Chapter 3 - The Call in the Morning
Boxing Day morning arrived bright and frigid. I spent the morning at the hotel’s private dining room, watching Ellie happily eat silver-dollar pancakes drenched in maple syrup. For the first time in years, the crushing weight of family expectation felt entirely lifted from my shoulders. We had tickets for a afternoon flight back to Austin, where my real life, my real friends, and my actual home awaited.
At 9:15 A.M., my personal cell phone buzzed on the mahogany breakfast table.
The caller ID showed Joanne Brennan.
I let it ring three times before sliding the screen to accept, setting it on speakerphone beside my coffee cup.
"Lucia?" Mom’s voice came through, sounding fluttered and mildly exasperated, though entirely devoid of an apology. "Lucia, where are you staying? You left your overnight bag in the guest room hallway."
"I’m at a hotel downtown, Mom," I said smoothly. "And our bags are with us."
"Well, really, Lucia, you didn't have to cause such a scene and run off into the night," Mom scolded softly, her tone carrying that familiar, subtle gaslighting she had mastered over decades. "You know how your father gets when he's stressed. He spent weeks looking for that Portuguese linen. You should have just apologized for Ellie's clumsiness and let things settle down."
I took a slow sip of my black coffee. "Mom, my five-year-old child made a minor mistake. Kenneth screamed at her and ordered us out of the house. I didn't cause a scene; I left when I was told to leave."
Mom sighed loudly. "He was just blowing off steam! You're always so thin-skinned, Lucia. Always looking for reasons to feel excluded. Anyway, your father wants you to come back by the house before you head to the airport. Tyler and Brooke are coming over for leftover pie, and we should clear the air like adults."
"I won't be coming back to the house, Mom," I said flatly.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Mom huffed. "Honestly, you're acting like a child. By the way, your brother tried to use his corporate card at the marine supply store thirty minutes ago to buy some winterization equipment for his boat, and the transaction was declined. Did you happen to mess with his account parameters when you were looking at his tech setup?"
I almost laughed out loud at the sheer absurdity. "Why on earth would I have access to Tyler’s business credit line, Mom?"
"Well, I don't know! He said the bank told him there was a sudden institutional hold placed on Vanguard Dynamics by the primary lienholder—some company called Crescent Capital. Tyler says you mentioned something about private equity a while ago. He thought maybe you knew someone in financial compliance who could fix it."
"I don't fix things for people who insult my daughter," I replied coldly.
Before Mom could respond, I heard heavy, heavy footsteps in the background of her end of the line, followed by the sound of a door slamming.
"Joanne!" Dad’s booming voice roared in the background, sharp and laced with unprecedented panic. "Where is the master ledger for the yard account? Get on the phone with Miller right now!"
"Kenneth, what's wrong?" Mom asked away from the receiver, her voice suddenly laced with anxiety. "I'm on the line with Lucia."
"Tell her to hang up!" Dad yelled, his voice growing closer. "Crescent Capital just served a formal audit demand on the lumber yard! They've frozen our primary operational line of credit pending an emergency compliance review! The bank just locked the payroll account for next week!"
I listened in complete silence as the background noise on the call devolved into frantic shouting.
"Lucia?" Mom came back on the line, her previous condescension entirely replaced by sharp, rising panic. "Lucia, did you hear what your father said? Something is happening with the yard's bank accounts! Your father says the main investor locked the funds!"
"That sounds like a serious matter, Mom," I said, my tone entirely serene. "He should probably call his legal counsel."
"Lucia, wait! Can't you ask someone in your tech business to check the online banking system? You know how these computers work!"
"My 'computer business' doesn't handle amateur accounting errors, Mom," I said evenly. "Have a nice afternoon. Ellie and I have a flight to catch."
I disconnected the call before she could reply.
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Beside me, Ellie looked up from her pancakes, her mouth smeared with maple syrup. "Mommy, is Grandma sad?"
"Grandma is just learning how to handle her own business, sweetie," I smiled, wiping her chin with a napkin. "Finish your breakfast. We're going home."
