Chapter 7 — The Saturday Meeting

Scott arrived first, bringing his girlfriend, Dana, for support. She hadn’t been invited, but I didn’t mind. Twenty minutes later Amber came with a homemade coffee cake — a thoughtful gesture, even if eating cake while deciding the future of our father’s estate felt a little strange.

I’d spent the week preparing, not because I’d already decided, but because I wanted us to see every real option before we chose one.

“I want us to make a good decision,” I told them. “And a good decision needs more information than we have right now.”

Scott shrugged. “The information seems simple. The house is worth about three hundred forty thousand. Split three ways, that’s over a hundred each.”

“It’s significant,” I agreed. “But before we sell, I want us to look at everything.” Amber nodded, interested. Scott stayed cautious.

I’d done the work that week — met a property manager, talked to a rental specialist, pulled comparable listings, even consulted two more estate attorneys, not because I doubted Gerald but because I wanted the whole picture.