“Why?”
Ryder leaned against the desk.
“Apparently because she didn’t pay me.”
Dennis stared.
“That’s the greatest customer complaint resolution in history.”
“It isn’t about the invoice.”
“Feels slightly about the invoice.”
“Dennis.”
“All right.”
He became serious.
“What are you going to do?”
“Call somebody who understands this.”
“You know somebody?”
“No.”
“That’s a problem.”
“Yes.”
Mrs. Patton knew somebody.
Small towns worked that way.
Her nephew practiced business law in the county seat.
By two that afternoon, Ryder was speaking with attorney Jonathan Ellis.
Jonathan initially assumed Ryder had misread the document.
Then Ryder emailed it.
Jonathan stopped joking.
“Do not sign anything.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“Do not deposit anything.”
“I can’t.”
“Do not call the number on the document until I verify it independently.”
“Okay.”
“Where are you?”
“Garage.”
“You’re working?”
“Yes.”
Jonathan was silent.
“You have nineteen million dollars sitting in your office.”
“I have a transmission mount coming at three.”
“Of course you do.”
The verification took twelve days.
Sterling Legacy Trust existed.
The lawyers existed.
The bank existed.
The money existed.
The transfer was legitimate.
Theodore’s discretionary grant authority existed.
Jonathan brought in a tax attorney.
The tax attorney brought in an accountant.
The accountant brought in a wealth manager.
Ryder hated almost every meeting.
Lily loved them.
“Are we rich?”
“No.”
Jonathan looked at Ryder.
“Yes.”
Ryder glared at him.
“Don’t tell her that.”
Lily stared.
“How much?”
“Adult numbers.”
“That means a lot.”
“It means complicated.”
She looked at Jonathan.
“Nineteen million.”
“Jonathan.”
“What?”
Lily’s eyes became enormous.
“Dad.”
Ryder rubbed his forehead.
“Technically, it’s in a trust structure.”
“Dad.”
“Most of it isn’t going into our checking account.”
“Dad.”
“What?”
“We’re rich.”
Ryder sighed.
“Apparently.”
Lily screamed.
Ryder covered his ears.
“Inside voice!”
“We have nineteen million dollars!”
“Which means we can afford indoor volume control.”
“Can I get a horse?”
“No.”
“A dog?”
“We already discussed this.”
“A pool?”
“No.”
“A new phone?”
“Absolutely not.”
Lily stared at him.
“What is money for?”
Jonathan laughed so hard he had to leave the room.
Ryder’s first decision was boring.
He paid debt.
Building loan.
Equipment loan.
Business line of credit.
Remaining medical debt from Carolyn’s final year that had been refinanced twice.
Mortgage on the house.
When the final confirmation arrived showing the business owed nothing, Ryder sat alone in his office.
For years, debt had been background noise.
An invisible machine running behind every decision.
Could he hire?
No.
Could he replace the lift?