Toronto Collection Volume 3 (Toronto Series #10-13)

by Heather Wardell

  I shrugged. "Haven't thought about it. But I guess so. They'll find out eventually so I might as well, right?"

  "We'll tell him not to tell his buddies. No point having them all begging for gifts."

  I smiled, and we went out to the living room. Zack paused his new game reluctantly, but was soon so excited about my winnings that the game was momentarily forgotten.

  "What are you going to spend it on? Besides me."

  Zack's tone made it clear he was joking, but John gave him a light swat anyhow. "Behave, monster."

  "Besides you and your dad? I don't know. Any ideas?"

  He lit up. "For sure. How about every game that's out there? That'd be cool."

  I laughed. "And a copy for you too, of course."

  He rolled his eyes. "I meant for me. But you can get a copy for yourself too, I guess."

  "How kind of you."

  John brandished his hand at Zack but didn't swat him again.

  "What else?"

  Zack pondered. "A jet. And a trip to every amusement park in North America. No, in the world. And we fly there in your jet."

  "You want her to buy a jet."

  "Or she can rent it. Whatever. I just want to fly in a private jet."

  "Me too," I admitted. "I like your style, kid. What else?"

  The three of us brainstormed for several minutes, mentally buying houses and new cars for everyone we knew and going on exotic vacations. I, of course, would take my dream vacation to the Great Wall of China, and when John told us he'd wanted to go to Portugal since he'd learned about it in school I promised to send him there in style. Zack liked this idea, correctly assuming I wouldn't make John go alone, but John brushed me off with, "You just bought us the games and that's more than enough."

  I considered pushing it with him, but since I couldn't actually pay for the trip yet I didn't see the point. Instead, I said, "Well, we'll worry about that later. What else? How about an education fund?"

  Zack thought that would be good, and we decided to create funds that would take every kid in Zack's class ("at least the ones I like") through to a Ph.D if they wanted one, along with a fund for my little niece Linlee, and then we planned some big charity donations and also a few shopping sprees for new clothes and phones and other fun things.

  Near the end John grabbed his old laptop off the coffee table and began pressing keys, and when our flow of ridiculous ideas slowed he said, "I've got some bad news."

  We turned to him, and he smiled and said, "By my calculations, you guys have spent about seventy-five million already."

  I blinked, and Zack said, "Really? That sucks."

  It did, actually. Other than the jet I hadn't thought we'd been that outrageous, and I hadn't even put any money aside for savings or done anything for myself besides the China trip and a bit of shopping. "How much does a jet cost?"

  "Around ten million for one that holds eight people."

  Even without that, I was fifteen million dollars in debt.

  Zack and I sat silent, then Zack rallied. "Maybe you should talk to Mom. She's great with money, she can tell you how to get all that stuff."

  "They're meeting for coffee this afternoon, so you're stuck with me for a few more hours."

  Zack gave a mock pout. "Good thing we have the new games, or I'd hate hanging out with you."

  John elbowed him. "Same to you, brat."

  Zack elbowed him back, then frowned. "But, Angela, have you met Mom?"

  I shook my head.

  "Then how will you recognize her?"

  I glanced at John and he shrugged. "Guess I didn't think of that."

  "You could go in waving your lottery ticket around?"

  I gave an involuntary shudder. "After what happened when I got the win confirmed, I think not."

  I told them quickly, and they were both properly horrified. Zack's "but it's your money, not theirs!" outrage clearly pleased John, but he looked slightly less pleased when Zack said, "I'll get a picture of Mom so you can find her."

  He scooted off and John said, "No, just describe her."

  "Too late," Zack said, returning bearing a photo album. He dropped down beside me and rifled through the album. "There." He pointed, unnecessarily, at a woman standing cuddled up to John. "That's Mom."

  Mom was tall and blonde and strikingly attractive. Not traditionally pretty, but once I looked at her image it was hard to look away, both because of her beauty and because she shone with love. I did look away, though, and saw how proud the John in the picture was of his wife and how he too was clearly madly in love.

