not so sure about that. I’ve used the equity in this house. The bank owns it now.”
“But this is your home. Surely it could never be taken away from you.”
Again, he shook his head. “This building is in the loop. I used it to cross-guarantee things a few years ago. Back then it seemed like perfect business sense. Jack thought so, too.”
“Jeez, your penthouse in The Celtic Crowne? You’re going to lose that?” Marcus asked, articulating what the others were thinking anyway. Jack looked like his business partner—shell shocked—almost immune to what was being discussed.
“My home?” Popsy whispered. “This house? It’s not ours?’ She said the words, but the meaning wouldn’t compute. This was just too big to comprehend. “I’m going to lose everything? But this is my home. These are my things. I bought everything you see here, even the paint on the walls. It’s all mine.” She was holding the table so hard that her knuckles were white with the effort.
Rosie’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh dear God.”
Lily focused on her father. “What were you saying about the banks, Dad? Have they threatened to do anything? Wouldn’t that take weeks, even months?”
Popsy watched Peter cover his face with his hands. Had he started to cry? It was looking like this had been coming down the track for some time. Jack glanced at Lily with a look of anguish. It was like she was living in a dream and everything was happening in a fog.
She heard a hiss from behind her and realized with little interest that she was burning the cabbage. She went and took the pan off the heat, but it was futile. The red cabbage had become a hard lump of purple charcoal. In a slight haze, she remembered Rosie’s cream sweater and looked over to see if the stain was still there. If it wasn’t, then this was all a nightmare and not real at all. But the red mark was still there. She looked from her eldest daughter to her youngest daughter and then from Peter to his business partner—or was that ex -partner?
“Jack?” she asked. “Are you having an affair with Lily?”
Lily jumped to her feet and squealed again, much like she had a little earlier. “Mom!”
Jack said nothing but his eyes flashed toward Lily. The shock and sadness he had shown about the business vaporized with that one simple question. Suddenly he looked even more serious, and guilty as sin. He glanced at Popsy and then at Peter. His jaw stiffened as he clenched his teeth together like he was preparing to fight. Popsy recognized the look, and so did Peter, apparently.
“What the hell?” he asked, swinging around. “Jesus, Jack. I had an idea that you were playing offside, but with my daughter?” He jumped to his feet and kicked the heavy kitchen chair back violently. “I trusted you! Damn it, you’re like a father to these girls. Of all the fu—”
He lunged for Jack and tried to grab him by the collar but instead Peter fell, full force and at an awkward angle on top of him. Jack pulled away and Peter fell to the floor—hard and lifeless.
Popsy shouted, “Peter, what are you doing?”
Marcus, who had moved toward the men instinctively, now rushed to Peter’s limp body on the kitchen floor. “Oh God, he’s collapsed.”
“Somebody call 911,” Lily screamed, but Marcus already had his cell phone out.
“Daddy!” Rosie cried. “Hurry, Marcus.”
Chapter 9
Hospital
Popsy sat in a daze outside the ICU with Rosie. All they knew was that Peter had suffered a mild heart attack, he would be kept in ICU for observation overnight, and they’d been told to wait outside Intensive Care until he was settled.
“For a day that started out with such promise, I must say, this is a bit of a letdown,” she said, her voice dripping with misery and sarcasm.
“Oh, Mom.” Rosie bent down so she could hug her mother yet again. “It’s been crazy. Let’s just get Dad straightened out this evening and then we’ll worry about everything
“But this is your home. Surely it could never be taken away from you.”
Again, he shook his head. “This building is in the loop. I used it to cross-guarantee things a few years ago. Back then it seemed like perfect business sense. Jack thought so, too.”
“Jeez, your penthouse in The Celtic Crowne? You’re going to lose that?” Marcus asked, articulating what the others were thinking anyway. Jack looked like his business partner—shell shocked—almost immune to what was being discussed.
“My home?” Popsy whispered. “This house? It’s not ours?’ She said the words, but the meaning wouldn’t compute. This was just too big to comprehend. “I’m going to lose everything? But this is my home. These are my things. I bought everything you see here, even the paint on the walls. It’s all mine.” She was holding the table so hard that her knuckles were white with the effort.
Rosie’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh dear God.”
Lily focused on her father. “What were you saying about the banks, Dad? Have they threatened to do anything? Wouldn’t that take weeks, even months?”
Popsy watched Peter cover his face with his hands. Had he started to cry? It was looking like this had been coming down the track for some time. Jack glanced at Lily with a look of anguish. It was like she was living in a dream and everything was happening in a fog.
She heard a hiss from behind her and realized with little interest that she was burning the cabbage. She went and took the pan off the heat, but it was futile. The red cabbage had become a hard lump of purple charcoal. In a slight haze, she remembered Rosie’s cream sweater and looked over to see if the stain was still there. If it wasn’t, then this was all a nightmare and not real at all. But the red mark was still there. She looked from her eldest daughter to her youngest daughter and then from Peter to his business partner—or was that ex -partner?
“Jack?” she asked. “Are you having an affair with Lily?”
Lily jumped to her feet and squealed again, much like she had a little earlier. “Mom!”
Jack said nothing but his eyes flashed toward Lily. The shock and sadness he had shown about the business vaporized with that one simple question. Suddenly he looked even more serious, and guilty as sin. He glanced at Popsy and then at Peter. His jaw stiffened as he clenched his teeth together like he was preparing to fight. Popsy recognized the look, and so did Peter, apparently.
“What the hell?” he asked, swinging around. “Jesus, Jack. I had an idea that you were playing offside, but with my daughter?” He jumped to his feet and kicked the heavy kitchen chair back violently. “I trusted you! Damn it, you’re like a father to these girls. Of all the fu—”
He lunged for Jack and tried to grab him by the collar but instead Peter fell, full force and at an awkward angle on top of him. Jack pulled away and Peter fell to the floor—hard and lifeless.
Popsy shouted, “Peter, what are you doing?”
Marcus, who had moved toward the men instinctively, now rushed to Peter’s limp body on the kitchen floor. “Oh God, he’s collapsed.”
“Somebody call 911,” Lily screamed, but Marcus already had his cell phone out.
“Daddy!” Rosie cried. “Hurry, Marcus.”
Chapter 9
Hospital
Popsy sat in a daze outside the ICU with Rosie. All they knew was that Peter had suffered a mild heart attack, he would be kept in ICU for observation overnight, and they’d been told to wait outside Intensive Care until he was settled.
“For a day that started out with such promise, I must say, this is a bit of a letdown,” she said, her voice dripping with misery and sarcasm.
“Oh, Mom.” Rosie bent down so she could hug her mother yet again. “It’s been crazy. Let’s just get Dad straightened out this evening and then we’ll worry about everything
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