He let out a long sigh. “I can’t move,” he said. “I can’t leave. I tried to tell her I wanted to wait until after Christmas. That’s when she informed me the house was sold and we had to be out by next week.”
“How did it happen so fast? How did you not know?”
He rubbed his face again. “I met with a realtor that I now know wasn’t really a realtor. He was one of those people that buys cheap houses, fixes them up, and resells them for twice the amount of money. In exchange for a fast close, he pays all cash to avoid all the bank stuff. She says I signed the paperwork. I’ll admit, I was drunk. We’d all been enjoying a good barbecue and I had a little too much. I thought I was signing an agreement for him to list the house. Apparently, I sold him the house. It all went through today. She thought I would be happy about it. Dancing around and talking about all the stuff we could do with the money. It was probably half of what I should have gotten out of the house.”
“Oh, Dad,” I exclaimed. “There has to be some legal recourse!”
“I signed the paperwork,” he said. “I should have been paying attention. I’ve let her run the show for so long, I didn’t think to ask questions. She’s been paying the bills and does all the shopping. It never occurred to me she was stealing my house right out from under me. And I helped her do it.”
My heart hurt so badly for him. “I’m so sorry, Dad. We can still hire a lawyer and fight it.”
“Honestly, Thea, I think I’m done with that house,” he said. “All the good memories there are stained with the taint of Stacey. I really do think I need to start fresh. The money I have in the bank from the house will give me some time to figure out my next step. I’ll have to find a rental. Maybe I’ll buy a boat. I’ve always thought about living on one of those houseboats.”
“You can stay with me while we look for a place,” I told him.
“Aren’t you about five minutes from being homeless?” he teased.
“My dogs are, I’m not,” I said. “I haven’t even put the property up for sale yet. I’ve been too busy.”
“I appreciate that, but I’ll figure it out. There’s something else.”
I couldn’t even begin to imagine. “What is it?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you guys about your attempts to reach me,” he said. “You know I’m not very tech savvy. I wondered why I had not heard from you guys. I knew you were upset, but I thought for sure you would call. While Stacey was out shopping, I took my phone to the cell phone place and told them it was broken. It took them about two minutes to find out your numbers were blocked.”
I shook my head with disbelief. “Rich thought that might be the case. I suppose I’m not surprised. That woman is pretty determined to spend your money. I’m sorry if you don’t want to hear that, but that’s my opinion. I tried to like her, Dad. I want you to be happy. I just don’t think she truly cares about you. She’s using your money like you’re her sugar daddy. It pisses me off to see the way she treats you. We love you. We’re just trying to stop you from being used.”
“I know. At least I know that now. I was blinded by what I thought was love. An old man like me doesn’t find too many pretty young ladies interested in being his girl. I fell for the oldest trick in the book. I’m a damn fool.”
“You’re not a fool.” I put my hand on his arm. “I love you. You are not a fool. You are a good man that wants to see the best in people. That’s not a bad thing. She’s bad. She’s rotten. I’ll try not to say too much bad about her but suffice it to say I wouldn’t be sad if she took a long walk off a short pier.”
He laughed softly. It was a saying he used to always say to us about other people. “You and me both.”
“The money from the house is in your account?” I asked.
“Yes. I think so.”
I grimaced but didn’t have the heart to tell him she would drain that account faster than he could blink. “Okay. Monday morning, you need to shut it down. You cannot let her have any access.”
He gave me a mischievous grin. “Already did.”
“Dad! You naughty boy.”
“I told her I was going out with the guys for one last hurrah. I gave her a couple hundred dollars and told her to treat herself to a spa day before the long drive. I went to the bank and closed out that account. My credit cards have all been canceled. She will no longer be able to access my money. Unfortunately, she did a pretty good job spending it.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m sorry we weren’t there when you first met her. I promise, Rich and I will both be more present in your life. I feel terrible that we left you alone.”
“I’m not a child, Thea. I’m a grown man and I should have known better. I’m not making excuses. Yes, she did some pretty rotten things, but I should have been paying attention. I didn’t want to see it. I’m just glad it’s over.”
“Stay at my place tonight,” I said.
“I can’t. I need to get home. I don’t want her to figure out what’s going on just yet. She’ll take whatever’s in the house. Although there isn’t much. She convinced me it was smarter to sell everything to save money on moving costs. Like a fool, I let her do it.”
My anger was boiling inside me, but I didn’t let it show. I didn’t want to push him away by losing my temper. “We’ll figure it out. But it’s late. Should you be driving home this late?”
He laughed again and held up his coffee cup. “This is some of the richest coffee I’ve ever drank. And after the excitement of the last hour, I’m not going to sleep anytime soon. I’m looking forward to the drive. It’ll give me more time to think.”
“Okay,” I said. “Call me if something changes. I’ll call Rich in the morning and we’ll come down with his truck to help you get whatever is left.”