by S. J. Maylee
“Actually, that's not what happened.” Rob came through the main door. “What's going on?”
“Thanks for coming in you guys.” Keller shook Rob's hand. “We'll get started in a bit. We've had some unexpected news. Your ex-mother-in-law died this morning.”
“Damn.” Rob reached into his pockets. “I just found out about the cancer yesterday. Gina hoped she'd have more time.”
“This is getting surreal.” Jake looked back and forth between them.
“Rob, do you mind filling them in?” Marcus checked his watch. He hoped Gina had slept in.
“Not at all. But, if Gina asks, I'm telling her it was your idea.”
“I'd appreciate it, actually.” He was done playing her games. He was done with folks getting down on her for things she hadn't done. “I'm going back to Gina's.”
“I'll walk you out.” Keller matched his quick stride to the door. “Let me know once you've talked to her.”
“Okay.”
“Let me know if we can do anything.”
“Okay.” He rubbed is empty stomach. “Can you get Charlie to send over some food?”
“Absolutely.” He stepped closer. “Don't let her push you away.”
“Not going to happen.”
“Good.” Keller smiled like a proud poppa. “I can send reinforcements, if you need.”
“I can't imagine Dale's visit today will go easy. Wish we could keep him away.”
“She'll need to deal with him, but there might be a way to delay his visit.” He pulled out his phone. “Let me make a phone call.”
****
By the time Marcus got back to Gina's, his nerves were tightly wound. It took him three tries to get the key in the lock. Once inside the foyer, he heard the shower turn off and he ran up the stairs, glad he'd gotten back in time.
She came out of the bathroom, a towel around her torso and she rubbed another against her head. Her long locks stood out against the stark white towels.
“There you are. I'll be ready in a few minutes. I want to head out before traffic gets too terrible.” She walked into her closet.
“Gina.” He followed her, stopping at the closet door.
“Did you get coffee on your way back?” She rolled her shoulders. “I'm dragging today.”
“Gina.” He worked at keeping his breathing even. Pressure built at the backs of his eyes. He didn't know how to tell her.
“Are you ready?” She tossed the towels and leaned on the small chaise at the end of the closet. The hot pink lace panties she slid up her long legs matched her pedicure. She sat, fiddling with the matching bra.
“I've never been ready.” He walked to her, kneeling at her feet. “I'm sorry it's taken me so long to face my feelings. I shouldn't have hid them from you.” He rubbed her foot. “I'm sorry, Gina.”
“What happened?” She stopped dressing and looked at him.
“She's gone.”
“When?” She took a deep shaky breath.
“This morning.”
“Where's my phone?” She licked her lips and looked around the room.
“What can I do?”
“I should call Andrew.” She stood up and leaned on him heavily. “He has all the plans we laid out. I'm sure he's already started.”
“Your phone is on the table by the window, but take a second.” He steadied her.
She stepped around him, right to her phone. “I have a missed call from Dale.”
“He told Keller he had something for you, but Keller is trying to delay him.”
“Here? He wants to come here? That would be great actually.”
“What?” He cocked his head, sure he hadn't heard her right.
“I only have a few more reasons to deal with him. I'd like to get them over with.” She played with her phone a bit more and then held it to her ear. “Andrew.” She walked back into her closet.
He sat on her bed and listened to her chat through a lengthy list. Not once did she stop to wipe at her eyes or blow her nose. By the time she came back out, the call was over and she was dressed.
Immaculate.
“How are you doing this?”
“She deserves to have a nice funeral. It will be here, though. Mom wanted her service at the same place where Dad's was. Andrew has already called them. The service will be Monday. They're bringing her body down today. I have a list of things I need to do. He'll call me back in a couple of hours with a progress report.” She grabbed her purse. “Will you go with me when I go see her later?”
“Of course.” He came up behind her and rubbed her shoulders. She jumped, but relaxed a bit. “Oh, honey, it's okay to cry.” He pressed his body to hers and hugged her from behind.
