by Tia Siren
“Hello?”
“Is this Avery?”
“Yes. Who’s this?”
The woman on the other end of the phone didn’t immediately answer.
“Do you know Tracy Colter?”
Dread washed over me. “Yes. Why? What’s going on? Is she okay?”
The woman cleared her throat. “I’m with the county hospital. You are her only emergency contact in her phone.”
“The hospital?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m a doctor here at the hospital. I’m sorry to inform you that Tracy passed away a short time ago.”
My knees felt weak. I could feel blood rushing to my feet and followed the blood flow, falling onto the bed.
“What is it?” Sally whispered.
I turned to look at her. I couldn’t speak.
“Ma’am, are you there?” the voice said on the other end of the phone.
My mouth was so dry I couldn’t pry my tongue off the roof of my mouth. I handed the phone to Sally, who quickly took over the call. I listened from someplace far away as Sally talked with the doctor. I heard her say the name Iris and felt a fresh wave of grief wash over me.
Sally put the phone down and threw her arms around me. “I’m so sorry, hon.”
“I don’t understand,” I managed to get out.
Sally took a deep breath. “Tracy was in a car accident. She was semi-conscious for a short time. She told the doctors to call you. She wanted you to pick up her baby.”
“She died?” I asked, knowing the answer, but my brain refused to accept it. “Iris is alive?”
“I’m sorry, dear, but she did. She was rushed to surgery, but her wounds were too severe. The baby wasn’t in the car.”
“She’s dead,” I repeated.
“Hon, I’ll drive you. We need to go pick up the baby from daycare,” Sally said softy.
I nodded. “Iris.”
“Yes, Iris.”
“Oh my god, she’s dead,” I said, more to myself than anything.
I realized I wasn’t crying. That surprised me. I should have been crying.
“I’ll get my purse. Does she leave the car seat at the daycare?” Sally asked.
I slowly shook my head. “It would have been in the car. We need to get one somehow. Can you please take care of it?”
Sally mumbled something and left the room. I sat on the bed, staring at the wall, trying to process all the information.
“Jake,” I whispered.
Sally had come back into the room. “Who?”
“Jake. Tracy’s older brother. I have to call him.”
“We will, dear. Let’s get the baby,” Sally said calmly.
I followed her out the door and climbed into the passenger seat of her big Cadillac. I felt lost as I sat back and let Sally navigate. She pulled up in front of a Walmart.
“What are we doing here?” I asked.
“I figured we better pick up a few things.”
I sat in the car and watched her walk inside. She was back within minutes, a young man pushing a full cart behind her.
She opened the door to the back seat. The man helped her open the box containing a car seat. A few more bags were put in the trunk, and then we were off again.
“I’m still in shock,” I said, I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your help.”
She smiled. “Yes, dear. I wanted to make sure we could take her home.”
I nodded. “Thank you. I’ll pay you back.”
She shushed me and listened to the navigation system as it guided her to the daycare. I wasn’t in any state to tell her the directions. I took a few minutes to collect myself before I went inside to pick up my beautiful goddaughter. Sally went with me. We asked to speak to whoever was in charge and informed them of the tragedy.
Iris was packed up, and I took Iris in my arms and hugged her tightly before I put her into the car seat. I sat in front, listening to Iris gurgle and bat at the toy Sally had also purchased to hang over the car seat. I’d had no idea Sally was so baby savvy. I was in no condition to think straight.
Once I put little Iris down for a nap, Sally pulled me into the kitchen and said we had to talk.
“Avery, hon, you were listed as Tracy’s emergency contact.”
I nodded. “I knew that. She was mine. Neither of us had any real family to speak of and had decided we could trust one another.”
“Dear, you said she had a brother?”
“Yes, Jake. I forgot. I need to tell Jake. Would the hospital or police have notified him?”
Sally cleared her throat. “I’m not sure. I believe it would be wise for you to reach out to him in case they didn’t. You said she was estranged from her family?” she gently prodded.
“Her parents are dead. Jake is the only family she has. He lives in Silicon Valley, San Francisco area or something. I don’t know for sure. He’s a very wealthy guy. He built some computer program or something,” I said, waving a hand. I did not want to talk about Jake.
“Okay. Let me see if I can track him down. If he doesn’t come back or make arrangements, it is up to you to make the funeral arrangements,” Sally said.
I looked at her in horror. “What? I can’t do that!”
Sally smiled. “You can. We need to contact a funeral home. Then tomorrow we can go by and take care of the details. Did Tracy have a life insurance policy?”
I shrugged, shaking my head. “I don’t know. This can’t be real. Tracy is only twenty-five. She can’t be dead!” I wailed, and for the first time since I heard the news, I cried. It was as if a dam broke. My tears flowed, and I was helpless to stop them. My throat felt raw and my chest was tight by the time I ran out of tears.
Sally brought me some hot tea spiked with Irish liquor and ordered me to drink. It soothed my throat and helped calm me. I knew the calming was from the alcohol and was grateful for it.
“I’ll look up Jake’s name, but can you call him?” I asked Sally in a calm, quiet voice. “We aren’t exactly friends. I don’t want to talk to him right now.”
