Page 27 of Home for Justice
“I’m just sorry I never discovered your hugs back then,” he said, his eyes twinkling.
She nodded, then forced her gaze to the mountains in the distance before she did something impetuous, like throw herself into his arms.
After a moment, she shook her head to clear the random thoughts, remembering she had been in the middle of her family story.
Clearing her throat, she continued, “About fifteen years ago, Jordy and his wife, Debbie, who’s as lazy and entitled as he is,got tired of renting in town and wanted to buy a house. McClay’s Mechanics was doing really well by then, but Jordy wasn’t working there and hadn’t for years. He did one job after another but never stuck with anything very long. But instead of saving or working toward a house, they asked Granddad to give them their inheritance early.”
She exhaled, frustration and sorrow threading through her words. “Granddad and my dad both tried to talk him out of it. Told him that if he took it early, then when Granddad passed, everything else would go to Dad. No second helping. No redo. But Jordy didn’t care. He thought a lump sum would fix everything. That it’d solve all his money problems.”
Tyler leaned forward slightly, listening intently. “It’s not unheard of to give part of an inheritance early… but that only works if the person understands the trade-off. A business isn’t a bank account. It keeps living and growing. You can’t cash out and still expect to hold a stake.”
Justice met his gaze, her eyes reflecting both weariness and strength. “Exactly. But Jordy didn’t care about that. He just wanted what he thought was his, without doing anything to earn it. But Granddad had everything spelled out crystal clear in case Jordy tried anything. He made sure papers were signed at the time and are with his attorney.”
“I take it, it didn’t go as Jordy planned.”
“Bingo,” Justice said with a dry laugh, her eyes lighting with sarcastic amusement. “If Jordy and Debbie had invested wisely, they would’ve been okay. But of course, they didn’t. Jordy and Debbie managed to burn through that money in about ten years.”
She paused and rolled her eyes before adding, “He doesn’t have a huge gambling addiction… well, maybe he does. He doesn’t go to Vegas or anything, but he loses just enough every month to make a difference. And that’s not counting the restof their reckless spending. They bought a house in a fancy neighborhood, trying to live like they were country club-worthy. Neither one could keep a job longer than a year.”
Tyler didn’t interrupt. He didn’t offer sympathy or judgment, just watched her with the quiet, steady attention that made her feel seen.
After a moment, he said, “I take it this is where your uncle starts becoming a problem again.”
She nodded slowly, her expression sobering. “When Granddad passed eight years ago, he made sure his Will was exactly as it had been spelled out to everyone. It broke his heart, but he knew how Jordy was. He couldn’t risk leaving things up to chance.”
Her voice softened as she continued, “It clearly stated that Jordy had received his inheritance in a lump sum already. Jordy got nothing except a few pieces of family furniture. That was it. By then, Granddad had already signed the auto shop over to Dad, making him the sole owner. A few years later, Dad asked me to come on as a partner, and I didn’t hesitate. So McClay Mechanics is his and mine.”
She looked around her cozy backyard, feeling anchored.
“My grandparents’ house in town went to me. Granddad left it in my name. My cousin no longer lived here, so he received a cash inheritance equivalent to the value of the house at that time. I lived there for a while, but when Mom got sick, I moved back here to help care for her. After she passed, Dad told me I could stay as long as I wanted. By then, I’d grown to love being back in my childhood home with all this beauty just outside the door. So I sold the house in town, and that money became my nest egg.”
She puffed out her cheeks and blew out a breath, her eyes briefly closing. “Then the inevitable happened. Jordy and Debbie couldn’t keep up with their mortgage. Lost the house.Lost the golf course membership. Went crawling to their lawyer to see if they could somehow force Dad to share his inheritance.”
“And I’m guessing they were told there was nothing that could be done,” Tyler said.
Justice gave a slow nod. “Exactly. The lawyer reminded them they’d already received their inheritance and had been warned that was all they’d ever get. But now…”
She lifted her eyes to his, a spark of anger there, mixed with exhaustion. “Now they’re showing up with emotional appeals. Calling, texting, cornering Dad at the shop, acting like they’ve been wronged. Conveniently forgetting the money they already squandered. Jordy’s not the brightest bulb, but he’s slippery. And Debbie? Mama always said she was mean as a snake with a toothache.”
Tyler arched a brow. “They're trying to stir up drama?”
“Oh yeah,” she said, lips twitching with dry humor. “Tried to threaten Dad by saying they’d tell people how unfairly Jordy was treated. Dad just shrugged. Everyone around here knows how things went down. Jordy got his cut and blew it.”
Tyler’s jaw tensed slightly. “You mentioned a cousin?”
She nodded and sighed. “Yes. They had John right after they got married. He lives in Chicago. Has a good job and seldom comes home. He was older than me, and we were never close.” She shrugged. “But, he seems to have escaped his parents.”
She looked down at her hands, then back up at him. “Anyway, that’s the family mess. You sure you still want to know me?”
Tyler didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached across the space between them and laid his hand over hers. His touch was steady, warm, and strong.
“Justice, we’ve all got stories. What matters is how we carry them. And how you carry yours?” His thumb brushed lightlyover the back of her hand. “That tells me everything I need to know.”
Her lips curved as she looked down at their hands and then back to his face. “Well, I kicked Jordy out of the office today, and banned him from the hospital the other day, so I’m not sure what that says about me.”
“It tells me you can handle yourself and won’t take shit from a shithead.”
Throwing her head back, she laughed long and hard. “Sh… shit from a shithead! Oh my God, that describes it perfectly!”