She rested her head against his shoulder. He squeezed her tighter. Silent sobs filled the room. It took some time, but eventually she turned in his arms and buried her face in his chest. Sometime later they sat on the couch at the end of her room. Sun peeked through the curtains, showing off that a new day had started.
She took a tissue from the end table. “I fucking hate cancer.” She blew her nose. He rubbed her back and worked his way through his own stormy emotions.
****
The last couple of days were a blur. Thankfully she'd had plenty of help, most of it coming from her mother. The woman had literally thought of everything. Between Andrew ensuring each step on the list was executed to perfection and Marcus ensuring she was never alone, the funeral had been beautiful that morning. Even her stepsister could be credited with successfully keeping Dale away from her throughout the services. She still hadn't talked to him or Leslie, actually.
Gina sipped her wine and leaned against her kitchen counter. She hadn't expected so many to take her up on her offer of coming to her place for refreshments and a few eats. She also hadn't expected for Mistress Charlie to provide a spread quite so expansive. Every day since her mom died, she’d sent more food.
Almost everyone had left her place, now, except for the cleaning crew. Marcus must have asked them to stay until everything was taken care of. Anne and Lydia were putting dishes away while Jane was dividing food.
“Please don't put all of that in my freezer.” Everything Charlie had brought over was delicious and she'd tasted almost everything, but she didn't need another reminder she'd lost her mom. She had enough reminders that the best parts of her life were over.
“If you don't eat it, you'll just have to invite us over for dinner.” Jane set an empty casserole dish by the sink and grabbed another.
“That sounds like a threat to me,” Gina said.
“Funny.” Lydia and Anne were actually laughing.
“My girlfriend lost her father-in-law to cancer back in 2013. I think that was the year. Anyways, her stuffed freezer was very helpful.” Lydia held up a clean baking dish. “Where does this go?”
Gina set down her glass and held out her hand. “Is there a rule against me helping?”
“Okay.” She handed her the dish.
They continued to talk around her. Gina kept out of the discussion, trying unsuccessfully to tune them out. Each one talked about members of their families or close friends they'd lost to cancer. It seemed the dreaded disease had a liking for uncles, aunts, and cousins. It had touched them all. They even made plans to walk in a mini marathon to raise money for research that fall.
“You'll walk with us, right, Gina?”
“You don't have to include me.” She looked at each of them, searching for a sign of relief. After finding none, she got a sense something was overhead, calling to her. Something powerful embraced her from above and she looked to the ceiling.
Let them in, sweetheart.
She heard nothing, but it was her mother’s voice filling her from within. Unbearable pressure seized her chest. She bent over and leaned on the counter. A ball seemed to force its way from her heart, up into her throat. She coughed when the tears won their battle and took over. She shook her hands, trying to regain some control over her body.
“Find Marcus.�
�� Anne came up behind her. “Hold on. Lydia will find him.” She could hear a rattling in Anne's voice.
“I'm here.” His warmth enveloped her and some of the strain began to subside. “Deep breaths.”
She leaned into him, working to match his even breathing.
“That's better.” He rubbed her back. “This one got you fast. That's it. Slow down your breathing.”
She licked her lips and squeezed her eyes shut, turning to cling to him. Tears tumbled down her cheeks. As the tension drifted away, she looked around the quiet room. Everyone tried to look busy.
“Why are people less likely to cry when adults die?” She looked up at him, not sure if she was more annoyed with how much she enjoyed him comforting her or that she was the only one upset.
“What are you talking about?” He brushed her hair from her forehead.
“Everyone cries when kids die. It's heartbreaking.” She looked around her apartment, disgusted by the lack of tears in the room. “But I don't understand why everyone doesn't cry when adults die. All death is sad.” She rubbed her thumb against her fist and rocked a little. “It hurts.”
