much?”
Howard finally answered.
“Three thousand dollars.”
“For six nights?”
Silence.
“Did Ashley tell you I approved it?”
Patricia’s certainty disappeared.
“She said the family had agreed.”
“I am the family member who owns the house.”
Howard looked genuinely shocked.
“We didn’t know.”
Then I asked,
“Did you know Ashley contacted a broker?”
Howard turned toward his wife.
Patricia said nothing.
Finally she admitted,
“Ashley said once the cottage sold, Bradley could pay us back.”
“How much does he owe you?”
“Eighty thousand.”
Suddenly everything became clear.
Their daughter had
