Ashley looked from him to me.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I did not think my daughter needed a title report before deciding whether her father deserved a seat at her wedding.”
Her eyes dropped.
Trevor did not let the silence remain.
“Nobody said he didn’t deserve a seat.
This was a negotiation that got overheated.”
I took out my phone.
“A negotiation?”
I opened Ashley’s message and placed the phone on Frank’s desk.
The words were large enough for all of us to see.
Sign the house over first.
Then we can talk about your seat.
Ashley folded her arms.
“I was angry.”
“You sent three versions of the same demand.”
“Because you ignored me.”
“I was trying to understand when my daughter began treating her wedding like a lien against my home.”
Trevor pushed the phone away with two fingers.
“This is not productive.
The property is apparently unavailable, so we need to discuss alternatives.”
Frank raised an eyebrow.
“Alternatives to what?”
Trevor looked at Ashley.
She looked back at him, confused.
“To the transfer,” he said.
“There may be other assets, insurance policies, investment accounts—”
“Stop,” Ashley said.
It was the first time that afternoon she had spoken to him sharply.
Trevor blinked.
“I’m trying to solve the problem.”
“My father is sitting right there.”
“Exactly.
This is his opportunity to clarify what support he intends to provide.”
I reached into the envelope beside my chair and removed the printed spreadsheet from Trevor’s accidental email.
His expression changed before I said a word.
I placed the first page beside Ashley’s message.
“Perhaps this will clarify it,” I said.
Ashley leaned over the page.
At first she appeared only puzzled.
Then she recognized the formatting and Trevor’s initials in the file footer.
She scrolled through the printed pages with her fingertip as if searching for a reasonable explanation.
Projected property value.
Equity after estimated transfer.
Possible refinancing amount.
Inheritance scenarios.
Retirement timeline assumptions.
Then she reached the line I had been unable to forget.
Wedding pressure may accelerate decision.
Her finger stopped.
“What is this?” she asked.
Trevor did not answer immediately.
That pause told her more than any denial could have.
“It’s planning,” he said at last.
“Scenario modeling.”
“Why is my father’s death listed as a future asset event?”
