Chapter 89 – Money Talks

Jack looked over at Nathan

"Want something?" Jack asked.

"We should probably head back soon as well." Nathan said. "We have to run into town in the morning and then get ready for the show."

"I was thinking that as well." Jack said. "Remind me to talk to you later, we have an additional stop in the morning."

Nathan and Elizabeth both looked at Jack. Jack looked around and saw who was near, seeing that it was okay to talk, he pulled Elizabeth a little closer.

"I got a message from Grandpa John." Jack said. "I need to head to the courthouse and sign some papers, I need a witness and they need to be done in front of a notary, that is why they are at the courthouse."

"Should I be worried?" Nathan asked.

"No." Jack said. "But I don't want it to spread around what I am doing."

Nathan gave him a look with an arched eyebrow. Jack moved them off to the side to a more private spot to speak.

"I am buying the Miller property." Jack said. "Dad doesn't know. Grandpa John is helping me. He agreed that it is a great investment and it will keep the developers at bay. It will eventually be a part of Coal Creek. Grandpa John likes some of my ideas for the place and he agrees that it is worth the money to buy it and like you said, all else fails we will have apples for the horses. Besides that, that property was originally part of Coal Creek and it would be nice to have it back. I think it is going to be under the name of one of my holding companies that Grandpa John set up for me. When I want to join it as part of Coal Creek, it will be easy. But for now, this is a way that I can do it without needing to tell anyone that I don't want to. I am not sure how he has written up the papers until I see them, especially since there are other changes afoot."

"Can you afford something like that without your parents?" Elizabeth asked. "I mean I know that Gran said you have money, but property is not cheap."

Jack looked down for a moment and then he looked back at both Nathan and Elizabeth. Jack blew out a harsh breath as this was not how and where he wanted to have that conversation with Elizabeth. Also it wasn't that Jack didn't trust Nathan, but talking about money was another matter altogether.

"Please don't share this." Jack said. "But money is not an issue. I actually have two trust funds that are very large. One Grandpa John set up for me when I was born, literally the day I was born and the other was started by my parents. I have had access to both since I was sixteen and have moved large amounts into a third trust, mostly from the one from my parents. I have also been receiving my share of the Thornton Thoroughbreds since I was fourteen. That money has gone into another separate account. I also have a vast network of investments that have done very well. I also own or partially own other property such as land, paintings/art and jewelry. I am very wealthy independent of my parents. Actually, if you look at my investments, my shares of Coal Creek and Thornton Thoroughbreds, along with my trusts and all my other accounts, I might actually be more wealthy than my parents individually.

There is also stuff that I will inherit when Grandpa John passes and more when Grandpa and Gran pass. I don't think that my parents realize that I stand to inherit the majority of both of their parents' estates. Grandpa John is extremely wealthy and as his name sake, he has named me as the sole heir to most of his fortune. There are certain things that will go to other people, but I will inherit the majority of what he has, businesses included. I didn't ask for it and I don't have a full idea of numbers, but we have talked about what it means and what he sees for the future of his businesses. I think that is part of the reason that I have decided to change my focus in school. I know that being a lawyer would be handy, but I think that it is more important to get my business degree and/or maybe a financial degree as well."

"You don't have to say." Nathan said. "But can you give us a number?"

"Total wealth or cash in the bank?" Jack asked. "Since they are both very different numbers. This would be for me alone as I don't have numbers for what I would inherit. I mean I have a ballpark minimum, but that is it."

"Both." Elizabeth said. "Again you don't have to say, but as your future wife, I would like an idea of what I am getting into."

"Right now." Jack said. "Personal total wealth is well north of fifty million. Cash in the bank is right around five million right now, or at least money that I have access to and not set aside for future projects or for the company. Cash in the bank doesn't include any money that is tied up in investments, it is money that I have actual access to that I can pull out and spend. That also doesn't include money if I were to close a trust, but that is another issue that we don't need to get into."

Elizabeth gasped at the numbers that Jack was throwing at her. Jack could see that that amount of wealth could make Elizabeth uncomfortable.

"And what do you stand to inherit?" Elizabeth asked.

"Ballpark minimumof what I will inherit – over twenty-five billion at least and that is just from Grandpa John." Jack said with a small grin. "What I stand to inherit from Grandpa and Gran is more complicated because of the horses, property and frozen straws. It is also complicated by other factors that I am not ready to get into."

Both Jack and Nathan heard the sharp intake of breath that Elizabeth took at what Jack said.

"So buying me clothes and letting me stay in the apartment is not a hardship?" Elizabeth asked. "I was so worried about spending your money."

Jack pulled Elizabeth in close and kissed her temple. Elizabeth was too stunned to talk. She was trying to wrap her head around the numbers. Even Nathan was having trouble wrapping his head around those numbers.

"Honey." Jack said. "What I have is yours if you want or need it. I would spend anything to make you happy. Are you okay with this?"

Jack continued to hold Elizabeth close. He hoped that he wasn't scaring her with what he had just told her. He knew that he would have to talk about the money at some point, but he hadn't planned on doing that at that moment. Especially after the emotional roller coaster that they had been on for the last few days.

"Yes, I think." Elizabeth said. "It is a lot to take in. I knew that the Thornton name came with money, but I didn't realize that it was that kind of money."

