Page 10 of This is Why We Lied

Mercy took a moment to find her voice. Were they really doing the meeting like Delilah wasn’t lurking in the shadows? Papa was clearly up to something. There was nothing to do but play along.

She told him, “I’ve already lined up Xavier and Gil. Jedediah’s on standby.”

“Standby?” Papa demanded. “What the hell is standby?”

Mercy choked back the offer to google the word for him. They had strict policies about the guest-to-guide ratios—not only for safety reasons, but because their curated experiences brought in hefty fees. “In case a guest signs up for the hike at the last minute.”

“You tell them it’s too late. We don’t leave guides hanging. They work for money, not promises.”

“Jed’s fine with it, Papa. He said he’d come if he could.”

“And what if he’s not available?”

Mercy felt her teeth grit. He always moved the goalpost. “Then I’ll take the guests up the trail myself.”

“And who’s going to look after the place while you’re galivanting up the mountains?”

“The same people who looked after it when you did.”

Papa’s nostrils flared in anger. Bitty looked profoundly disappointed. Less than a minute into the meeting and they were already at a stand-off. Mercy was never going to win. She could go fast or she could go slow, but she was still running in quicksand.

“Fine,” Papa said. “You’re just going to do whatever you want to do.”

He wasn’t giving in. He was getting in the last word while telling her she was wrong. Mercy was about to respond when Dave’s leg pressed against hers under the table, urging her to drop it.

Papa had already moved on anyway. He trained his sights on Fish. “Christopher, you need to put your best foot forward with the investors. Names are Sydney and Max, a woman and a man, but she wears the pants. Take them to the Falls where they’ll be sure to catch something good. Don’t bore them with all your ecology talk.”

“Absolutely. Understood.” Fish had earned his Master of Natural Resource Management with an emphasis on fisheries and aquatic sciences at UGA. Most of the guests were enthralled by his passions. “I was thinking they’d enjoy the—”

“Dave,” Papa said. “What’s going on with the bachelor cottages? Am I paying you by the nail?”

In a scattershot of passive aggressiveness that hit everyone at the table, Dave took his time answering. His hand slowly reached up to his face. He absently scratched his chin. Finally, he said, “Found some dry rot in the third cottage. Had to gut out the back and start over. Might be in the foundation. Who knows?”

Papa’s nostrils flared again. There was no way for him to fact-check Dave’s claim. He couldn’t make it down to that part of the property, even if they strapped him on an ATV.

“I want photos,” Papa said. “Document the damage. And make sure you put all your shit away. There’s a storm coming. I’m not paying for another table saw because you didn’t have the sense to get it out of the rain.”

Dave was picking grime out from under his fingernail. “Sure thing, Papa.”

Mercy watched her father’s left hand gripping the arm of his chair. Two years ago, he would’ve come across the table. Now, he had to save up every ounce of energy just to scratch his ass.

Mercy asked her father, “When do you want me to meet with the investors?”

Papa snorted at the question. “Why would you meet with them?”

“Because I’m the manager. Because I have all the spreadsheets and P&Ls. Because I’m a McAlpine. Because each of us has an equal share in the trust. Because I have a right to.”

“You have a right to shut your mouth before I shut it for you.” Papa turned to Fish. “Why is Chuck back on the property? We’re not a homeless shelter.”

Mercy exchanged a look with Dave. He took it as his cue to throw a bomb in the middle of the room. “Are you gonna tell us why Delilah’s here?”

Bitty shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

Papa started smiling, which brought its own special sense of fear. His cruelty always left a mark. “Why do you think she’s here?”

“I think—” Dave started drumming his fingers on the table. “I think the investors aren’t here to invest. They’re here to buy.”

Fish’s jaw dropped. “What?”