“Of course, dear.”
I went to grab my laptop and checked on Iris, who was still sound asleep, before heading back to the kitchen. I Googled Jake and did my best to ignore his picture that popped up. I jotted down the number and gave it to Sally. Then it was time to look for funeral homes in the area.
I had no idea which to pick and went with my gut, quickly making the call for them to pick up Tracy from the hospital.
“I need to go to Tracy’s apartment,” I said.
Sally nodded. “Yes, you do. Would you like me to go with you?”
I shook my head. “No, but could you watch Iris? I need to grab some of her things and check to see if Tracy had a will. I know she didn’t, but I’ll check anyway.”
“Okay. We’ll be fine. Take your time, hon.”
I pulled up my Uber app, ordered a car, and waited. It still didn’t feel real.
When I walked through the door of her apartment, I could feel her. I fought back the tears that threatened to fall. I checked the small desk in the living room and didn’t find a will. I did find a burial policy.
“Smart girl,” I whispered, feeling a little better to have the money to properly bury her.
I grabbed her suitcase out of the closet, taking a moment to run my hand over Tracy’s dresses hanging there, before heading to Iris’s room and packing clothing. I picked up the open pack of diapers and some of the bedding from the crib, hoping to make Iris feel comfortable. Then it was to the kitchen to grab the cans of formula and clean bottles.
I smiled when I saw the small pile of dishes in the sink. I didn’t know why, but I stopped my packing and quickly washed them. I knew she would never know, but I couldn’t leave them. If Jake didn’t come back, it would be up to me to clean out the apartment. I wasn’t sure I could do that. Touching Tracy’s things felt a bit like a violation of her privacy.
The funeral home called while I was on my way home. The director wanted to set a date an
d time for the funeral. I felt pressured into making a quick decision, and before I knew what was happening, I had agreed to a Friday afternoon funeral.
My stomach was a jumble of knots by the time I returned to Sally’s. I told her what I did, and she smiled before giving me a quick hug.
“It’s okay, dear. I haven’t called Jake yet. Iris woke up. I gave her a bottle, and she went right back down to sleep.”
“Thank you, Sally. I brought some of Iris’s things. I’m glad she is young enough not to understand what’s happening. That poor baby is never going to know how much her mommy loved her,” I said, choking on the last words.
“Go sit. I’ll make that phone call and let the man know the funeral is on Friday. If he plans to be involved in the planning, he’ll need to talk with you or make the arrangements himself,” she said.
“I found a burial policy,” I said quietly.
“Good. We’ll take that with us to the funeral home tomorrow. They will know what to do with it.”
I nodded, thankful I had Sally to lean on. The poor woman had lost her husband and both her sisters. She was well-versed in funeral planning. I was going to need all the advice and help I could get.
“I think I’m going to lie down for a bit,” I said, feeling exhausted even though I had done nothing.
“You do that. I’ll keep an eye on the baby. Get some rest, dear. You have a long few days ahead of you.”
I headed to my room, dreading what was to come. My life had been shaken up and turned upside down with one phone call.
Chapter Two
Jake
I leaned back in my ergonomic chair, completely comfortable with the man sitting across from me. The questions he was asking had been asked of me so many times in the past several years, I didn’t even have to think about what I would say.
“You’re thirty?” the interviewer asked.
I nodded my head. “Yes.”
“What inspired you to start your company?”
“Money,” I said with a grin. “No, no, don’t print that. Really, it started with an idea to fill a need. There were a lot of trials and a whole lot of errors, and then one day it worked. I created a program and the rest is history.”
“Your company has made it to the top one hundred on the Forbes list three years in a row. You are one of the youngest billionaires in the country. How does that make you feel?”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes at the stupid question. “I feel great. Of course I feel great. I don’t take any of it for granted. I work hard. I fight to stay at the top of the programming industry. I hope to stay at the top for decades to come.”
The guy smiled. “No chance of early retirement?”
I laughed. “You never know.”
When the interview was over and the aspiring journalist left, I pulled off my tie. I hated wearing the damn thing. I never wore a tie at the office, but when I was doing interviews or posing for whatever magazine or newspaper was knocking on my door that month, I put on the best business face possible. My clients and investors had to take me seriously. That wasn’t always easy when I was the youngest face in the room.
I checked my watch and realized it was almost four. That was late enough for me. It was officially happy hour.
“Meet me at Details,” I said when my best friend and right-hand man, Drew, answered his phone.
“Little early, don’t you think?” he asked.
I chuckled. “I’m the boss. I can leave when I want.”
“Fine. I’ll be there in thirty or so. I need to wrap up a few things.”
“Good,” I said, hanging up and strolling through the office. My office in my building. It was good to be wealthy and powerful. Good, but lonely.
I pushed the thought to the back of my mind where I kept it. I didn’t like to dwell on the fact that I was at the top of an empire all alone. I had no family to speak of to share it with. It was only me and occasionally Drew and whoever I decided to date at the moment.
I make a quick call to my driver, letting him know I was ready to leave. I paid the man a lot of money to sit around and wait for me. I expected him to be ready to go within five minutes of whenever I called. I had several drivers, but Bruce was my favorite. I trusted him with my life.