“Everyone deals with loss different because we are affected on different levels.” Anne reached out a hand to Lydia, who accepted her embrace. “Just like how differently we connect to people.”
“Which begs the question, why you’re all here?” She stepped away from Marcus. “I was terrible to all of you.”
“Not me.” Jane came closer. “You tested me. You dared me to go after what I truly wanted.”
“Let's not pull any punches.” Lydia looked to Jake, who was just outside of the kitchen. She reached for him and he came to her side. “You can be a bitch, but it’s clearly not all you are. We just wish you'd share with us the rest of you.”
Gina looked around the room. “Huh.”
Anne took hold of her hand. “We may not have known your mom, but we know you. We know how you loved her.”
“How could you possibly know?” She looked around the room, settling on Marcus who was right beside her. Tears tumbled fresh down her cheeks. She could feel his support even though he said nothing. How was that possible?
“You're not the only one to have lost someone they loved. You may be the first to lose both parents, but you're not the first to have lost. We know it’s hard.” Jane handed her a tissue.
The doorbell rang.
“I'll get it.” Anne headed in the direction of the front door.
An awkward silence blanketed the space.
“Isn't this fun.” Dale stopped at the edge of the kitchen. “I'm so pleased to be interrupting.”
“Step back, this isn't your place.” Marcus positioned himself in front of Gina. “You're not welcomed here.”
“And neither are any of you.” He reached past Marcus to hand Gina a letter. “You need to be out of this condo by the end of the week.”
“What?”
“This place is still in your mother's name and now, it's mine and I want you out.” He took a quiche from a plate Jane hadn't gotten to yet.
“You need to leave.” Keller tugged on his arm. “Let me show you out.”
“You should know, she changed her will Saturday morning.” He yanked his arm free of Keller's grasp. “Just before she died, she changed everything. One might suspect she got some news that upset her. I'm guessing that's what finally did her in. The letter must confirm it all. It's official. You have nothing.” He laughed all the way to the door.
She couldn't see. A strange haze settled on all her senses as she slid to the floor. Somehow, she knew this would happen. Everything she'd done had been for nothing. She hurt her stepsister, Rob, her mom. All for nothing. Her life flashed before her eyes. Not the whole thing, just the past year. The shittiest of her pathetic existence.
“Everyone out.”
From her peripheral vision, she could see Marcus leading everyone to the door. He ignored Jane's arguments and assured her he'd see everything got put away. One by one, everyone left, except Marcus. Her shiny new rock. It was only a matter of time before her dirt covered him as well.
“What's the point?”
“What's that?” He knelt beside her.
“You should go, too.” She moved to get up, figuring she'd be more successful if she could stand through her request. “I want to be alone.”
“Don't be ridiculous.” He helped her when she stumbled. “I'm not going anywhere.”
“Please. I’ll tell Keller you’ve earned a statue for your service. You’ve done good here.”
“This isn’t about getting bonus points with the boss. I’m worried about you.”
"I just need some time.” She took the dishtowel from him.
“You have no reason to believe anything Dale just said. He's a rat.”
“It's not just Dale. It's everything. I think I deserve to have a pity party all by myself. Everyone who ever loved me is gone.” She shrugged her shoulders.
“Not everyone.”
“That will pass. I'm sure.” She wiped under her eyes.
“I wanted to protect you from that asshole.” He picked up the letter off the floor. “I should have posted a keep out picture at the door.”
“Give me that.” She took the letter from him and pinned it to the fridge, front and center, at least until she had the guts to open it. “I'll put the rest of the food away.”
“We'll put the rest of the food away and then I'm putting you to bed.”
“You're too good to me.”
“I'm just giving you what you need.” He came up beside her, grabbing her ass and pulled her against him. “Right now, I have pleasure only on the list. If you try to deny me much more, that will change. But, first.” He pinched her ass and then stepped back. “Do you have any more storage containers?”
