Chapter 22: The First Cake

The lawyer's office above the shoe repair shop smelled of polish and fresh coffee.

Gus sat at the head of the desk in a clean cardigan with his right hand resting on a stack of paper.

"Deed," he said when we came in. "Sit."

We sat, Caleb and I side by side on the lawyer's two good chairs.

The lawyer slid a single page across the desk.

"The will would have given you the lot when Mr. Thayer died," he said. "He would like to give it to you now, while he's alive to see it."

"Alive. And. Cranky," Gus said.

I looked at the page.

It had my name on it, Stephanie Marrin, and the address of my father's diner.

"Mr. Thayer," I said. "I can't pay for this."

"Not. For sale."

"I don't know what to say."

"Say. Yes." His pale eyes were steady. "Frank. Would."

My hand shook when I signed.

Gus signed under me, slowly, and every letter of his name was his own, and the lawyer stamped the page and put it in a folder.

"The lien is void," he said. "The note is void, the default is void, and the state has the original ledger. The lot is yours, free and clear."

I started to laugh and cry at once, and Caleb handed me a napkin from his pocket without being asked.

The door opened.

The woman in the green scarf stood on the landing with a long envelope.

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