“He wanted me to sign some college funding documents before classes began.”
My heart began racing.
“What documents?”
“Something that would allow his company to manage the money for me. He said it would make tuition payments easier.”
I remembered Tom mentioning Jake’s college finances several times.
At the time, it had sounded generous.
Jake looked down at his hands.
“My mother told him she wouldn’t approve anything until the lawyer reviewed it. That’s when he started insisting I come here.”
I felt sick.
“Are you saying he brought you into our house to get you to sign away control of your money?”
“I don’t know for sure. That’s what my mother suspects.”
Jake swallowed.
“But I haven’t signed anything.”
I sat down slowly.
For years, I had believed that Tom’s greatest flaw was that he worked too much.
I had complained about his long hours, his emotional distance, and his tendency to treat every problem like a business negotiation.
