Chapter 13 - The Deal Behind the Vows
Richard agreed to meet Emmett with Naomi present at the attorney's office.
He arrived carrying a leather portfolio and wearing the expression of a man attending a routine business negotiation.
Claire and Vivian did not accompany him.
“I'm here to clear up a misunderstanding,” he said.
Naomi invited him to sit.
Emmett remained standing.
“Why were you looking into Arthur's finances?” he asked.
Richard sighed.
“Family due diligence.”
“For what?”
“For a potential investment.”
He opened his portfolio and removed a proposal from his own development company.
The papers described a plan to purchase several adjoining parcels near Emmett's street for redevelopment.
My daughter's home occupied one of the lots.
Suddenly the private listing and the urgency to move made more sense.
They wanted the property available without a drawn-out argument.
Richard claimed he'd merely hoped to offer a fair price.
Naomi asked whether Emmett had requested such an offer.
“No,” he admitted.
Then she asked why his office had sought personal information about me.
Richard shifted.
“Arthur was expected to influence the decision.”
I thought of Margot playing beneath the oak tree in the backyard of that house.
No one had bothered to ask what home meant to her.
Emmett took the proposal and set it down unopened.
“I'm not selling,” he said.
Richard's composure cracked.
“Do you know what that decision costs my business?”
“No,” Emmett replied.
“And it's not my responsibility.”
Richard began talking about deposits, commitments, and partners waiting for the project.
Naomi stopped him and asked him to put any offer or claim in writing through counsel.
He rose sharply.
“You're letting grief make decisions for you.”
Emmett's reply was immediate.
“No.”
“I'm letting the fact that it's my house make decisions for me.”
Richard left without shaking hands.
At the door, he turned toward me.
“You should ask your daughter what she promised us.”
I felt the room tilt.
“Phoebe has been dead for three years,” I said.
Richard looked suddenly uneasy.
“I meant Claire,” he muttered.
May you like
But the slip had been too specific to ignore.
