know?”
“DNA.”
The word landed heavily.
“I verified it years later.”
“Then why didn’t you bring him home?”
“Because by the time I found him, Samuel was twenty-nine and already involved with people who wanted your family’s company.”
“My grocery store?”
“No.”
Dorothy gave a bitter laugh.
“Your father hid something from you too.”
My entire life seemed built from secrets.
“What company?”
“The Grant land trust.”
I frowned.
“What land trust?”
“The store property is only one parcel.”
She continued.
“Your grandfather bought land throughout the county during the 1950s and 1960s. Industrial acreage. Timber. Commercial lots. Your father placed all of it in a private trust.”
“How much is it worth?”
“Today?”
A pause.
“More than ninety million dollars.”
I stopped breathing.
Calvin stared at me.
Rachel’s mouth opened.
“Ninety million?”
Dorothy heard him.
“Calvin is there?”
“Yes.”
“And Rachel?”
“Yes.”
Dorothy exhaled.
“Good.”
Rachel moved
