Page 60 of Whatever Will Be

The second statement, however, begins with an inexplicable two thousand dollar wire transfer on the first of the month. Puzzled, I look closely at the line item description but there’s nothing to give away the origin of the deposit.

There are no earlier paper statements here because Jules was alive before that. I’ll need to access the account online if I want to look back further.

My phone is where I left it inside my purse in the living room. A moment later, I’m logged on and downloading the pdf files for older statements. I move backwards through them and find that the same two thousand dollar deposit appears every other month promptly on the first of the month. After going back a year, there has been no deviation from the pattern and I set the phone down, trying to process the meaning.

Those deposits are not from her job at the physical therapy clinic. Her paychecks are all accounted for. She had no other source of income that I was ever aware of.

I don’t know what to make of this at all, but a variety of explanations run through my mind.

All of them leave me feeling uneasy.

11

Trent

“Will this work?” Gretchen asks, checking out the enormous screen I’ve temporarily set up in the living room.

“Sure. I signed up for an MLB account that gives access to all the games so we can stream every minute live.”

She snakes an arm around my waist while I use the remote to navigate the onscreen menu. Last night Danny called with the news that he was being called up to the major leagues since an injury sidelined the third baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks. After playing in a number of spring training games and producing outstanding results, the bigshots were willing to give Danny another look. He immediately flew out to Atlanta to join the team on their current road trip and he’s going to be in the lineup for this afternoon’s game. If there’d been more notice we would have traveled down there to cheer him on but Danny said not to worry about that because he was already feeling the pressure.

“That’s not Uncle Danny,” Caitlin complains when a sportscaster in a red tie appears on the screen.

“Did we miss him?” Mara worries.

“Not at all,” I reassure them. “The game hasn’t even started yet.”

Since lunch, the two of them have been waiting on the couch with an army of their favorite dolls and stuffed animals.

“This is it,” I tell everyone as the sportscaster begins discussing the stats on both teams. It’s only the second week of the regular season so there’s not much to say yet.

“Arizona dropped their last two games,” says the sportscaster, sounding like he should be narrating a car commercial. “On third base we’ve got newcomer Danny Aaronson, eighth in the lineup. Aaronson played forty three games with the Red Sox three seasons back before a knee injury and he’s been in the minors ever since. He put up a lot of impressive numbers in spring training so let’s see if a new team and a new season can make some magic happen.”

Danny’s picture flashes on the screen and the twins cheer. Gretchen persuades them to relocate their toy menagerie to an armchair so that we’ll have room to sit down. I put my arm around Gretch when she nestles beside me. She plants a quick kiss on my cheek.

The girls know we’re together. After I began staying over every night there was no point in denying anything. I haven’t moved in, not exactly, but I spend less and less time at the house down the street, primarily going there only during business hours when there’s work that needs to be taken care of.

Speaking of business, my plans to assume control of the brewery are at something of a standstill. The remaining partner has become skittish about selling and I don’t know if Liam is holding something over his head or what, but for now these efforts are stuck in place. I could push harder but I’ve been more cautious ever since that unwelcome visit from my shithead brother.

“Be careful about picking fights when you’ve got something to lose.”

Gretchen isn’t under his thumb in any way and he has no leverage over her. Liam likes to talk big, yet I know better than anyone what he’s capable of and that moment in the driveway keeps sticking in my head.

As for Liam, he’s stayed out of sight since that day. We’re two mortal enemies living in the same small town and stewing over who’s going to make the next move. It’s not a great feeling.

There’s a part of me that just wants to say ‘fuck it’ to the whole plan, take a loss selling off the pieces of the brewery I’ve acquired, and watch Liam drown himself from afar while keeping my focus on what’s right in front of me. Revenge has become a lot less tempting now that I have Gretchen.

Plus, I keep thinking of my mother. Both my parents have been on my mind, but especially her. My mother loved everyone and she was genuinely kindhearted. She wasn’t born into an easy life, raised by poor grandparents who died when she was still in high school. But she always looked ahead with hope. She believed in the contentment of ordinary days with the family she adored and didn’t make room for any bitterness. My mother would be disappointed to know I’ve gone to great lengths to fulfill a vindictive plot. The fact that Liam deserves much worse is beside the point. She would be disappointed anyway.

Gretchen doesn’t approve either.

She hasn’t said so in as many words but when I finally disclosed my intentions with Liam and the brewery she grew quiet.

She’s worried.

Given what she knows of Liam, she doesn’t trust him not to retaliate. She’s right.

The first two innings of the game move quickly and it looks like it’s going to be a pitching duel with two of the best in the league on the mound for each team. By the third inning when Danny finally steps up to the plate, no one on either side has even managed to get a base hit.

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