His tone deepened. “We don’t.”
“What about your sister?”
“Did I mention I had a sister?”
I tried to calm the storm within me that his tone evoked. “No, you haven’t. On the first day I met Margaret, she asked if I was your sister. Later, she used the name Olivia. I put two and two together.”
Van nodded.
“Can you tell me anything about her?”
For a lingering moment in time, his lips came together, unmoving until... “This is where I’m asking for time and space.”
Shrugging my shoulder, I took a drink of the water, unsure why his siblings were such a dark road for Van. I saw it as simple demographic information, such as where did Van fall in the birth order.
Simple was obviously not the way Van saw it.
When I looked up, I was struck by the change in Van’s expression. Staring toward the fire, his profile was hauntingly beautiful yet sad. I ran my hand up Van’s shin, beneath his blue jeans. “Hey, you’re going away.”
He blinked my direction.
I decided to change the subject. “Did something happen today? You were in the back bedroom most of the day, and I didn’t want to interrupt you.”
Van shook his head as if coming out of the fog. “My normal business. I also followed up on the email chain you showed me.”
“How? Did you talk to my mother?”
“No, I contacted the bank and asked to speak to the representative assigned to the Wade Pharmaceutical account.”
The small hairs on my neck stood to attention. “Because you don’t think I’m capable of getting answers?”
“You, my dear, are capable, but not legally able. As a significant shareholder, I’m qualified to ask questions. You were right. The balloon payment was in the original loan agreement; however, it was scheduled to come due two years ago. Your mother convinced the bank to hold off for a two-year extension.”
My newly consumed dinner churned in my stomach. “I’ve been going through the ledgers; although I asked for five years, that’s not what I have. I doubt Wade would have been able to make the payment two years ago.”
“They would’ve needed to take the hike in interest rate or apply for another loan from another institution.”
“Would another institution give them the money?” I asked.
“More than likely. Especially if Wade divulged the promising information on the Alzheimer’s treatment. The second institution would charge an even higher interest rate, but most new loans can be negotiated with interest-only payments for a set number of years.
“According to the bank official, the email chain you found was your mother asking for another extension. Two years ago, she offered their home as collateral.”
My eyes sprang open. “That wasn’t in the emails.”
“The representative sent me a scan of the agreement. The bank accepted her offer.”
“Did she offer something else this time?” I asked.
“She didn’t. That was why this extension wasn’t granted.”
I tried to keep the information straight. “You’re saying that the balloon payment saved Wade and the house?” I asked, unsure what to think.
“It appears as if it did. Again, Wade could have taken the higher interest rate and continued payments. The only way they would lose everything would be to default.”
I shook my head. “I still can’t believe I worked at Wade for a whole year and was completely oblivious to all of this. I also don’t understand how my wedding to Skylar would’ve helped.”
Van moved his leg as he shifted, leaning forward and refilling his wine glass. Before settling again, he took the water bottle from my grasp and replaced it with my untouched glass of wine.