  Why had they split up? John had never volunteered it and I hadn't wanted to ask, but seeing how happy they'd been together made me wonder even more.

  "Good enough." John took the album from his son and snapped it closed. "Now Angela will be able to recognize her."

  Zack put the book away without a word and John murmured, "Sorry. Nothing more boring than old photo albums."

  He didn't sound bored. He sounded miserable, and I felt bad for him. "No problem." I cleared my throat. "So, um, should I get out of your hair?"

  "No way," Zack said as he returned. "I want to beat you in all these new games."

  I glanced at John, not wanting to stay if he'd rather be alone. For a second it looked like he would prefer that, but then he smiled and said, "Enough controllers for all three of us?"

  There were, and I'd bought batteries too, so we battled each other until hunger meant we couldn't fight any more. John then ordered us a pizza for lunch, refusing my offer to pay since I had paid last week and we usually took turns, and we carried on fighting until it arrived then stuffed ourselves and in general had the same great time together that we always did.

  Such a relief, that my money hadn't changed anything.

  Chapter Four

  If anything, Tiff was better looking than her picture had suggested. She had her hair in a simple ponytail and she wore jeans and a plain black sweater, but the sweater was clearly cashmere and fit her slim body perfectly and the ponytail showed off her sculpted cheekbones.

  I'd spotted her from outside the coffee shop, since she'd seated herself right by the front door and was eyeballing everyone who came in, and I was glad because it gave me a second to take a deep breath and remember we weren't in a beauty contest. Yes, the woman was attractive, but that didn't matter to me. What mattered was whether she could help me with my money.

  When I went in and introduced myself, she smiled with what seemed like real warmth. "I feel like I know you already, since Zack raves about you. I believe his exact words were, 'She's a girl but she can beat me in video games. That's never happened before.' You blow his mind."

  I smiled back and took the seat she'd pushed out for me. "He's a great kid. I don't always beat him, that's for sure. Can I get you a coffee or something?"

  She shook her head, gesturing at the cup before her. "But go grab whatever you want. Food too, if you feel like it. I've got time since John has the monster."

  Waiting for my tea, I realized both she and John called Zack 'monster'. It made sense, since they'd been raising him together, but it was another sign of their bond. The bond which had looked unbreakable in that photograph. Again I wondered what had happened to their marriage.

  When I returned to the table, Tiff let me get settled then said, "So. First off, congrats. I won't say the amount out loud but that's a huge deal and you must be thrilled."

  I blinked. "Why won't you say it?"

  She gave me a small smile. "Why? Because I'd rather not be trampled."

  "You think other people might hear it and..." I stopped, realizing what she meant and knowing she was right.

  "And ask for some? You'd better believe it. Did John tell you anything about my past clients who... had the same deal, let's say?"

  "Just that you had them."

  She nodded. "I learned a lot from how it all went down. Things I'd never have thought of before. I'm happy to lay it all out for you. But I should let you know I charge
two hundred dollars an hour after today. Is that okay with you?"

  Her calm statement of what seemed like a huge number to me, who got paid by the word and rarely earned more than thirty bucks in an hour of hard writing, impressed me. I wished I had half her confidence. But I could easily afford her fee now, and I felt sure her advice would be good, so I said, "That's fine."

  She smiled and pulled a small leather-bound notebook and a pen that might well have been real gold from a gorgeous purple leather briefcase, and I found myself wondering how she and John had gotten together in the first place. That picture proved they'd been in love, but Tiff was clearly a super-high-powered executive type and John was... John.

  "I'll email all this to you later," she said, flipping to a blank page as she spoke, "but I'd like to discuss it now so we're sure we're seeing things the same way." She looked up from the notebook. "First, do you have a lawyer?"

  I shook my head. "Do I need one?"

  "You almost certainly need to change your will."

  Or, in fact, have one written in the first place, but I couldn't bring myself to admit this lapse to Tiff. "I'll have to find one."

  "I can recommend a friend if you'd like."

