“It’s time you faced reality and grew up, Brianna,” she said. “There’s not going to be any new car. Your father’s financial troubles are worse than Garrett told you. A lot worse. If things don’t go right, he could be in danger of losing everything—the theater, the real estate properties, maybe even the house.”

“But . . .” Emotion welled in her voice. “Dad said it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Your dad loves you,” Allison said. “He’d do anything to make you happy. But the truth is, buying an expensive car like the one you want would be a huge sacrifice for him right now. It would put him that much closer to financial ruin.”

“But what about you?” Brianna flung the words at her. “What about all the money you spent fixing up the house, and this car? He’s given you everything you ever asked for. And now you’re telling me I can’t have the one thing I really want.”

The accusations hit home. They stung, but this was a time for truth. “You’re right, and I understand why you’re angry,” Allison said. “But so help me, at the time I was redecorating the house, I didn’t know about the money problems. Burke told me to spend as much as I wanted. And I didn’t ask for the car. He surprised me with it. I had no idea what was happening with his finances until the night of the accident. If I’d been aware that he was strapped for money, I would’ve made do with the house as it was. As for the car—now that I know, I’ll probably sell it and get something cheap. And once your dad’s on his feet, I plan to look for a job. I’ll do everything I can to help him weather this crisis. As long as you’re here, you’ll want to help him, too.”

“But what about the investors? Garrett says they’ve got plenty of money, and the contract is drawn up and waiting. It would solve everything. Why won’t Dad sign?”

“You’ll understand if I tell you.” Allison took a deep breath, feeling as if she were about to step off a precipice. Telling Brianna could be a game changer—for better or for worse. “Here’s the thing,” she said. “It’s got to be our secret. You can’t tell anybody, not even your boyfriend.”

“But why?”

“Because your father wants to protect you. He’s keeping you in the dark for your own safety. If he knew I was about to tell you, he wouldn’t be happy with me.”

“What about Garrett? Does he know?”