New Uses For Old Boyfriends by Beth Kendrick Read Free Book Online

mother. Her mother stared at the lawyer. The office was so quiet that she could hear the faint whoosh of air circulating through the ceiling vents.
    Richard cleared his throat and consulted the paperwork. “May I speak frankly?”
    Daphne settled back in her chair and sighed.
    â€œPlease do,” Lila said.
    â€œWhen your father died, he left behind substantial debts. Most of the business loans can be discharged, but the personal loans have to be repaid and your mother and I have had several conversations about downsizing her lifestyle and reconfiguring her budget.”
    â€œWait, how much debt are we talking about here?” Lila turned to her mother. “I thought everything was going great. Dad’s business made it through the recession—he never said a word about loans. And I know you’ve never said a word about downsizing.”
    â€œBecause I’m fine.” Daphne’s voice was high and thin. “I’m the parent and you’re the child. I don’t need a guilt trip from you right now.”
    Lila threw up her hands. “I’m not giving you a guilt trip. I’m just trying to figure out—”
    â€œLet’s look at the portfolio.” Richard pushed a folder across the desktop. “Let’s focus on the numbers.”
    Lila set her jaw and inched forward in her seat.
    â€œBill’s construction business never recovered after the recession, and he took on a lot of secured debt trying to salvage the company.”
    â€œHe did?” Lila glanced at the contracts and spreadsheets in the portfolio.
    â€œHe did.”
    â€œAnd you knew about this?” she asked her mother.
    Daphne shrugged one shoulder. “Your father didn’t like to talk about money.”
    Lila gripped the chair’s carved wooden armrests and addressed the attorney. “So there were business problems.”
    â€œAdd that to the outstanding credit card debt, the maintenance and taxes on the primary residence, the line of credit leveraged on the house, and the liquidated investments, and it’s . . .” The lawyer cleared his throat. “It’s not very promising, from a financial standpoint.”
    Lila looked back at her mother. Her mother gazed out the window. “You did know about this.”
    She nodded.
    â€œAnd it’s been going on for a year now.”
    â€œYou had just lost your father, and then you lost your job, and then that nasty legal battle with Carl . . .” A single tear slid down Daphne’s cheek. “I didn’t want to worry you.”
    â€œSince when did you take out a home equity loan?” Lila asked.“And credit card debt! Weren’t you the one who gave me a big lecture about the dangers of high interest payments when I left for college?”
    â€œStop yelling at me! I already feel terrible!” Daphne broke into sobs.
    Richard raised his index finger, calling for calm. “Your mother and I have had several discussions about her current cash flow and the need for economy.”
    â€œI see.” Lila folded her arms. “And how is that going?”
    Daphne kept crying.
    Lila took a deep breath. “So where are we right now?”
    â€œThere are no remaining assets to speak of,” the attorney said. “And very little investment income.”
    Lila glanced over at her mother. “But what about all the rental houses?” Lila examined one of the financial documents, but couldn’t make sense of what she was looking at. “The retirement accounts?”
    â€œYour father liquidated everything trying to salvage his business,” Mr. Walther said. “I did advise him at the time that he’d be better off declaring professional bankruptcy and safeguarding his personal property, but I believe it was a point of honor. He very much valued his reputation in the community.”
    â€œOf course he did,” Daphne snapped. “He was the best