Free Red Clover by Florence Osmund Page A

yourself, or me.
 
Sincerely,
Nelson
     
     
    Lee curled up on the bed, and finding the letter’s content too overwhelming to fully digest, he fell asleep, fully clothed.
     
     
     

7 | No Trespassing
     
     
    Lee awoke the next morning temporarily immobilized by an intense headache. He lay in bed, occupying himself with mindless thoughts, until the headache gradually subsided.
    He was even more bewildered by the content of Uncle Nelson’s letter after sleeping on it. The most troubling aspect of it was the line, “I know you won’t let down your mother, yourself, or me.” Lee had spent his entire life letting people down. After rereading the letter and not understanding it any better, he shoved it into a pocket of his backpack.
    The thought of going downstairs to his family made the situation even more unsettling. He had no idea whether his parents were aware of what the letter said. Lee took his time showering and getting dressed. Then he drew in a deep breath and prepared himself for the worst.
    As he descended the stairs, he heard his mother say, “Stop. We don’t know that for sure, Henry.”
    His parents and brothers, all sitting at the dining room table drinking coffee, stopped talking when he entered the room.
    “It’s about time,” Henry said.
    “Sorry. I must have overslept.”
    “So you read Uncle Nelson’s letter?” Henry asked.
    “Henry, give him a chance to get settled,” his mother said. “What would you like for breakfast, dear?”
    “I’m not very hungry, thank you.” He glanced at his father.
    “So?” Henry asked.
    “He writes a nice letter.”
    “I mean what did you think of what he had to say?”
    Now Lee was sorry he had been the last to come down. They probably all knew what each other had inherited.
    Lee turned to his brothers. “I assume we got the same letter,” he said as he nervously tapped his fingers together under the table. They shrugged. “So what did you two think?”
    Nelson spoke first. “We always knew he was wealthy, but half a million each?”
    Lee tried not to let his sigh of relief be heard. “Right. That’s how I felt too.”
    He didn’t know why his brothers were looking at him so strangely but figured it had something to do with the conversation that had transpired prior to his joining them. He felt left out—but that was nothing unusual.
    Henry grunted. “Well, I can predict how you and Bennett will handle your inheritance,” he said to Nelson, “but how about you, Lee? What will be—”
    “Henry, can’t you give him time to—”
    Henry got up from his chair. “I’m going to the office,” he said, leaving everyone else speechless.
    “What is he so angry about?” Lee asked.
    No one answered.
    “Did I miss something this morning?”
    “No, dear. You didn’t miss anything,” his mother responded. She looked tired, her face more pallid than usual. “Are you going back to Lake Geneva, Lee? Or will you be staying here for a while?”
    He was convinced they all knew something he didn’t, and suddenly he felt like an intruder in his own home. “I’m going back, Mother. I just need to gather my things.”
    “I wish you’d stay.” She reached out and touched his arm. “I could use the company.”
    “Let him go, Mother,” Nelson said with little emotion.
    That was all Lee needed to hear. He got up from the table and faced his mother. “I’m going to be on my way now. I’ve got a lot of thinking to do. I’m very sorry about Uncle Nelson. I know you were very close to him. I’ll call you in a few days.”
    No one else said a word.
    Lee felt bad about not staying. His mother had never reached out to him like that, making him feel that much worse.
    He wondered whether he would have learned how his brothers’ inheritances were structured if he had stuck around longer, but the likelihood they may have received theirs in cash, while his had to be managed by a trustee, was probably better left uncertain. He was curious what they had