He sold everything he could before the authorities took control of our assets.
In the end, we lost every cent. My father was served with a lawsuit hundreds of pages long. The allegations were ruinous—they said that he’d made fraudulent and predatory investments for clients of his firm and embezzled millions. His lawyer was able to keep him out of jail, but that would only last until Dad was sentenced.
After jumping on my laptop before that disappeared, I read everything I could about Ponzi schemes until my eyes glazed over and I understood way more than a nineteen-year-old should have to about how to rip off other people’s money.
I’d always thought my father was an ass, but now he’s destroyed our family’s reputation and left us penniless, not to mention ruining the lives of all the innocent people he ripped off, plus generations of their families. He blatantly proved me right at just how terrible of a person he really is. The only one of my friends who still talks to me is Cleo, my bestie.
“Piper-Lily? Are you up here?”
My mother’s cheery voice rings loudly through the empty rooms. Her signature perfume reaches me before she does, and I wonder how many bottles she managed to smuggle out of here without the movers knowing.
“In my room,” I call back, leaning out of my doorway.
The hem of her yellow dress flutters around her slim ankles as she walks down the hall toward me. Her nails are manicured and glossy, and she looks perfect as always. My chest clenches to see her looking so normal. I look away.
“Why are you moping around up here, sweetheart?” she asks gently.
I almost want to laugh at the ridiculous question.
“I’m not,” I snap, more harshly than I intended.
Her brows knit with concern. “I know you’re having a tough time with all of this.”
Instantly, I deflate. I shouldn’t be taking my mood out on her and I know it. Her slender fingers follow the curve of my shoulder down and up in a quick gesture of comfort. I’m an only child; Mom has always been indulgent with me.
She used to chase me through these hallways when I was very young, quick to play hide and seek or tag. The phantom sound of my laughter plays in my head, followed by theslap, slap, slapof her flats on the marble tiles as she gently pursued me from room to room. My entire life, it’s been Mom, my Nana, and me. My father was always a looming shadow in the background that mostly stayed out of our way. Unless, of course, something went wrong. Then, one of the three of us was certainly to blame.
“Everything will be all right,” she soothes. “You’ll see.”
My father’s voice booms from somewhere downstairs. I can’t make out his words.
I huff a humorless laugh and hug myself. “How can you even say that?”
Lightly tugging on my arm, she turns me to face her. Her makeup is perfect, while I could barely do my skin carethese past few mornings. My hands haven’t stopped trembling from anxiety ever since the moving crew showed up. Not that it matters what I look like. I’m not going anywhere.
But of course my mother is eternally optimistic. Being a natural ray of sunshine comes easily for her. It’s just who she is.
“Oh, Piper.” She touches my cheek tenderly. “I’m sorry this situation has been so hard on you, but I really do know in my heart that it will all be okay.”
“Dadstolepeople’s money, Mom,” I whisper incredulously. “Millions of dollars. He’s probably going to prison. And if not, his career is shot anyway.”
She ignores this, or at least, appears to outwardly. “I have a degree in interior design and many years of experience styling this place and our vacation homes. Oh, and I did the Rickwells’ home in the Hamptons last year, remember? We’re not helpless. We’ll get regular jobs, Piper. I’ll use my degree and you can…learn some skills as you go. It’ll be an adventure. You’ll see.”
Regular jobs? Seriously? Mom hasn’t lifted a finger to do anything for herself in my entire memory. A full staff of maids, chefs, vacation planners, and personal assistants have run this household since I was born. I’m not sure she’s gotten out of bed before noon in years. She might have a degree and an artistic eye, but with no resume or actual job experience, she’s hardly employable.
“I’ve only completed one year of college, Mom. I doubt there’s much of a demand for an employee with only one year of study as a dance major with a business minor.”
“You’ve been dancing for fifteen years, Piper,”she scoffs. “And you already teach three times a week. That counts for something. You’ll see.”
“What about Nana?” I ask. “Who’s going to take care of her expenses?”
Instinctively hugging the pointe shoes to my chest beneath my hoodie, I almost succumb to another wave of tears. My grandmother was recently diagnosed with kidney disease, and she’s at risk of serious complications if her health care isn’t well managed. The luxury assisted living community she lives in provides excellent nursing care, the best nutrition, and activities to keep her healthy, plus all the amenities and comforts she’s used to. But it all comes with a huge price tag. One which we can no longer afford.
And the reality is, I don’t teach dance for the money—because there really isn’t any—but for the fun of it. With Nana’s residency on the line, I’m going to have to find a new gig that compensates me better for my time. But that will hardly cover even a small share of her bills. If we don’t pay, she’ll have to move…and then what?
“I’m sure your grandmother will figure something out. She always does,” my father’s cutting, sarcastic voice snaps as he stomps down the hallway toward us.
Instinctively, my spine straightens. My body always goes into defense mode when he’s in the room.