PART 3: THE DECK AND THE DIFFERENCE
Brooke’s eyes darted frantically toward the backyard glass doors as the rhythmic sound of Walter’s hammering echoed into the kitchen.
“Why is Walter building a deck out there right now?” she snapped, trying desperately to shift the focus away from the papers in Ethan’s hands. “Who is paying for this construction?”
“I am,” Ethan replied coldly. “I approved the project last night because Walter offered us a family discount on the labor, funded directly from my personal savings account.”
He pointed to my invoice resting on the counter. “And after deducting the two thousand dollars you claimed she owed you, we still owe my mother twelve hundred and twelve dollars for her work.”
Brooke gasped, her lips trembling as she realized her greedy scheme had backfired directly into her own pocketbook.
“You can’t be serious!” she yelled. “She’s family! You don’t pay family for cooking a few meals and watching her own grandchildren!”
Ethan looked at her with complete disappointment. “Then why did you hand her an itemized bill the moment she sat down for coffee?”
(The final resolution is about to take place! Click “Next Page” to see how the story ends…)
