You were only being supportive and trusting. I should’ve insisted we involve Kevin.”
“Call Lyle and tell him if he doesn’t call you back today to discuss the money, we’re calling the cops.” Kev stared at me, arms crossed.
“The cops?” My brows rose. “What are you talking about?”
Kev raised his hands above his head. “What if he makes off with the money?”
My mouth fell open. “Mom lent him the money. He didn’t steal it. The whole reason he’s in Florida is to tie up that deal. He said he’d repay it, and he will.”
“He also said till death do you part.” Kevin speared me with that look that made me feel idiotic.
Lyle had broken promises. I couldn’t deny that, nor could I fully shake the concern that my mom would be left holding the bag if the deal crumbled. But the leap from bad business judgment to criminal behavior spanned the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
“Just because he’s having an affair doesn’t mean he’s also a thief. Lyle is my baby’s father, Kevin, not a felon.” The idea of it! “If he planned to steal the money, why would he suggest and sign that note? There’s no need to panic unless he doesn’t pay Mom back under its terms, not yours.”
Kevin glared at me, nostrils flaring. His pacing the floor suggested he’d moved on to playing out scenarios in his head. “I don’t have a good feeling. Did you check your bank balances?”
“Yes . . . nothing abnormal.” I glared, although the fact that I’d checked hardly proved my confidence in Lyle.
“I’ll get the note.” Ashen-faced, Mom wandered off toward Kevin’s old bedroom, which my parents had turned into a home office years ago.
“Amanda, you know the optics are pretty bad, right?” Kevin cracked his knuckles, a habit I’d always found disgusting.
“Jumping to the worst conclusions isn’t helping anyone’s stress levels. If you’re so worried, surely you know private investigators who can track down more details about the deal.” I ran my hands through my hair, hoping to somehow stimulate my brain. “He betrayed me, but he’s also come clean about it. I’m not happy, but that’s not illegal. Please give me a little time to get my arms around what’s happening in my marriage before you sound every alarm. This is a private family matter, and we should handle it that way.”
He cocked his head, a single brow raised. “You’re serious?”
“For God’s sake, Kevin. He’s my husband. We created a home and have a baby on the way. He’s messed up, but he hasn’t said he doesn’t still love me. And I love him. I know you think that makes me stupid, but there it is. I love my husband even though he’s hurt me. That’s what I know right now. Maybe that will change, but this is my life—” I shut up as soon as our mom returned with the signed document.
“Here, honey. See?” She waved the pages at Kevin. “We weren’t foolish. I made a loan, and I can enforce it.”
Kevin took the document from her without reading it. “Amanda, what’s the name of Lyle’s company? And what bank is he using?”
“I assume he’s using Wells Bank, like we do.” To be honest, I’d been puking, sleeping, nesting, and working these past couple of months. And like Erin, Lyle often mistook my suggestions as criticism or doubts in his ability to manage his own affairs, so he’d rarely shared the details of his plans with me anyway. Why would he? I was a teacher, not a real estate magnate. “The company is Somniator Syndicate, or maybe Partners . . . He was going back and forth, so I’m actually not sure what he decided on.”
“Latin?” Kevin shook his head again, and I could practically hear Erin’s voice in my head saying, “He’s kind of pretentious, isn’t he?” Kev speared me with an incredulous look. “What a pompous piece of—”
“Kevin!” Mom said.
I’d always thought Kev respected Lyle, but his intense disdain today made me question whether he’d hidden his feelings from the beginning.