Chapter 26

• With her parents before her, Alexa found a spot at the table where she could sit and face them. With a mixture of joy and relief, her hands trembled as she pushed the check across the old and worn-out kitchen table, which was adorned with cheerful yellow plastic suns.
• “Nick and I want you to have this to pay off the mortgage,” she announced. “We want to emphasize that there will absolutely be no arguments or protests allowed. We talked about this for a long time, and we’re lucky to have so much money. We have a strong desire to share something with you. It means a lot to us, so please accept this as our gift.” Since she knows her parents will refuse, she went ahead of them, using Nick's name.
• Witnessing their matching stunned expressions had such an emotional impact on her that tears pricked her eyes. She had spent countless nights tossing and turning, burdened by guilt and unable to find a solution to her parents' financial predicament.