“It’s too early for that,” I said, uncomfortable. “But the research is promising. If phase three succeeds, it could save thousands of lives each year.”
Brooke’s voice cut through the silence, sharp and brittle.
“Why didn’t you tell us any of this?” she demanded. “You never told us you bought a house. Or made that kind of money. Or any of this.”
I looked at her.
“I did tell you,” I said quietly. “More than once.”
“That’s not true,” my father protested instantly. “We would remember something like this.”
James looked up from his phone, his expression becoming serious.
“Actually, it is true,” he said. “I have the emails Sophia sent me. November 2016—she told you both about the house. You told her she was being financially irresponsible and that the market might crash. Patricia, you asked whether she was sure she could handle the maintenance. I remember because it irritated me.”
My mother flushed.
“I was only worried about you,” she said defensively. “Buying a house is a major responsibility.”
“April 2018,” James continued. “Sophia mentioned at Easter dinner that she had paid off the mortgage. You asked if that meant she was unemployed. That was the exact word.”
“We didn’t say that,” my mother protested weakly.
“You did,” I said quietly. “You assumed paying off a mortgage meant I had lost my job, not that I had succeeded enough to eliminate the debt.”
The distinction seemed to hurt her. Tears filled her eyes. My father clenched his jaw until the muscle jumped.
James shifted the subject, but only slightly.
“Sophia,” he said casually, “have you decided about the lake house investment yet? That property was stunning. I haven’t stopped thinking about it.”
My parents turned toward him at the same time.
“What lake house?” my father demanded.
“There’s a luxury property on Lake Serenity,” James explained. “Six bedrooms, private dock, three acres. Strong short-term rental potential. Sophia is considering buying it as a vacation rental.”
Brooke stared at him, then me, her face pale.
“Why would Sophia buy a vacation rental?” she asked. “She doesn’t even take vacations.”
“For income diversification,” James replied. “She already owns four rental properties besides her main home. This would be her sixth property overall.”
If the earlier numbers had landed like stones, this one hit like thunder.
My mother swayed slightly. My father reached out to steady her. Brooke looked like someone had taken the script from her hands and rewritten it in a language she couldn’t read.
“Four rental properties,” my mother whispered. “You own four?”
“Small single-family homes in growing neighborhoods,” I said. “I buy below market value, renovate, and rent them to young professionals. Average cash flow is about eighteen hundred per unit after expenses.”
My father’s eyes narrowed as his mind grabbed onto the math.