Chapter Ten
The next morning, Marcus and Rob walked into the club's restaurant to meet with Keller, who had promised to talk the situation out with him and give him some advice. When he found the table, it wasn't just Keller.
“Hope you don't mind. Several of the Masters wanted to help.” Keller stood and shook their hands.
“What can I say?” Jake stood up as well. “She's had a rough go of it.”
“Thanks.” Marcus shook Jake’s hand and then nodded at Simon and Colin. “You're all up to speed?”
“Yes, I filled in all the gaps.” Keller checked his watch and sat next to Marcus once he and Rob were seated. “We're just waiting on Seth. He has a connection with an estate planning firm. They're on their way. And Miles just checked in. He’s been keeping an eye on Gina’s place. There has been no sign of Dale and Gina is still at home.”
“Well, at least she doesn't need to go out for food.” Simon took a sip of his drink.
“I know. Charlie really out did herself.” Rob grabbed a muffin. “Jane's trying to convince her to expand her catering business.”
“I need to do something special for Charlie, but Miles especially. He really has gone out of his way to watch out for Dale,” Marcus said.
“That's just the kind of guy he is. Keller made a good decision adding him to the Masters.” Colin tilted his drink toward Keller.
“I'm lucky to have all of you. Here comes Seth.” Keller signaled to the waitress. A couple of chairs were brought to the table and more glasses of water. “Thanks for coming.”
“Happy to help.” Seth shook Marcus's hand. “This is Brad. I've known him forever. His firm has lots of experience with family dramas.”
“I'm just an accountant,” Brad said. ”But our firm has seen some interesting attempts by disgruntled families. I've seen these situations play out a lot of different ways.”
“What can we expect?” Marcus rubbed the back of his neck.
“From what I've heard, Dale’s making it sound like a new will was written before she died. Is that correct?” Brad looked at Marcus.
“That's what he said.” Marcus sat up straighter. “Andrew, who helps at her mother’s h
ouse, doesn't seem to think it happened. Dale wasn't even there when she died. He'd been out most of the night. I guess he packed most of his things and hasn't been seen since his speech at Gina's last night.”
“Was she alone when she died?” Keller cleared his throat.
“No, Andrew was at the house.” Marcus reached out and squeezed Keller’s shoulder. “He said Gina’s stepsister was actually with her. I'm hoping to talk with her this afternoon.”
“Well, I had one of our partners do some checking. Gina's mom did have a will.” Brad scrolled through his phone. “It was filled several years ago, looks like it was within a few months of her marriage to Dale. A new one has not been submitted, yet.”
“You can let us know if that changes.”
“Absolutely.”
“Thank you.” He was breathing easier already. His gut told him they hadn't seen the last of Dale, but it was a possibility. “I also need advice for dealing with Gina. What are you guys thinking?”
“She'll need to know you support her.” Colin made a good point. “I think you've come a long way in discovering what drives her, but you'll need to keep listening.”
Seth leaned in. “Gina doesn't remind me of a girl who wants help, but in this case you might have to yank her out of her bad habits. Be prepared to rescue her from whatever nonsense she gets herself into.”
“True, but at some point she needs to start fighting for what she wants,” Simon said. That's the advice Keller gave me with Janna. I'll tell you the waiting fucking sucked, but it was exactly what she needed.”
“Agreed. You did right by her.” Marcus clicked his glass. “Rob, what are your thoughts?”
“I'm not sure.” He shook his head. “I don't think I'll ever have the woman figured out. Any of this advice has a chance at working.”
“The reality is even the right choice could push her away.” Marcus refused to accept the situation was hopeless.
“True. I think we've all made the mistake of thinking she's more complicated than she really is. I believe she needs to know you'll stand by her, that you'll always love her,” Keller said.
“You're right.” Marcus looked around the table. “Thank you.”
If only he could have fallen for a simpler girl, someone who’d welcome his love. His gut told him she’d push him away before she let him in. He’d have to be patient.