Ava had eventually decided Grandpa deserved to know.
“So she told me to follow you.”
Calvin gave a tired half-smile.
“That sounds like Ava.”
Then another thought returned.
“The money.”
Calvin’s expression changed.
“What about it?”
“Every January.”
He nodded slowly.
“The forty thousand.”
“That money was for Ava.”
“It was.”
“Was?”
Calvin looked at Melissa.
Then back at me.
“Most of it still has been.”
“Most?”
He took a breath.
“For the first five years, every dollar went toward Ava’s expenses or savings. I can show you records.”
“And after that?”
“When we found Melissa, some things weren’t covered by insurance.”
My jaw tightened.
“How much?”
“Twenty-eight thousand dollars.”
I stared at him.
“You took money I sent for my granddaughter and spent it without asking me.”
“Yes.”
No excuses.
No clever justification.
Just yes.
“I intended to replace it.”
“That isn’t the point.”
“I know.”
