Chapter 3 - The Man in the Christmas Photograph
Ethan’s younger brother, Luke, arrived still wearing the golf shirt from his Sunday breakfast.
He stopped in the kitchen doorway when he saw Mara.
“That looks serious.”
“It is,” she said.
Ethan placed his phone on the table.
“Who is Ben?”
Luke’s expression changed.
A small change.
Enough.
“Benjamin Hart?”
“You tell me.”
Luke glanced toward the stairs, where Natalie remained behind their bedroom door.
“What did Claire say?”
“Answer my question.”
Luke sat down.
Ben Hart represented a property development group that had approached Cole Renovation the previous winter. Luke handled estimates and business development. Ethan ran crews, managed suppliers, and made sure the work actually happened.
They had inherited the business from their father, along with two old trucks and a reputation neither wanted to damage.
“Ben wanted us on a townhouse conversion,” Luke said. “Good money. Steady work.”
“And Natalie?”
“She offered to help prepare the presentation. Marketing, interior concepts. You know she wanted more commercial clients.”
Ethan remembered now.
The Christmas photograph.
Luke had posted it from an industry fundraiser. Ben stood beside him beneath a ridiculous silver balloon, holding a drink and smiling at the camera.
“You introduced them.”
“Yes.”
“When did you know?”
Luke looked down.
Ethan felt something inside him go cold.
“When did you know, Luke?”
“I didn’t know for certain.”
Mara folded her arms.
“That wasn’t the question.”
“I saw them having lunch in May.”
“After Dad died.”
“Yes.”
“What did she tell you?”
“That you two were having problems. That you knew she was thinking about leaving.”
Ethan stared at his brother.
“And you didn’t ask me?”
“I thought you’d tell me when you were ready.”
“You can call me about a missing invoice six times before lunch, but you couldn’t call about my wife?”
Luke flinched.
“I handled it badly.”
“You didn’t handle it at all.”
The silence stretched.
Then Luke said, “There’s something else.”
Mara closed her eyes.
“Of course there is.”
Ben had proposed an investment arrangement. Cole Renovation would receive advance funding for equipment and expansion, then provide discounted labor on three properties.
Luke had been excited.
Their father’s medical bills had strained everyone. Equipment needed replacing. Ethan had been working Saturdays since January.
“Did you sign anything?” Ethan asked.
“A preliminary letter.”
“With whose authorization?”
“It wasn’t binding.”
“Did you sign my name?”
“No.”
“Did you use the company account?”
Luke hesitated.
Ethan pushed back his chair.
“How much?”
“Eight thousand. Due diligence deposit.”
Mara stared at him.
“You paid a developer to consider hiring you?”
“He said it reserved our place in the project.”
“Where’s the money now?” Ethan asked.
“I’ve requested it back.”
“When?”
“Last week.”
The day seemed to tilt again.
Ethan picked up his keys.
“Where are you going?” Luke asked.
“To the office. I’m copying every document we have.”
“We should talk first.”
“We are done talking without paperwork.”
Natalie came downstairs as he reached the front door.
“Please don’t make this about the business.”
He turned slowly.
“Why?”
She looked at Luke.
That look told Ethan more than either of them intended.
“Did you know about the deposit?”
“Yes.”
“Did you encourage it?”
“Ben said the project was real.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
She looked suddenly smaller.
“I thought it would help.”
Mara gave a short, incredulous laugh.
Natalie’s face hardened.
“You don’t understand how much pressure he was under.”
“My brother?” Mara asked. “Or the man you were sleeping with?”
“Stop,” Ethan said.
Everyone went quiet.
He did not want his sister fighting his marriage for him.
He wanted documents.
At the office, the smell of sawdust and old coffee nearly broke him. His father’s coat still hung behind the door because none of them had found the courage to move it.
Ethan sat at the desk and opened the project folder.
There were glossy renderings, an unsigned financing summary, and emails promising returns that sounded too easy.
Then he found a scanned form.
A request to use the equity in his house as security for a larger investment.
His name appeared at the bottom.
The signature looked enough like his to fool someone who had never watched him sign anything.
Ethan printed the page.
Then he called Natalie.
“Did you sign my name?”
Her breathing changed.
“Ethan, I can explain.”
May you like
He looked at his father’s empty coat.
“No,” he said quietly. “This time, you can explain it to someone who takes notes.”
