Matthew smiled.

“Your dad was a genius, Dawn.”

I was unable to resist. For the first time since his death, I laughed—truly, really laughed.

All of the debt was owed to Charlotte, but she also owned the house. And the only person who could keep her from losing everything had just been thrown out.

A few days later, Charlotte called while I was still staying at the bed and breakfast. As I went to fetch a drink of water for myself, I let it ring.

I picked it up after that.

I said gently, “Hello?”

She spat, “You knew, didn’t you?”

I said, “Knew what?”

Her words, “The house,” were abrupt. “I just got the call from the lawyer. Debt exists. Lots of stuff. similar to thousands of dollars. Dawn, the house is taken if they are not paid. And you…” she exhaled nervously. “You have the money, don’t you?”

I twirled my dad’s watch around my wrist while leaning back in an armchair.

“I might have the money…” I said. “However, we don’t exactly have a stellar past, do we? I was kicked out by you.”

She said nothing.

She eventually exclaimed, “You have to help me!”

I grinned.

“I would have helped you, Charlotte,” I replied. “Sis, I wish you had treated me better when I was a child. I could feel bad then.”

I hung up after that.

I intended to stay in the bed and breakfast for a little while longer. I was looking for a furnished flat with Matthew’s help.

“Something small will be perfect,” he stated. “Daisy, you have a few months until you leave for college. You don’t have to live in a large house. The best option is an apartment. You can do everything you want after you turn eighteen, which is coming up shortly. You must prioritise your studies for the time being.”

I said, “Thank you for helping me,” “I would have been lost without you.”

“Your father told me everything about you, Dawn, including how hard your sister made your life. particularly after your mother moved out. I would help you get back on your feet, like I promised your father.”

I was in my tiny studio flat in a creative area of town a few weeks later. I loved that it was close to the coffee shop and my school.

I’m not sure what happened to Charlotte, but one evening I noticed a SOLD sign in front of our house. Perhaps I ought to have felt guilty, but I didn’t. Without my father, it wasn’t my home.

Even if it was through Matthew, at least he was still watching out for me.

How would you have responded?