Chapter 2

Saturday was the next day, and I had planned to catch up on sleep. Before nine in the morning, though, someone was leaning on the doorbell hard enough to shake the house.

Still half-asleep, I went to open the door. On the step stood my mother-in-law, Linda Brooks, all smiles. Beside her was my brother-in-law, Tyler Brooks, and his wife, Kayla, who always wore the same shrewd, calculating look.

"Oh, Ethan, still sleeping? We're not bothering you, are we?" my mother-in-law said, already changing her shoes and walking right in, as comfortable as if she were coming home to her own place.

Tyler followed her in with a case of milk and a bag of fruit, set them down in the entryway, and then clapped me hard on the shoulder. "Ethan, I hear you struck it rich!"

At that moment, my heart sank like a stone.

"Struck it rich? It's just a year-end bonus. Don't listen to your sister's nonsense." I forced a smile and turned to pour them some water.

Lindsay had already come out of the bedroom. When she saw her family, her face lit up, and she linked arms with her mother. "Mom, why are you all here so early? Have you eaten?"

"We ate, we ate." My mother-in-law sat down on the sofa, but her eyes swept my home like radar. "We heard Ethan was back and got a bonus, so we were happy for you and thought we'd come by."

Kayla pulled Tyler down onto the armchair across from me without the slightest hesitation and got straight to the point. "Ethan, Tyler and I won't beat around the bush. That junker of ours is almost eight years old. It's been breaking down constantly, and last week we nearly rear-ended someone on the road. It's way too dangerous."

Tyler jumped right in. "No kidding! I've wanted to replace it forever. Then yesterday my sister told me your year-end bonus this year was $150,000. Kayla and I talked it over, and we thought, what perfect timing!"

The hand holding the glass stopped in midair, and I laughed coldly to myself. Yes, perfect timing. So perfect that Lindsay had only found out about the $150,000 last night, and first thing this morning her whole family had shown up together at my door.

I set the glasses on the coffee table in front of them with a soft clunk.

"Wanting a new car is a good thing. Have you picked one out?" I decided to hear what they actually wanted first.

"That newest American-made EV, what's it called... the Starline SUV? I looked into it. The top trim comes to $148,000 out the door." Tyler was beaming as he said it, as if the car were already parked outside his building.

Kayla chimed in beside him, her voice thin and shrill. "Ethan, we're not asking you two to cover all of it. We can scrape together thirty or forty thousand ourselves. It's mainly the big chunk, you see... Tyler is the only son in his generation, and I'm hoping we'll have a baby on the way soon. Once we have a kid, going anywhere without a good car will be such a hassle. You're his brother-in-law, and you're the most successful one in our family. Shouldn't you help your little brother out?"

One flattering label after another came piling on, and they left me speechless.

When Lindsay saw I wasn't saying anything, she got anxious. She plopped down next to me and spoke in a voice only the two of us could hear. "Say something! My brother already asked. What more do you want? It's only $140,000, isn't it? Give it to him and we'll still have $10,000 left. Why are you playing dumb?"

I took a deep breath, pushed down the anger rising in me, and looked at Tyler, trying to keep my tone calm. "Tyler, getting a new car is a big deal. But $140,000 isn't a small amount. I'd planned to use this $150,000 to sign our kid up for some activities, replace that old fridge of ours, and save the rest in case of emergencies."

"Oh, my dear son-in-law!" As soon as she heard that, my mother-in-law's voice shot up, her face full of grief. "Listen to you, treating us like strangers! What emergencies? Your brother needing a new car right now, that's the biggest emergency there is! If you don't give him this money, what, you're going to let it rot in the bank? We're family. Why draw lines between us?"

"Exactly, Ethan." Tyler's face fell too. "I'm your closest brother-in-law! You'll spend money on classes for outsiders, but you won't lend me a hand? If I don't get a new car and something happens one day, then what? Can you take responsibility for that?"

This was nothing short of naked emotional blackmail.

I looked at Lindsay, hoping she would step in and say something fair. After all, we were the ones who were a family.

Lindsay's reaction, however, chilled me to the bone.

She shot me a fierce glare, then turned to her mother and brother. "Mom, Tyler, don't worry. He's just stubborn and can't see past his own nose. Leave this to me. He's handing over that money today, no matter what!"

With that, she stood up, yanked me into the bedroom, and slammed the door shut.

In the living room, my mother-in-law and Kayla kept going, taking turns listing my "faults."

"That Ethan, the more money he has, the stingier he gets."

"Isn't that the truth? He was pretty generous back when he was broke. Now he gets one bonus and his nose is up in the air."

In the bedroom, Lindsay planted her hands on her hips and glared at me. "Ethan, what exactly are you doing today? My family's right out there watching. Are you set on humiliating me?"

"Lindsay, can you be reasonable for once?" I felt like my patience had hit its limit. "That's $140,000, not $1,400! Are we just supposed to stop living our own lives? Hand all of it over so your brother can buy a car?"

"What do you mean, buy my brother a car? It makes you look good too!" Lindsay's voice rose as well. "When he drives that new car around and people ask, he'll say his brother-in-law bought it for him. Doesn't that make you look good? Besides, he's the only brother I've ever had. If I don't help him, who will? As my husband, isn't helping him the most natural thing in the world?"

"Haven't I helped him enough?" I couldn't stop myself from shooting back. "Last time, when he opened that coffee shop, I gave him $50,000, and it vanished without a trace. Did he ever once say thank you to you? Did he ever pay a cent back?"

"Why are you bringing that up!" Lindsay's face flushed red in an instant. "Businesses make money and lose money. How is that the same? This time it's a car, it's an asset! And that $50,000, are you going to hold it over us for the rest of your life? You're a grown man. Why are you so petty?"

I looked at her face, a little twisted with agitation, and suddenly she seemed like a stranger. We had been married five years. I had always believed there was real feeling between us, that we were working toward a future together. Only now did I realize that in her world, her own family would always come before the little family we had made.

"I'm not being petty," I said wearily. "I just think we should take care of ourselves first. Our kid is starting elementary school soon, and there are expenses everywhere."