Chapter 4 - Grandma's Signature
Grandma turned toward Diane.
“I promised not to ruin the ceremony.”
“The ceremony is over,” Aunt Susan said.
Diane ignored her.
She was sixty, polished, beautiful, and always dressed like a camera might appear without warning. She had spent twenty years teaching Vanessa how to smile while hurting someone.
“Margaret,” she said softly, “this isn’t the time.”
Ryan stepped forward. “Time for what?”
Nobody answered him.
That made him angrier.
He looked at me. “Clara?”
I hated that he asked me. I hated even more that I had an answer.
“Your wedding may have been paid for with money Grandma didn’t authorize.”
Ryan stared at me.
Vanessa shouted, “That’s a lie.”
Grandma pulled a folded bank statement from the envelope.
“Is it?”
Vanessa’s eyes moved toward Diane.
Too fast.
Ryan saw it.
Grandma handed him the paper.
He read the highlighted line twice.
“Eighty-six thousand four hundred dollars?”
“The transfer request has my signature,” Grandma said. “But I didn’t sign it.”
Diane stepped in. “You gave me permission to handle expenses.”
“I gave you permission to arrange flowers for the church luncheon.”
“You said family events.”
“I did not give you permission to transfer money to a company you own.”
Ryan looked up. “You own Bellweather?”
Diane’s lips parted.
Vanessa jumped in. “It’s just a pass-through company. Mom used it to negotiate vendor rates.”
The catering manager made a strange sound.
Everyone looked at him.
He cleared his throat. “Our contract was paid directly by Mr. Cole.”
Ryan nodded slowly. “So were the venue and the band.”
Vanessa looked at him. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I paid the major vendors myself.”
A silence spread through the group.
Grandma tapped the statement.
“Then where did my eighty-six thousand dollars go?”
Vanessa’s face changed.
Diane tried to take the paper from Ryan.
He pulled it back.
“No.”
“Ryan, this is family business.”
“I married into this family three hours ago.”
Grandma’s eyes stayed on Diane.
“There’s more.”
She reached into the envelope again.
This time she pulled out a copy of the transfer authorization.
At the bottom was her signature.
May you like
Beside it was the name of the person who had submitted the request online.
Vanessa Bennett.