  I nodded and she said, "I'll see if he can come here now," and punched in a quick email on her sleek phone. When she'd finished, she said, "Insurance agent?"

  I frowned. "Yes, but she's kind of clueless. Got someone to recommend?"

  She grinned. "As a matter of fact, I do. I'll get her down here too."

  Once that was done, she said, "Now, tell me what you've got planned for the money so far. Oh, and when are you going to pick it up?"

  "Tuesday, I think. Partly because the booklet I got says the place is busiest on Monday, and also because my sister's name is Tuesday. So it seems appropriate."

  "Indeed. And your plans for spending it?"

  I couldn't help smiling. "Zack and I were working on that this morning." I explained how we'd wanted to buy new houses and cars and vacations for everyone we knew then added, "And he also wanted a private jet, although I think I may not actually do that one."

  She smiled. "Yeah, that might be overkill. But the rest? You're serious?"

  I couldn't tell from her tone whether she wanted me to be or not, so I told her the truth. "Well, yeah. I'm not going to keep it all to myself so why not give it away now?"

  She leaned back in her chair. "Because it's a terrible idea."

  "Which part?"

  "The whole thing."

  I took a sip of my tea to give myself time to think then said, "But why? It's not like I need all that money."

  "True. But I still strongly recommend that you don't touch the principal for at least six months. You can spend a bit of the interest, or in fact all of it if you want, but paws off the principal."

  We both smiled at her phrasing. Mine faded first. "I can see not blowing all of it, but how would spending even..." I looked around and saw nobody was sitting near us, but lowered my voice anyhow. "Even five million. That would be no big deal, would it?"

  She shook her head. "It would be, actually. Look, buy whatever you want with the interest. You'll earn more. No problem. But once you spend the principal it's gone. And you're left with less than you had before and that's not a decision you can reverse. The boat sails, and you can't go back."

  As always, the concept of boats sailing without me brought Shane immediately to my mind, but I didn't have time to think about him because she was going on. "Have you already spent the principal? Any of it?"

  I had to nod. "I bought new game systems and stuff for Zack and me."

  "What did that cost, like two grand?"

  "Fifteen hundred."

  She shrugged. "You have that in the bank anyhow, right?" She looked taken aback. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that. If you don't, it's obviously okay."

  "I do." I did, but I'd have said I did even if I didn't to end the awkwardness.

  She relaxed. "Good. Sorry. So anyhow, then that doesn't really count as touching the principal. But really, don't do that, okay? No houses or cars or crazy vacations. Unless you do it on the interest alone."

  "That won't be much, though, will it?" I said, trying not to hide my disappointment at not being able to do anything fun for at least six months. Her logic made sense, but my dreams of a new wardrobe and gifts to my friends were dying hard. "I'll hardly make anything."

  A small smile touched her lips. "Yes, you poor thing. Off the top of my head, I'd say you'll have to suffer on only two and a half mill a year."

  I felt my mouth fall open but couldn't close it. "Really?"

  She pulled out a calculator and said as she punched its buttons, "Fifty times five percent a year..." She looked up at me. "Which is hugely conservative. I bet we can get six or seven." Before I could speak, she returned to the calculator and pressed a last button with a flourish. "Yup, two point five." She pushed a few more buttons then raised her head again and smiled. "About $208,000 a month. That will get taxed, though. Lottery winnings aren't taxable but the interest on them counts as income. I won't bore you with Ontario's tax percentages, but let's take the worst case and say it all gets taxed at the highest rate, 42%. That leaves you with..." A few more button pushes. "$120,000 a month." Her smile widened. "Think you can live on that?"

  I hadn't made half that in the last year. I managed to smile back through my shock. "I can probably suffer through."

  She laid the back of her hand against her forehead. "You brave girl."

  I laughed, then took a deep breath. "Wow. I didn't realize it'd be that much. I can still do just about anything."

