I had been avoiding the meeting forever, but I had to see her attorney. I didn’t even know she had one, nor did I know she had a will either. I imagined she left me her furniture, and her collection of Days of Our Lives videotapes. Grandma didn’t have much, but she had me. I didn’t have much either, but I had her.
Now I had nothing.
I dressed in my nicest jeans and a respectable long-sleeved tee. My blonde locks never listen, so they went up in a bun. I stared in the mirror. My green eyes were dull, my face tired. Maybe if I was drop dead gorgeous, I could score a rich man or something. I was only half joking. Even still, my hips were too round. My body wasn’t anything special, and I wasn’t either.
I had to take two subways to get to his office. It was above an old apartment complex, and was an apartment itself. The waiting room was the detached living room. He called me into his office, and we had to pass through the kitchen to get there.
“Thank you for finally meeting with me,” he smiled gently. I sat in his office, across from his wooden desk. He was an older man, but had some kindness to his face.
“Yeah. Sorry, I haven’t been able to.” It was partly true that I had been working so much. But it was also to avoid this, and avoid having too much time to think.
“That’s okay. I know it can be hard. It’s like…you accept the fact and then you have to go back and open old wounds.” He offered a kind smile. I tried to return it, but I hadn’t done much smiling in a long time.
“Um. Yeah. Kind of like that. I didn’t even know she had a will,” I said in response.
He started going through some files in his drawer before he drew one out.
“She was your grandmother, correct?” he asked me.
“Yeah.”
His thick brows furrow together as he read. From what I could see, some things were highlighted.
“She has no surviving children. No sons-in-laws either.” He stated. I nodded.
My mom, her daughter, died of a drug overdose when I was a child. I didn’t even remember her anymore, which was heart-breaking in itself. All I had since then was my grandmother. Dad had never been around and my parents never got married. So, it really had been just Grandma and me.
“No.” I wasn’t sure if it was even a question, but I affirmed it. He sighed deeply and met my eyes again.
“Okay, you ready?” He smiled.
“I suppose.” I shifted nervously in my seat. I was hoping I wouldn’t be told my grandmother left me a million dollars of debt. I was way off.
He read right from the paper. “Cecilia Brown leaves her sole surviving relative, Adley Brown, her estate, holdings, belongings, and everything such included. The sum of these is to be released immediately.” He stopped. “That’s the important stuff.”
I sat back and stare, not really understanding. “She left me everything?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Well, what is everything?” My grandmother didn’t even have much. Not that I could remember. She had moved to a smaller place when I moved out. Before she passed I knew she lived in some tiny town, but I didn’t make it out to visit often. Which was stupid, I should have cherished the time I had with her. Another regret.
“Her house on Fishers Island. All the belongings in it, including the ones in storage. And a sum of about…one hundred thousand dollars.”
I nearly screamed. Where did all that money come from? Was Medicaid that great?
“Are you all right?”
I had been sitting there for a long moment and I didn’t even realize it. I opened and closed my mouth a few times to regain my senses.
“Um. I’m fine. I think. Surprised.” I laughed nervously.
“I know it can be surprising. I have people who can help you manage everything in terms of her estate. I have already retrieved the important documents; the deed, the bank transfer and what not. All you have to do is accept it.”
I was going to take time to think about it, but I knew that would do me no good. She wanted me to have everything for some reason. I could find good to do with it later. But I couldn’t sit on it any longer. I had to accept it, and I had to move past everything.
“I…I accept.” I smiled a little.
“Good.”
We spent the next part of an hour going over everything. It wasn’t really a complicated task, but there was a lot to think about. If I moved into the house, I would no longer have to pay rent. Utilities would only be about a hundred dollars a month. But it would be too far from the restaurant; I would have to find a new job.
Hell, maybe it was a good way to find a new, better career anyway. I didn’t want to be a waitress for the rest of my life. In school I liked cooking and desserts. But I never thought I could do anything with it. Even when I didn’t have the money, I would buy flour and expensive baking ingredients to try new things.
I said goodbye to Dan, the attorney, and headed to the bank. Everything was good to go when I showed them the documents. They even had a financial advisor explain how important it was to spend the money wisely. I put most in savings and a bit in my own checking account. It felt good. Then I went back home and got ready for work.
I went through my entire shift in a crazy daze. I was nice to the patrons, even flirted back with the beefy guys from the gym just to get better tips. It paid off. As I ran through my checkout procedure, I decided it would be my last shift. It was shitty to leave like that. But I had just made five hundred dollars working both the bar and the floor, thanks to the football game lasting past closing. The place had done enough for me.
Mike was nice about it, but I knew he was disappointed. I was one of the good ones.
I went home. Then I made plans to get boxes and move my things out. Ugh, I would have to rent a car. It would be nice to have friends, then I could ask for help. But I learned to be okay alone a long time ago.
I found a cheap rental car company down the block from my apartment and booked a car for a few days. It was odd, having the money to pay for it without much thought. My heart swelled at the notion of my grandmother still being the only one looking out for me, even in death.
