"Hold on," Sadie cuts in. "What did Liam Vanderbilt Kennedy Harding say about this at the funeral?"
"Great question. Except he wasn't there."
"He skipped his own aunt's funeral?"
"He doesn't exactly keep in touch with the family. Lots of drama, I suspect." I tap my chin. "Maybe less Vanderbilts, more Kardashians?"
"Are you saying he doesn't know you own the other half of his house?"
"Someone passed along his number. I told him I'd be stopping by." I hesitate. "Via text. We haven't actually spoken." Another beat. "And he didn't really... respond."
"I don't like this," Sadie and Hannah say in unison.
Usually, I'd laugh at their hive mind, but there's something else I haven't told them yet. Something they'll like even less.
"Fun fact about Liam Harding... You know how Helena was, like, the Oprah of environmental science?" I chew my lower lip. "And she always joked that her family was mostly liberal academics trying to save the world from big corporations?"
"Yeah?"
"Her nephew is a corporate lawyer for FGP Corp."
Just saying the words makes me want to gargle mouthwash. And floss. My dentist would be thrilled.
"FGP Corp—the fossil fuel people?" A deep line creases Sadie's brow. "Big Oil? Supermajors?"
"Yep."
"Oh my God. Does he know you're an environmental scientist?"
"I gave him my name. Plus, my LinkedIn is a Google search away. Do rich people even use LinkedIn?"
"No one uses LinkedIn, Mara." Sadie rubs her temple. "Jesus Christ. This is really bad."
"It's not that bad."
"You can't meet him alone."
"I'll be fine."
"He'll kill you. You'll kill him. You'll kill each other."
"I... maybe?" I close my eyes, leaning back against the seat. I've been talking myself out of panicking for seventy-two hours—with mixed results. I can't crack now. "Believe me, he's the last person I want to co-own a house with. But Helena left half of it to me, and I kind of need it. I owe a billion in student loans, and D.C. is insanely expensive. Maybe I can stay there for a bit? Save on rent. It's a fiscally responsible decision, right?"
Sadie facepalms just as Hannah chimes in, aggressive. "Mara, you were a grad student until ten minutes ago. You're barely above the poverty line. Do not let him kick you out of that house."
"Maybe he won't even mind! I'm actually surprised he lives there. Don't get me wrong, the house is nice, but..." I trail off, thinking about the pictures I've seen. The hours spent on Google Street View, scrolling and rescrolling through the frames, trying to grasp the fact that Helena cared about me enough to leave me a house. It's a beautiful property, certainly. But more of a family residence. Not what I'd expect from an ace lawyer who probably earns a European country's annual GDP per billable hour. "Don't high-powered attorneys live in luxury fifty-ninth-floor penthouses with golden bidets, brandy cellars, and statues of themselves? For all I know, he barely spends time there. So I'm just going to be honest. Explain my situation. I'm sure we can find some kind of solution that—"
"Here we are," the driver says with a smile.
I return it, weakly.
"If you don't text us within half an hour," Hannah says, dead serious, "I'm going to assume Big Oil Liam is holding you captive in his basement and call the cops."
"Oh, don't worry. Remember that kickboxing class I took junior year? And that time at the strawberry festival, when I kicked the butt of the guy who tried to steal your pie?"
"He was an eight-year-old boy, Mara. And you didn't kick his butt—you gave him your own pie and a kiss on the forehead. Text in thirty, or I'm calling the cops."
I glare at her. "Assuming a polar bear doesn't mug you in the meantime."
"Sadie's in New York, and she has the D.C. police on speed dial."
"Yup." Sadie nods. "Setting it up right now."
Nervousness hits the moment I exit the car, worsening the farther I drag my suitcase up the path—a heavy ball of anxiety settling behind my sternum. I stop halfway to take a deep breath. I blame Hannah and Sadie. They worry too much, and apparently, it's contagious. I'll be fine. This will be fine. Liam Harding and I will have a nice, calm chat and figure out the best possible solution that is satisfactory to...