When we don't know who to turn to, sometimes we turn to the ones we least expect.
Luke Salazar is a senior at Bay High School, and he's been pushed, shoved, and shut out for most of his life. Miles Jefferson has been the ringleader of a lot of that...
We pulled up to Mr. Golding's office ten minutes early, and I felt like I was going to puke.
Rachel squeezed my knee. "Luke and his parents just pulled up, and I think that's Brooke pulling in now. You ready for this?" she asked, and I turned to look at her.
"As ready as I'm going to be, I suppose. Let's go," I said, reaching over and opening her door.
Adam, Jane, Luke, and Brooke were standing on the sidewalk directly in front of the Jeep. "Hey, y'all," I said, shaking Luke and Adam's hands and hugging Jane. Then Brooke hugged me suddenly.
"I'm really sorry, Miles," she said, and I smiled – not a grin, but enough to show her I was okay.
"Thank you, Brooke. I appreciate that," I said, and she stepped back to take Luke's hand. "Let's do this," I said, sounding braver than I felt.
I led the way and five minutes later, we were in a large conference room around a long rectangular table. "Welcome, everyone," Mr. Golding started as we all sat down. "Let's do some introductions, shall we?"
We went around the table until Mr. Golding was acquainted with everyone. When he opened the folder on the table top in front of him, my heart leapt into my throat. I don't know why, but I had a horrible feeling about what was about to happen.
"All right, I'm just going to read the will from start to finish, and I'll take questions, comments, and concerns afterward. Mr. Jefferson, is that all right?"
It dawned on me when Rachel poked my arm that he was actually speaking to me. Oh, right. I'm the only Mr. Jefferson left.
"Yes, yes, that's fine," I said quickly, embarrassed at how long it took me to answer.
"Very well." Mr. Golding cleared his throat. "According to the Last Will and Testament of Mr. William Henry Jefferson, the family home and everything in it is left to Mr. Miles Jefferson. The Land Rover is also left to Mr. Miles Jefferson." At least I'd have a place to live. But Mr. Golding continued. "As for the entirety of the late Mr. Jefferson's bank accounts: the balance of approximately $30,000,000 will be split three ways between Mr. Miles Jefferson, Mr. Luke Salazar, and Mr. Adam Salazar."
I almost fell out of my chair, and I heard Luke and Adam audibly gasp. "Excuse me?" I croaked.
Mr. Golding held up a long finger. "One moment. One more thing."
I bit my lip and nodded.
"And in regard to Jefferson Properties, LLC... the company has been left to Mr. Adam Salazar. There is a letter that explains this decision – I suppose he felt that the other decisions were self-explanatory. Shall I read it?"
We all nodded silently.
"Adam and Miles,
If you're reading this, I've somehow met my demise. I want to explain to you both why I left my company to Adam. First of all, Adam, I know you will take good care of the company because you take good care of everything in your life. Truthfully, I've always envied you that ability. Somehow, I have no mind for much except money. And obviously, that has had a negative impact on my life... and the lives of those around me. Which brings me to Miles. Son, I didn't leave you the company for one reason and one reason only – and it isn't because I didn't think you could handle it; I know you could. I didn't leave you the company because I want you to be free to go to college and do whatever you want with your life. Now that I'm gone, you're free.
And Adam, if you don't want to run the company, sell it. But I think it'll be good for your and Jane's future.
I won't even close this letter with empty apologies. I know it won't mean anything after all I've done. But I hope that what I've left you makes your lives at least a little easier.
William
"Holy shit," Luke whispered.
"Yeah," I murmured.
"I – uh, I have ten million dollars?" Luke blurted, and we all chuckled, including Mr. Golding.
"It appears that way, son," Adam said, running his palm over his face.
Mr. Golding put the papers back in the folder and pushed it across the table to me. "Those are your copies. Now we have a few things to sign and paperwork to finalize."
We nodded numbly, and I noticed that Jane, Rachel, and Brooke had been stunned into silence.
This really was a day for the record books.
***
After all the paperwork was filled out, we left the lawyer's office a whole lot wealthier. I was still in shock when we all sat down at The Back Porch for dinner.
We ordered appetizers and sat in silence while we waited, until Brooke finally spoke up.
"Okay, can we talk about the elephant in the room?" she said, setting her tea on the table and folding her hands dramatically. "Miles, did you know your dad had thirty million dollars?"
The tension was broken and everyone laughed. "Hell no!" I exclaimed. "I mean, I always knew we had plenty of money, but nothing like that!"
"What are you going to do about the company, Dad?" Luke asked Adam. I leaned forward, eager to hear the answer.
"I don't know..." he said, and I could tell he was deep in thought. "I mean, I can't just quit my job."
"Why not?" Jane asked. It was the first time she'd spoken in over an hour.
All our heads snapped toward her. "What are you saying, Jane?" Adam asked.
"Nothing, I'm just saying that you've talked for years about how you feel like you're never going to move up in your current position. Tell them you've had a new opportunity come along, and take this over. For all William was or wasn't, he was an excellent businessman. The company is successful. You can keep it going," she said, and Adam glanced at me.
"Are you okay with this, Miles? I can't help but feel a little guilty about it."
I smiled genuinely. "Of course I'm okay with it. Rachel and I are going to Florida State in a few months. This is what Dad wanted, and surprisingly, I agree with him on something," I said, glancing at Rachel. She smiled at me, her eyes looking bluer than I'd seen them in a while.
"Well... all right then. That's what I'll do," Adam said decisively.
"Good." I raised my sweet tea. "Let me propose a toast. To William Jefferson. A man who, while he was a complete and utter douchebag, in a weird way, brought us all together."
And as I looked around the table at them, I realized just how true that statement actually was.
Maybe... just maybe, everything I'd gone through had been for all of this. The chance to fall in love... to have a family... and a future free of fear.
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