3
Adley
So many memories clouded my head when I drove down to the island. I hadn’t visited her new place in years, honestly I couldn’t remember ever going to it. It was painful when she sold my childhood home to move to this place and I didn’t cope with it well. I should have understood she needed something smaller, with less maintenance. And somewhere my mother hadn’t died. But I didn’t handle it well and so we always met as a restaurant half way.
I guess I shouldn’t have expected the place be perfect, but…it had definitely seen its years. The outside was torn up, to say the least. The inside had a bad smell and I suspected mold, it had been a couple months since her passing. There could be water in the basement. It was two floors, but I was afraid to even climb the rickety staircase. I walked through and realized the kitchen needed new cabinets. And then the small library that was used as an office was actually in good shape. I wondered what I would even do with it. The backyard was a good size, and I even considered getting a dog. The weight of guilt I felt, of not knowing how bad her living conditions were…what was I thinking?
We saw each other all the time, she was never dirty or anything. She looked fine. But she couldn’t maintain this place, that much was clear.
The first floor was hardwood, but it was so worn and scratched, I knew I would have to replace it. In fact, I thought everything would have to be replaced. That was why I didn’t even bother unpacking. All the furniture was covered in plastic wrap, so I sat on the couch and found a blanket in one of my boxes. Then I tried to get comfortable on the old couch, but the smell was unbearable. I couldn’t fix this myself, not even Home Depot would help. I needed a contractor.
I used my smartphone to find a good business nearby. None of the places had good reviews, until I found one with five stars and hundreds of reviews on Yelp. Restoration Home Improvement sounded
pretty trustworthy to me. I submitted their online questionnaire and was lucky to book a viewing as early as the next day. Everything seemed to be in place.
The hot water was barely effective, but I showered, dressed in my pjs, and got comfortable on the couch. I could figure something out the next day. The only bed in the place was hers. I couldn’t sleep there. Not yet anyway.
I cried myself to sleep, but it was only because it was all real. She was really gone, and I was really starting a new life. Without her.
4
Tate
My morning routine was the same as always. I woke up and went for a run, enjoying the scenery and waving at the people I always see. I stopped and got a cup of coffee, and then I headed home. It was a good routine, but I still felt a kind of lonely emptiness.
It helped a little bit to be at work, especially if we had a big project. It wasn’t as lonely with all the guys in one place working together. My best friend and partner, Levi, kept me busy most of the time, too. We had been working on a joint project, and it wasn’t that big of one so it had just been the two of us. We agreed on a time to show up every day. Until then, I showered and dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, my self-made uniform.
I hopped in my truck and set off for the job site. Then I got a call on the way there.
“Hello?” I had Bluetooth so I only had to press a button and answer.
“You sound like shit.” Levi boomed through the speaker. He always said that, even if I didn’t sound like shit. But I did have a late night, so I probably did.
“Right. What do you want? I’m already on my way.” I answered. I came to a red light in the small downtown where a hot brunette was crossing the street. She even looked in the truck and shot me a smile. I smiled back.
I was no womanizer like Levi, but I did have fun sometimes. Anyway, I had to drive off and leave her behind.
“Nothing. Well we actually have another site to look at after we finish today.”
“Gotcha.” We usually have a break between projects, but the company had started doing really well so we get new jobs a lot faster. Levi and I always take the lead on them, so we get first pick on a team too.
“Oh, actually can you get me a breakfast combo from Mickey D’s? Thanks.” He laughed and hung up before I could even protest.
I rolled my eyes but went a different direction so I could find one close enough to stop. I got to the worksite ten minutes after my usual time. He was already in the kitchen hanging the cabinets. It was actually all we had left, which was why we would be finished by lunch today.
“Your meal awaits.” I drop it on the newly finished countertop that we covered with butcher paper to protect from being scratched.
“Thanks man.” He brushed back his dark hair and went straight for the food. I got something for myself, so we ate before we started working.
“Where is this place at?” I asked him, referring to the new job he said we picked up. Well, he picked it up and probably just volunteered me.
“No clue. I barely looked at the address.”
I rolled my eyes but I wasn’t surprised. Levi was never the organized or prepared type, but it worked for him. I’d known him for years, since I started working with the company. We were both handymen but we had our differences. When plumbing or anything like that came in the picture, I stepped aside and let him handle it. We worked well as a team. He was even good at tinkering and making things from scratch sometimes. A lot of the jobs we took had personally requested him, and he dragged me along.
“This place came out nice.” He said with a mouth stuffed with hash browns.
“Yeah, it did.” I chuckled. It only took us forty-five days. We stayed on track and on budget.
“Too bad they were pretentious pricks.” He finished up and stood.
“Chill man, there could be cameras in here.” I followed him and tossed the trash.