  "Not really. Not all at once, anyhow. Think about it. You could buy someone a car, or a trip, but you can't buy a new house or even pay off a mortgage. Not in Toronto, anyhow. You can do some things for people, for sure, but remember you've only got a hundred and twenty grand a month."

  Only. I sighed. "This morning I thought I was loaded, then John told me and Zack what our plans would cost and I felt a little less loaded, and now I feel like I should be begging on a street corner."

  She burst out laughing. "You're a fair ways from that still." She calmed herself. "I know it sounds boring, but trust me, it's the way to go. It'll give you time to figure out how you want to spend it and on whom."

  "But I already know that. On my friends and family. And myself, a bit. And charities."

  She took a breath as if to speak then stopped and instead took a long sip of her drink. Once she'd set it down she said, "Can I be honest with you?"

  "Why else am I paying you two hundred bucks an hour?"

  She chuckled. "Good point. Okay, from what I saw with my last client, things are going to change. Right now you may want to help out friends A, B, and C and charities D through F, but in six months you might really wish you could support X, Y, Z, and Q instead. Like I said before, you can do what you want with the interest, but I really do counsel you to go slow and not make any moves with the principal. Things change when this kind of money comes into the picture. People change. I'd just hate to see you do something now and wish you'd done something else later."

  I considered this. It did make sense. But given how John had reacted, without even hinting that I should give him money, I felt sure that my other friends and my family wouldn't change because of my new wealth. It was good I hadn't gone ahead and promised John a million bucks, though, since I wouldn't be able to deliver for quite a while. "So I should sit on the principal for six months. And then I guess invest it all in something permanent and safe." It sounded awfully dull.

  She shook her head, surprised. "In six months, or thereabouts, we'll see. You might want to give away a huge chunk of the principal, or invest in a business, or even buy yourself a whole new lifestyle. I'm not saying how you'll handle it then, because I truly don't know. We'll use this time to gather information about what you might want to do, and then you can decide. But no, I wouldn't want it all in something safe. You'd be smart to risk some of the money
at that point, some of the principal, or you have no chance of getting a huge payback."

  I wasn't much of a risk-taker, and even the thought of risking and possibly losing millions of dollars made me feel sick. Though I hadn't even claimed the money yet, I was already getting used to having it in my life.

  She leaned forward, looking concerned. "Is this at all how you want to handle it? There are advisors who'll tell you to spend half right away. I even know some, and I can refer you if you'd rather--"

  She stopped when I shook my head. "No, I think you're right. It's all..." I shook my head again. "It's just a lot to take in."

  "I can imagine." She smiled at me. "But it'll be okay. You'll see. The six months will fly by and then you'll be able to deal with the principal however you choose. And of course it is your money, so if you choose to spend it earlier that's entirely up to you. I'm giving you what I learned from my past clients but you are you and not them, so--" She cut herself off. "Are you married?"

  I shook my head.

  "Dating anyone seriously?"

  "Not even not seriously. My last boyfriend and I broke up a few months ago."

  "Good, that means nobody has a claim on the money. Although I wouldn't be surprised to see that last boyfriend, and maybe even a few before him, come back looking for a handout."

  I laughed at the idea of Blake lowering himself to ask me for money. He'd always had so much more than I did and he'd wanted to do fancy things that I simply couldn't afford. We'd broken up over that, since I'd refused both to bankrupt myself to live his lifestyle and to let him pay for me all the time. "He wouldn't."

  She held out her hand. "Want to bet? I'll bet you an hour of my time. Two hundred dollars."

  I took her hand and we shook as I said, "You're on. There's no way Blake would do that."

  She smiled. "Aw, honey. You have no idea what people will do for a few bucks."

  *****

  Two hours later, in a daze, I wandered through the mall on my way to the cell phone kiosk.

  My new lawyer Tyler had been politely shocked that I had no will and had taken copious notes to draw one up for me immediately. He and Tiff had suggested that for the time being I bequeath most of my new fortune to be split among my parents and five siblings with a million each to a few good friends. I'd included John in that group, and Tiff had looked surprised but hadn't commented.