Then Tessa said something I had suspected she believed for years.
"Wilma, you're acting like paying for one dinner makes you important."
The room went completely silent.
She continued before anyone could stop her.
"You're a lonely woman in a little apartment who should be grateful your successful son includes you at all."
I felt the sting of her words, but they no longer frightened me.
"Do you know why I live in that apartment, Tessa?"
"Because that's what you can afford, obviously."
I looked at my laptop.
"Have you ever heard of Tate Freight?"
Reid made a sound that told me he recognized the danger in that question.
"Mom, please don't."
Tessa laughed.
"What does some little trucking business have to do with tonight?"
I heard Reid whisper her name urgently.
"Tate Freight is my company," I replied.
"Yes, Reid mentioned you owned a small business once."
I waited for my son to correct her.
He didn't.
"That business has operated for forty-two years, and an investment group has been negotiating to purchase it."
Tessa stopped laughing.
"Purchase it for how much?"
I looked at the formal offer Charles had sent to my laptop.
"One hundred sixty-five million dollars."
Somebody gasped.
Tessa's voice changed immediately.
"Reid, what is your mother talking about?"
But I wasn't finished.
"Tonight I instructed my attorney to accept the offer, and I've also made a decision about who will benefit from what I've built."
Reid suddenly spoke with unmistakable alarm.
"Mom, please tell me you haven't changed your plans for me."
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MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW TOLD ME TO EAT BESIDE THE RESTROOM AT THE DINNER I WAS PAYING FOR. SHE NEVER IMAGINED THAT MY NEXT DECISION WOULD INVOLVE $165 MILLION. 027
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CHAPTER 5
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The silence following Reid's question was so complete that I could hear the faint clatter of dishes being cleared somewhere beyond the private dining room.
My son had finally stopped asking about the restaurant bill.
Now he wanted to know whether his mother's decisions might affect something far more valuable.
"What plans are you referring to, Reid?" I asked.
He hesitated.
"You always said everything you built was for our family."
"And I meant it."
"Then why are you talking about changing things?"
I looked at the acquisition documents on my laptop.
"Because I finally understand that giving someone everything doesn't necessarily teach them to appreciate anything."
Tessa interrupted with a voice suddenly stripped of its earlier confidence.
"Wilma, are you seriously saying your company is worth one hundred sixty-five million dollars?"
"That's the offer I've accepted."
She remained quiet for several seconds.
Then her tone changed completely.
"Well, that's wonderful news."
I almost laughed at how quickly hostility could transform into affection when money entered the conversation.
"Congratulations, Wilma, you must be very proud."
"Thank you."
"We should have celebrated you tonight, too."
I stared at the photograph of Reid on my refrigerator.
"That's an interesting suggestion, considering you didn't think I deserved a chair."
Tessa cleared her throat.
"I think this whole thing has gotten terribly out of hand."
"Yes, it has."
"I never intended to make you feel unwelcome."
"You told me to eat beside the restroom."
"That was obviously a joke."
"You repeated it after I asked my son whether he agreed."
Reid spoke before she could answer.
"Mom, I should have said something."
His admission was quiet, almost swallowed by the noise of the restaurant.
"Yes, you should have."
"I'm sorry."
I wanted those two words to repair everything because I had waited all evening to hear them.
But an apology offered after the announcement of a fortune felt very different from one offered before it.
"Are you sorry because you hurt me, Reid?"
"Of course."
"Or because you're afraid of losing something?"
He didn't answer.
I let the question remain between us.
Tessa began speaking quickly about arranging another dinner, choosing a better restaurant, and making sure I received the seat of honor.
I listened without interrupting.
She sounded almost cheerful now, as though the past hour could be erased with a reservation and a few flattering words.