"Money doesn't matter to me." Jack said. "It is nice to have, but I don't let it rule my life. I try to do good with a portion of my money and I am very skilled at investing and earning more. I like certain comforts, but I don't act any differently because I have money and I don't make the size of someone's bank account a criteria to be friends with me. Money is money, it is not what is important in my life. Like I have said in the past, money comes, money goes, but it is the people that you hold close that are important."

"And that is why all these people around here love you." Nathan said.

Jack looked at him.

"I have spent a lot of time talking to people this evening." Nathan said. "One of the most common things I have heard was how great you are. They enjoy working with and for you."

Jack blushed at the compliment.

"He is right." Elizabeth said. "People love you because you treat people like people, whether they work for you or are just friends. You treat everyone the same. Having the respect of people is more important than accruing money. There are many people that lose sight of that, my father included."

"Elizabeth is right." Nathan said. "I even see it with your parents. If I didn't technically work for you, do you really think that they would allow me to be in your grandparents home, much less get as close to you as I have."

Jack looked at Nathan for a moment, then opened his mouth to argue, but Nathan gave him a sharp look. Jack closed his mouth and nodded in agreement, as he realized that Nathan had a point. Jack had heard what his mother had said about Elizabeth.

"I guess you are right." Jack said. "I hate to think about things like that, but you are right. After what was said the last few days, I am seeing you are more right then I have cared to admit in the past. But trust me when I say, I don't care and I don't care that you technically work for me. You are a true friend and I don't know what I would do without you."

It was Nathan's turn to blush.

"Thank you." Nathan said. "Now enough of this talk. Let's say our goodbyes and we can head to the house."

"Yes, let's." Jack said.

Nathan, Jack and Elizabeth walked back to the group and started to say their goodbyes. They made sure that people that needed to be there and clean up later were there and knew what to do. Elizabeth was still trying to wrap her head around the amount of money and was having trouble. Then she remembered what Jack said, money is money and it wasn't what he felt was important. Jack had not only said, but he had shown that people were more important to him than money. Nathan realized that Elizabeth was struggling a bit with the bomb that Jack had dropped on them, but then he realized that he was struggling a bit as well. He had to admit that it was a lot to take in and wrap your head around.

They also grabbed Lee and Doug before heading to the truck.

"Thank you again guys." Jack said. "The song was amazing."

"Glad you liked it." Doug said.

"We loved it." Elizabeth said. "Doug and Lee, you both have amazing voices. You should sing more. Especially with Nathan. All your voices blend so well together. I mean it when I say that you could all record songs and people would listen."

The guys all blushed at the compliment.

"We just do it for fun." Doug said. "And then mostly just for family."

"Still." Elizabeth said. "I have been to a lot of live performances with my best friend, Roise. Her favorite thing is musicals. She would drag me to show after show. I have heard so called professionals that don't have voices that blend as well as you guys."

"Thanks." Nathan said. "So do you like theater?"

"I like taking in a show once and awhile." Elizabeth said. "Rosie would go every night if she was able. Her dream is to be a Broadway performer. She sings and dances as well as acts. She is a theater major at Columbia right now. She has also taken classes at the New York Performing Arts Academy. I think there were a couple of other places that she has taken summer classes."

"Sounds like fun." Lee said. "Maybe we can all take in a show that she is in."

"She would love that." Elizabeth said. "She is going to be in one at the end of the summer, Right before school starts. She is working with a group of kids from Juilliard and the Mannes School of Music. She is excited about it. I don't know what it is all about. But apparently, they take top students from around the city and they all work over the summer to put on a production."

"We will definitely have to go." Jack said. "It may not exactly be my thing, but I think supporting your friend is important."

"Thank you." Elizabeth said. "I will get the details from her and let you all know."

"That would be great." Doug said. "We will all go. If this Rosie is important to you, she is important to us. I can't wait to meet her. My mother loves theater and I have been to several performances. They can be a lot of fun, especially if you know someone in the production."

Jack just smiled as he knew what Doug was talking about, but he wasn't quite ready to talk about that. If Doug wanted to share about his family's history then that was up to him. When they arrived at the gate, Doug jumped out and opened it. He waited for Nathan to pull through and then closed it again. He then hopped back in the truck and they headed to the house.

"No security tonight?" Nathan asked.

"They are at the bonfire." Jack said. "They probably just got an alert that the gate was opened."

As if on cue, Jack's phone rang.

"Yes." Jack said. "It was just us. Doug closed the gate again. We are heading in for the night. We will be heading into town in the morning. We have some things to do. …. No I don't know who is all going at the moment. …. Okay. …. We will let you know. I was thinking some time after seven. …. Thank you, see you in the morning."

"Everything okay?" Nathan asked.

"Yes." Jack said. "They were just making sure that it was us and nothing to worry about. Michael and Brandon will be on in the morning to follow us into town."

Jack saw Nathan roll his eyes at the mention of Michael's name and he made a mental note to talk to him about it. Jack let out a harsh breath and the tension in the truck was felt by everyone, but no one knew why it was tense. Elizabeth reached over and squeezed Jack's hand. He rubbed the ring that he had placed on Elizabeth's finger, but he didn't say anything. She looked at him and could tell that he was upset, but didn't know why. When they got to the house, Doug and Lee quickly got out of the truck and started to unload the stuff that had been put in the bed of the truck.