“Where to, boss?” he asked when I stepped off the private elevator.
“Details,” I said.
He nodded, and together we walked to the car, me climbing in the back seat. I looked out the windows that were darkened with a blackout tint. Being rich and powerful could be isolating. When I arrived at the exclusive, high-end club, I went in the back entrance as usual and was seated in a private VIP section.
I ordered a whiskey neat and scanned the small crowd below. I liked my perch. It gave me a clear view of the dance floor and the bar, which were where I liked to look for women. The women allowed in the club were not average ladies. They had money, clout, or were so damn good-looking, it didn’t matter who they were.
“I see you’re already on the hunt,” Drew said dryly. “Maybe you should give it some time. It’s still early. Any respectable woman is at work or knows better than to day drink.”
I chuckled. “It’s after four. It’s no longer day drinking. It’s happy hour,” I reminded him. “It even says so on the menu. Four to six is happy hour.”
He ordered a Jack and Coke and leaned back against the sofa to check out the happenings below. “Which one?” he asked.
I didn’t have to ask him what he was talking about. “I don’t know. Kind of like the blonde at the bar,” I said, motioning.
He laughed. “She’s not going to like you. That’s a good girl. She takes one look at your tats and she is out the door.”
I rolled my eyes. “What do my tattoos have to do with anything? She’s in the bar on ladies’ night, although she is a bit early. She’d go home with me if I asked.”
He shook his head. “Nope. Bet she won’t. She’s a trust fund baby taking a walk on the wild side. Your reputation will scare her off.”
I smirked. It was a challenge I was willing to accept. “We’ll see.”
My phone rang, stopping me from setting the rules of our night’s challenge. I never backed down from anything.
“Hello?” I asked, holding a hand over my other ear to better hear the woman on the other end of the line.
My heart stopped beating in my chest as the woman spoke. I jumped up from my seat. “Hold on, please. I need to move somewhere quieter.”
I couldn’t have possibly heard her correctly. I walked into the men’s room. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”
The woman repeated her information. “The baby?” I muttered, not quite able to form coherent sentences.
“She’s in the care of Tracy’s best friend, my roommate, Avery Hampstead.”
“Oh.”
“The funeral is tentatively set for Friday. If you would like to take over the arrangements, you’ll need to call the funeral home,” the woman, who had identified herself as Sally, explained.
“Avery?” I asked, the name familiar. My brain felt sluggish. The news of my sister’s death had sent me into a bit of a tailspin.
“Yes, Avery. She’s been friends with Tracy for years—since high school she tells me. Tracy asked her to take care of her baby should anything ever happen.”
“The baby. Is it a boy or girl?” I asked, feeling stupid for not knowing.
The woman made a sound of disgust and irritation. “She’s a girl, four months old.”
“Oh. Uh, thank you for calling. Can I reach you at this number?” I asked.
“Yes.”
She hung up the phone. I stared at my phone for several long minutes. My sister was dead. My only living relative was dead. I hadn’t spoken to her in six months. I hadn’t seen her in years. I had lost my chance to make things right. She died thinking I wanted nothing to do with her, thinking I was ashamed of her for getting pregnant with no man in the picture.
“Holy shit.” I breathed out
deeply.
I splashed cold water on my face and headed back to where Drew was seated on the couch.
“Damn. You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he said.
I shook my head. “I did.”
“What?”
“My sister was killed in a car accident,” I said, still in disbelief.
Drew sat forward. “What? Your little sister?”
I nodded. “Yeah. That was some woman on the phone who is taking care of the baby.”
“I’m so sorry, man. That’s terrible. Are you going to go down there?”
I flopped down in one of the chairs and took a long drink from my glass. “I have to.”
He nodded. “Okay. I’ll call your assistant to make the arrangements. Do you want to go tonight?”
I shook my head. “There’s nothing for me to do.”
“Your parents are dead, right?” he asked softly.
I nodded. “Yes. They died a long time ago.”
“Jake, you’re her only living relative. You need to plan the funeral. You are going to go to the funeral, right?”
I looked at him. “I don’t know.”
He gave me a stern look. “You have to go. You can’t keep hiding from your family’s tragedies. You didn’t go to your parents’ funeral, and that has messed you up,” he said softly.
Drew was my one and only true friend. He’d been with me since the beginning. He wasn’t a “yes man.” He called it like he saw it. He kept me in line and reined me in when I spun out of control. My parents had died when I first moved to California some ten years ago. They had been pissed I’d dropped out of college and had cut me off. In turn, I’d cut them off.
Then one day, I got the call they had been killed in a boating accident. I had been a stubborn little shit back then and refused to go to the funeral. Tracy had only been fifteen. I was asked to take her in, but I had been twenty years old. I wasn’t prepared to raise a teenage girl. She moved in with some distant relatives and stayed in Phoenix. I visited her on several occasions and went to her high school graduation.
That was when I had met Avery for the first time. She had been a little spitfire and let me know in explicit detail what an asshole I had been for abandoning my family. I had been immediately attracted to her and ended up taking her virginity the night before I left to return to California.