Page 96 of Day Break

Lane dropped his arms to his side, spun on his heels, and marched back to the house. I had to jog to keep up with him.

Instead of going to the main house, he climbed the stairs to our apartment and walked over to my hiding spot for the diary.

“Show me,” he said, handing me the book. “Read the entry to me.”

I sat down on the sofa and scanned the pages. Then I read him the line where she’d talked about being abused.

“Especially after all the sex that has been forced on me already.”

So far, it was the only mention of it. Lane grew angrier than I’d ever seen him before.

“What else?” he asked.

I turned the page and read him the entry about Eric.

“There is no one on this planet that I hate more than my family. They actually think that they can tell me who I can fall in love with. I don’t care what they say, Eric and I are in love. But since they have an ongoing feud with Eric’s family, they are all saying that I can’t see him. I’m fourteen, or at least will be next month. I can see whoever I want. I hate them all. My family sucks balls”

When I was done reading, I looked up to see Lane pacing in front of me.

“Eric?” He turned to me. “Who the fuck is Eric?”

“I assumed you’d know, since she mentioned a feud with his family.”

“The only feud we had was with Rodney,” Lane answered. “Does she say that he’s the one forcing her?”

“I don’t know. Maybe Eric was a nickname for him?” I suggested.

Lane shook his head, then snapped his fingers. “Eric Rodney Clarkson,” he said softly. “Son of a bitch. I remember his mother yelling at him one summer when he’d broken his new baseball bat. I’m going to kill him.” Just then, we heard a car pull up outside. “I can’t process this right now.” He shook his head. “That will be Lee. You need to finish reading that soon.” He pointed to the diary.

I nodded and put the book back in the hiding spot. Then I followed him downstairs for the meeting.

Lee Steinbeck was a frail-looking older gentlemen with a voice and demeanor that demanded respect. I was surprised when Lane’s family fell into line when asked to gather and all take a seat quickly.

“I want to head back to the city before dark,” Lee said, unlocking his briefcase.

The entire family, including me, sat or stood in the living room. I stood along the back, fearing what was to come.

“Since George didn’t want any of his assets sitting in probate, he and Lane spent the last year shifted everything he owned into a trust. Which means the assets can be distributed immediately.,” Lee said.

Everyone in the room relaxed. I saw several people’s smiles grow.

“With that said, George has named Lane Robinson as sole executor of that trust.”

At this point, several people complained. Lee held up his hand to stop them from fighting.

“I’m here to read this.” He held up the paper. “The matter is not up for debate,” he said firmly. Instantly, everyone quieted down. “Continuing. Each of you will receive copies of the will after I finish reading it.” He shifted and read, “I’m naming my grandson Lane Nathaniel Robinson as sole trustee and executor in charge of my trust and all of my assets and cash funds.”

“What?” Robert, Kate, and Lane’s father all cried out at the same time.

“Like hell. There’s no way we’re going to allow Lane to have control—” Robert started, but he stopped when Lee held up his hand.

“Once again, this isn’t up for debate. George moved all of his assets into a trust. What’s done is done. If you care to challenge, do so later. Be warned, there is a no-contest clause, which means, if you contest the will and lose, you won’t receive anything. But, if you still feel so inclined, I suggest you have your lawyers get in touch. For now, I’m going to do my job and finish.” He motioned to the will and started reading again.

“Initially, I wasn’t going to put Lane in charge, but in light of some information I found out from my own children last year, Lane is the only one in my family that I trust. With that said, the following items are my only bequeaths. First and foremost, I leave my beloved dog Byron to Chloe Dawn. She loves him almost as much as I did. May he be a comfort and true companion just like you were to me.”

Tears streamed down my cheeks. I bent down to hug the dog, who was sitting at my feet.

“You’re mine,” I said to Byron, burying my face in his fur.