“Doubtful.” We drank our coffee until it was all gone. We usually weren’t that casual on the job sites, but the owners left for the Hamptons while we were working. Their house was pretty big, but they just wanted the kitchen and bathrooms redone. They didn’t want to stick around for all the noise and dust, I guessed.
“Only people with shitty kids get those cameras.” Levi said. I didn’t agree, but I didn’t want to get pulled into that conversation either.
He wasn’t stupid, but sometimes I got stuck in the most baseless conversations with him. He liked to talk a lot, and I didn’t like to talk very much. In our years together, we had learned to work it out, but sometimes he liked to pester me.
While we hung the shelves, he continued to bring up useless topics, but I enjoyed them to pass the time. He was pretty adamant about hooking up with someone to celebrate the job being done. The last time we tag-teamed a woman was at one of our co-workers’ bachelor party. But it was fun nonetheless. Too bad there weren’t many women willing to do that. Surprising, as far as I was concerned.
“Looks good.” We finished up. He had shed his shirt and used it to wipe the sweat from his face.
We both looked at the dark cabinets and took the last few measurements.
“Yeah. We should walk through it again. I have a feeling about these two,” I said.
The first meeting we had with them was spent suppressing the urge to argue. They were very insistent and thought they knew everything about contracting. Those were the worst kinds of people, and you couldn’t put them in their place either.
We did a final walk through and took photos for the job site folder and website. We didn’t share the address, so no one would know where it was anyway. Then the clean-up crew came in and put everything back where it should be. There was no point in sticking around for the owners to come back.
“So, where is the new place at?” I asked him again as we left the house. “And where is your truck?” I asked him as well, since I didn’t see it outside.
“Oh, I got a ride.” He smirked and hopped into the passenger side of my truck. That was code for he was with a woman last night and he wooed her with his tales of being a strong contractor, good with his hands.
“Like I said, I only glanced at the address. It came in pretty late last night but I managed to catch it before I was otherwise occupied.” He grinned. I shook my head but I couldn’t even judge; I was pretty much the same way.
He shifted through his phone and plugged the address into our GPS. It was a place out on Fishers Island, so I imagined an old couple living there. Or maybe someone living alone. But there weren’t many young people out that far, so I didn’t expect anything exciting.
“We won’t do any work today will we? I’m spent,” I said. We worked so late the past few days to stay on schedule because we knew the owners would not like it if we finished late.
“Nah, just an estimate. See what they want to do,” he answered. He turned the radio on, the new Imagine Dragons song blaring through. Every radio station had it on permanent replay.
“Cool.”
The drive took about thirty minutes from where we were. The island was off the tip of Long Island, with no roads to it. Using the ferry made it a bitch to get there, but we could be reimbursed by the company for all that. We drove up to the house and…shit.
“We haven’t seen a place like this in years.” Levi leaned forward and stared with wide eyes.
I stared too; it was real messed up. Maybe it was a flip? I had no clue. There were no cars out front when I pulled into the driveway. The outside of the house was a sad, chipped, white color, with plank siding and a rickety porch. The roof would need to go. Everything needed to go, in my opinion.
“Let’s check it out.”
I parked and we left the truck. Levi knocked on the door but there was no answer.
“They didn’t put their number on the form for me to call,” Levi said. I shrugged and looked through the windows.
The couch looked like it had been laid on, but everything else was covered up or falling apart.
“Someone wa
s here. We can wait. I don’t have any plans for the rest of the day.” I stepped over the railing and sat down on the steps.
The land was pretty decent, though it needed a lot of landscaping. But it would be a nice place to fix up, just really expensive. Probably our most expensive one yet.
“I’m going to walk around.” Levi stepped down the stairs.
“That’s trespassing. We haven’t taken the job yet.” I stood up and faced him. He laughed his careless laugh and set off anyway.
I had to follow him and make sure he didn’t do anything stupid. Sometimes I felt like the older sibling trying to keep tabs on their brother. But we walked around and saw that the water tank would need to be replaced, unless Levi could fix it. He was good with lost causes. The foundation seemed fairly solid though. The backyard had a gorgeous view, but the back of the house was pretty worn out. It had vines going up the sides, and bricks coming loose.
“This is a complete disaster.” Levi said. He walked back around the front and I followed.
“Yeah, but that’s kind of the work we’re supposed to do.” I pointed out.
“True. I still don’t want to use a team though. Then we have to be on our best behavior and shit. Plus, more people just makes it take longer.” He shook his head.
We both sat on the porch steps. “Let’s just wait for the owner. They might not even want to give us the job.”
5
Levi
I loved finishing jobs. It made me feel super accomplished, like I was actually doing something worth shit. Maybe it was morbid, but it was kind of true. Everything was kind of broken until I decided to fix it, which was why I made a living out of fixing things.
Like this house. It was kind of a dump, but it had some charm to it. I believed we could do something worthwhile. Tate and I waited outside for a little bit; the weather was nice so it wasn’t like we were missing anything.
Her Dirty Billionaires_An Office MFM Romance Page 39