I opened the envelope. Fifty thousand dollars in a cashier’s check, and papers already notarized. Harold leaned back, swirling his bourbon. ‘Take the night to think, but the offer expires at breakfast.’ I slid the check back across the table. ‘Keep it. But since we’re being honest, Harold, I need to give you something too.’ I pulled a folded printout from my jacket. His smile flickered. ‘What is this?’ ‘That’s the inspection report on the ’67 Shelby you’ve been trying to sell to the Petersen collectors next month. The one you swore was matching-numbers.’ His face went the color of the tablecloth. ‘It’s not. The block was swapped in ’89. I know because the man who did the swap is my uncle Ray, and he kept the paperwork. Your buyer’s expert flies in Thursday. He was going to find out anyway.’ Harold’s jaw worked, silent. ‘Here’s my number,’ I said quietly. ‘I don’t want your money. I want you at our house Sunday, apologizing to Emily for every time you called me a mistake. I want you to walk her down the aisle at the ceremony we’re throwing ourselves in September. And I want you to sit across from my mother, who cleans offices at night, and treat her like the queen she is.’ He opened his mouth. Closed it. ‘And if I don’t?’ ‘Then I mail the report to the Petersen buyer, the auction house, and the three collectors you’ve swindled since 2019. Uncle Ray has documentation on all of them.’ I stood, dropping a twenty for the water I hadn’t touched. ‘Emily’s cake is waiting. I’ll tell her you send your love.’ Sunday, Harold showed up in a gray suit holding white peonies, her favorite. He cried when he apologized. Emily held my hand under the table and whispered, ‘What did you do?’ I kissed her temple. ‘I just introduced your father to himself.’
