I stared at the screen, then at the quiet lake outside the window. Megan had no idea what she was circling. This wasn’t just family property. It was a resource with the kind of weight politicians whispered about behind closed doors.
By afternoon, my phone rang again. This time, I answered without checking the caller ID.
“Hannah,” Megan’s voice snapped. “I heard you met with Dad’s lawyer.”
I smirked.
“News travels fast. Who’s feeding you, Mom?”
“You’re being unreasonable,” she said sharply. “That land could be worth a fortune, and you don’t know the first thing about handling it.”
“Funny,” I shot back. “Because Dad thought I did. He trusted me, not you.”
Her tone dropped to a hiss.
“If you think you can cut me out, you’re dead wrong. This isn’t over.”
I hung up, not because I was done, but because she didn’t deserve more of my time.
I stepped outside, the cool evening air hitting me like a splash of water. Jack was sitting on his porch sipping something from a tin mug.
“You look like someone just threatened to sue you,” he called.
I sat down on his steps.
“Worse. Someone threatened to be my sister.”
He chuckled.
“Family will cut you deeper than any knife.”
“Tell me about it,” I muttered.