Chapter 16 - Tiffany Sees Her Wedding Differently
Tiffany and Graham returned to the vineyard resort six weeks after the wedding.
Not for nostalgia.
For documents.
The planner, Amelia Frost, had preserved her own invoice files.
She agreed to meet outside counsel.
Tiffany waited in the empty ballroom.
Without guests, it looked smaller.
Flowers gone.
Chandeliers still beautiful.
Dance floor bare.
She stood where the cake had been.
Graham joined her.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Want to leave?”
“No.”
She looked toward the service hallway.
“I was standing here.”
He knew.
“When Naomi was locked in there.”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t know.”
Tiffany closed her eyes.
“I was complaining because the cake knife had the wrong ribbon.”
Graham said nothing.
“I hate that memory.”
“Why?”
“Because it makes me look shallow.”
“You were at your wedding.”
She turned.
“Don’t rescue me.”
He stopped.
Tiffany continued.
“I can be innocent of what Mom did and still dislike who I was in that moment.”
Graham nodded.
Fair.
Outside counsel later showed them preliminary allocations.
Floral vendor had billed Golden Vine $138,000 for three events:
Foundation harvest benefit.
Whitaker Resort opening.
Tiffany wedding.
Golden Vine paid full invoice from foundation-sourced cash.
Later reallocations credited some amount back.
Not enough.
Transportation vendor similar.
Lighting and production more complicated.
Tiffany asked:
“Was my whole wedding stolen?”
The forensic accountant shook his head.
“No.”
“Then how much?”
“We’re still determining.”
“Estimate.”
“I won’t give one until supportable.”
Tiffany almost laughed.
Naomi would love him.
“Did my mother personally take money?”
“We have no evidence she put foundation funds into her personal bank account.”
“Then what did she do?”
“Possibly caused the foundation to bear costs benefiting private parties without proper authorization or timely reimbursement.”
Tiffany sighed.
“That sounds less evil.”
“Legal reality is often less narratively satisfying.”
She stared at him.
“Naomi says things like that.”
He smiled.
“Good investigator.”
Tiffany became serious.
“Does intent matter?”
“Very much.”
“Mom thought everything would be repaid.”
“That may matter.”
“Does it make it okay?”
“No.”
Tiffany nodded.
Complexity again.
Afterward, she found Lucas in the parking lot.
He had come for a separate interview.
They sat on a stone wall overlooking vines.
“Do you remember when we were kids and Mom used to take our Halloween candy?”
Lucas smiled.
“‘Inventory management.’”
“She’d redistribute because I liked chocolate and you liked gummies.”
“Yes.”
“She never asked.”
“No.”
Tiffany looked toward the vineyard.
“I thought it was funny.”
“It was.”
“Maybe.”
She sighed.
“Mom has always believed fair means she decides where everything goes.”
Lucas looked at her.
“Naomi said something similar.”
“Of course she did.”
Tiffany turned.
“Did you know my wedding was being carried by foundation cash?”
“Some.”
“How much?”
“I didn’t know.”
“But some.”
“Yes.”
She slapped his arm lightly.
Not violence.
Sibling fury.
“You asshole.”
“I know.”
“Don’t say I know like that makes it noble.”
He almost smiled.
“Naomi says that too.”
“Stop making your wife do all your thinking.”
That landed.
Lucas looked away.
Tiffany softened.
“Sorry.”
“No. Fair.”
She stared.
“Why did you approve it?”
“Because Mom said repay later.”
Tiffany nodded slowly.
“Same reason I didn’t ask about invoices.”
“What?”
“If Mom said handled, I wanted handled.”
Lucas looked at her.
“We’re pathetic.”
“No.”
Tiffany shook her head.
“Naomi would say don’t turn choices into identity.”
He smiled.
“You’ve been spending too much time with her.”
“I like her.”
“You always did.”
“I liked that she scared Mom.”
Lucas laughed.
Then stopped.
Tiffany whispered:
“I didn’t know Mom could do what she did to her.”
“Neither did I.”
“You watched.”
His face fell.
“I know.”
Tiffany turned toward him.
“No.”
“Here we go.”
“You need to hear it from me too.”
He nodded.
She continued.
“You had a different childhood than me.”
“How?”
“She trusted you with business.”
“That wasn’t trust.”
“It felt like it from outside.”
Lucas looked down.
Tiffany continued.
“You were trained to agree because agreement got you responsibility.”
He stared.
“And I was trained not to ask because ignorance got me comfort.”
Lucas looked at her.
“Jesus.”
“Family therapy is going great.”
They laughed sadly.
Then Tiffany said:
“I’m paying back the wedding portion.”
“Graham agreed?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Sell my Aspen condo.”
Lucas stared.
“You love that place.”
“Apparently not enough to let farmworker clinic money subsidize my band.”
“Do not assume restricted clinic money specifically.”
Tiffany rolled her eyes.
“You sound like counsel.”
“Sorry.”
“No. Good.”
Precision.
They were learning.
Tiffany stood.
Before leaving:
“Do you think Naomi will come back?”
Lucas looked toward the service hallway entrance.
“I don’t know.”
“Do you deserve her?”
He started:
“No—
Then stopped.
Tiffany smiled.
“Good catch.”
Lucas nodded.
“I’m trying to become someone she could trust. Whether she does is hers.”
Tiffany stared.
“That sounded healthy.”
“I hate it.”
She hugged him.
May you like
For the first time since the wedding, the siblings felt like adults rather than children orbiting Marianne.
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