Chapter 16: The Offer

Brady's father had an office on the top floor of the gymnasium that carried his family's name.

His assistant met me at the elevator and held out a small tray.

"Phones go here, Ms. Bellinger. The trustee doesn't take meetings that are recorded."

I looked at the tray.

I had planned to record him on my phone, in my pocket, with the screen off.

"All right," I said, and put it down.

It was a long room with a glass wall over the basketball court.

Down below, a team was running drills, and the squeak of their shoes came up faintly through the floor.

The trustee stood at the window with his hands behind his back.

"Sit," he said.

I sat.

He took his time crossing to the desk, and when he sat he laid a single sheet of paper in front of me, face up.

"This is generous," he said. "I'd read it before you say anything."

It was printed on heavy stock.

I read it.

It offered a full scholarship through graduation, with the conduct clause removed.

It offered a graduate fellowship of my choice at any partner school, a paid internship in New York, and the balance of my mother's medical bills.

At the bottom it asked me to sign a statement that I had been confused and unwell, and that I would never speak about my relationship with his son.

"My mother's bills," I said.

"They're sixteen thousand dollars, I understand. Hospital billing is a wasteland." He folded his hands. "Think what that would mean for her."

He said it kindly.

I had not told anyone in this building the number.

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