Page 173 of Finish Line

Mom left the jewelry and items Peter bought her back to him. She also wrote a note to us to be read later.

When the lawyer reads the part associated with me, I lean back in my chair and stifle a laugh. “To my beautiful daughter, I leave whatever money I have in my savings. It won’t fix our problems, but it will ease my soul.”

I can’t stop myself from laughing. “What? She left me a dollar?”

The lawyer looks at another paper. “No, a little more than five hundred thousand.”

“Excuse me?” I almost fall out of the chair. “How is that possible?”

“Your mother was the first person to sue the makers of opioids and received that sum. She placed it in a savings account and hasn’t touched it,” he says.

I sit with my mouth open. “Why didn’t she tell me she had money?”

Peter shrugs. “She told me you two lived in bad places. Maybe she was afraid to tell you.”

My mind reels as we leave the office. I’ve seen in the news how the opioid makers have been sued and paid out millions, but I had no idea Mom was part of that.

Lunch with Peter is a blur, and I remember little of it or the drive home.

In the house, half-empty boxes lay next to the breakfast bar, and untouched ones are stacked along the wall.

Cam walks over and hugs me. “How did it go?”

“She gave me a letter and five hundred thousand.”

Cam’s eyes go big. “Are you joking?”

I shake my head. “No, I laughed at the lawyer when he told me she left me money.”

Cam’s head jerks back. “Where did the money come from?”

“She sued the opioid companies.”

“Holy shit, Shelby. You got money.” He laughs.

Dom and Mav come down the stairs, asking what’s going on. Cam tells them what happened, and they join in the celebration.

“So, Ms. Richey-Pants, what will you do with that money?” Mav rubs his hands together.

“I’m going to pay you guys some money for the house.”

“No.” Dom crosses his arms.

I hold up my hand. “Please let me do this. It bothers me that I couldn’t contribute.”

Cam’s shoulder collapses. “Why didn’t you tell us it bothered you so much?”

“I couldn’t say anything because of the look on your face when you gave it to me as a gift. Please don’t be upset. I love the house. It’s perfect for us. It’s just I’m used to—Shit, I don’t know how to explain this.” I run my hand across my mouth.

“If you contribute, it would feel more like a home to you instead of you being a freeloader?” Cam asks.

“Kind of.” I smile.

“We understand. How about you purchase the living room furniture and dishes?” Luke suggests.

“I can live with that.”

The next day, we go to a furniture store. We find a soft tan sectional and light wood side tables with lamps. The guys tell me to pick the entertainment center I like since they can’t agree. Luke and Dom like the dark wood one with two bookcases on either side. It’s nice but doesn’t go with the furniture we picked out.

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