Stephanie saw that her sister was eating up their mother’s compliments. And why wouldn’t she? She’d always wanted her attention and now she was getting it. “What are you doing here? How long are you staying?”
“Well, I guess as long as your sister will have me.”
Wow. All of her life she’d witnessed her mother’s skills in manipulation. It looked like in the years she’d been gone she’d honed them to a master level.
Her sister must’ve interpreted their mother’s answer as an open invitation—which made sense since she assumed Stephanie had invited her—because she clapped her hands in celebration before grabbing one of the suitcases on the ground. “Let’s go inside!”
Stephanie stood to the side to let the two women in. As much as she wanted to put a stop to this now, to tell her sister that she had not asked their mother to come here, that the woman wasn’t even welcome in her home…she just couldn’t do it. She couldn’t crush her sister like that. In front of their mom and Ace. She’d take her aside later and let her know that she’d had no idea their mom was coming. Until then all she could do was hope her mom didn’t do any more damage than she already had.
“Yes! Breakfast!” Simone squealed. “I thought you might be making breakfast that’s why I stopped by!”
Stephanie looked at Ace as she shut the door, her tone flat as she said, “Told you.”
“I’m sorry.” Sincerity shone in his aqua blue eyes.
She wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for. “Don’t be. This is just my life.”
She started walking towards the kitchen when Ace squeezed his fingers into her hip and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “Is it your birthday?”
“No.” Stephanie refrained from rolling her eyes. “It’s next week.”
“When?” Ace followed up.
“Friday. But it doesn’t matter. I’m not doing anything. I don’t celebrate it.”
As she made her way into the kitchen, Ace by her side, Stephanie realized that the last time she’d celebrated was her fifth birthday. Two months before her dad had left. After that her mother had never remembered or didn’t care. Either way she didn’t take it personally. The twins wouldn’t have had birthday parties either if it hadn’t been for Stephanie. If there was one good thing she could say about Connie Holland it was that she was an equal opportunity bad mother.
Chapter 25
That has to be a glitch. Stephanie sat at her kitchen table and sipped her coffee as she refreshed the page on her computer. After a few moments, when she saw the same number come up as her available balance, she clicked on the transactions tab so she could figure out why there were thousands more dollars in her bank account than there should be. The only thing she could think of was that the payment to Brookside hadn’t gone through. But, it was set up on auto-pay and since she had the money to pay it she had no idea why that would’ve happened.
As she waited for the new screen to load, which could take a minute since her Wi-Fi ran as slow as a turtle on sedatives, she stretched her hands over her head and rolled her neck trying to get the kinks out. She’d slept on the loveseat while her sister had taken the couch the night before and her mother had the bed.
In all fairness, she’d offered her mom her room once she’d heard Simone had planned on crashing there that night too. She was doing her best to limit the amount of interaction the two of them had and she’d wanted a chance to speak to her sister privately. Simone reacted well to Stephanie’s admission that she hadn’t invited their mom to come stay with them. She didn’t get mad or upset. She’d just said she wondered why their mom was back then.
It was a good question. Stephanie was wondering the same thing.
The screen populated and she scanned down the list of deductions and deposits. Sure enough, the payment to Brookside hadn’t been taken out. Well, actually it had but then the amount was credited back to her account.
“What the…”
“Good morning, Stephiebug!” Her mother sauntered down the hall, wearing Stephanie’s robe. “Oooh, is there coffee?”
The last thing she wanted to do was deal with her mother right now. She needed to get on the phone with Brookside and find out what was going on. It had taken months to get her brother in there. Under their care he was doing better than he ever had. She wasn’t about to let a banking error cause him to lose his place.
“Yes.” Stephanie motioned to the counter where the coffee pot sat. If her mother wanted coffee she could make it herself. This wasn’t a B&B.
Grabbing her phone she scrolled through her contacts to find the number for Brookside. Lifting her phone to her ear she waited for reception to pick up.
“Where is my Simmygirl?”
“She had an early class.” Stephanie had let her sister take her car so she wouldn’t be late, because honestly, she’d just been so happy that she was going at all. It seemed like Simone was taking school seriously and Stephanie wanted to do everything she could to support her.
“Oh good!” Her mother sipped her coffee as she took a seat at the table across from Stephanie. “I wanted to steal a moment alone with you. You know just the adults.”
When she was a kid, Stephanie used to love it when her mom would say that. But now, looking back, she realized that it was just her way of giving Stephanie way more responsibility than she should’ve ever had.
“It’s a good morning at Brookside, how can I help you?” The receptionist answered.
“Hi, yes, can you transfer me to your billing department?” Stephanie asked, turning her attention back to the computer screen in case they needed her account number.
Not respecting the fact that Stephanie was on the phone, her mother leaned forward. “I wanted to talk to you about the will.”
“The what?” Stephanie asked.
“Account services, this is Arlette.” A female voice came over the phone.
“The will,” her mother repeated. “Your father’s will.”
Okay, well, that explained a lot.
“I’m sorry, Arlette, I’m going to need to call you back.” Stephanie’s hand was shaking as she disconnected the call and set her phone down. She tried to keep her tone even as she lifted her gaze to her mother. “What about the will?”
“Well, I just thought with the hearing coming up this week—”
“The hearing?”
“Yes, to determine which will is valid.”
“Which will?” Stephanie really had no idea what her mother was talking about.
“Your father’s attorney seems to think that the will drafted after our divorce is valid but there’s no way it should be. He wrote it right after he got out of the looney bin.”
“The looney bin?” Stephanie was aware that she kept repeating what her mother was saying, but it seemed she needed to say it out loud to process the information.
“Yeah, that’s where he went when he left. Well, first he went to the hospital because he tried to kill himself but then he went to the looney bin.”
“Dad tried to kill himself?” Stephanie couldn’t believe what her mother was saying.
“Oh yeah, the stress of having a family so young, then having twins, and Scott having issues. It was just too much for him. He was there for over a year.” Her mother relayed the information as if she was talking about a character in a book or on TV. Actually, no. Stephanie had seen people care more about characters in books and TV than her mother seemed to care about her father in this moment.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me that? Why didn’t you tell me he was sick?”
“Oh please, he just wanted attention,” her mother scoffed. “And you were too young to understand what was going on. You didn’t need that burden. You were just a little girl.”
Stephanie flinched at her mother’s words as she sat back in her chair. She’d actually felt them like a physical slap across her face. Not metaphorically. She’d felt the sting across her cheek from her mother saying she was just a little girl that didn’t need that
burden. All her mother had done was pile burden after burden on Stephanie’s shoulders and now she had the audacity to claim that was her reasoning for keeping vital information about her father’s mental and physical health from her.
“Anyway, when he got out he divorced me. Can you believe it? Me? Like it was my fault. And he changed his will only naming you and the twins as his beneficiaries. So naturally, I’m contesting it, because there’s no—”
“You’re the one contesting the will?”
“Of course I am. I deserve that money. Your father left me alone to raise you kids. I deserve that money. I earned that money. I’ve been waiting years for him to kick the bucket so I could finally get what I had coming to me. Finally, get my reward for sacrificing the best years of my life on being a mother to his children. So, when Mason called me and told me that Jasper had passed—”
“Mason called you?!” Mason barely knew her mom. They’d only dated a year while she was still around. They’d gotten along, but only because her mother had acted like the sun rose and set with him because his family was well off.
“Yeah, he said that Jasper had passed and that you weren’t taking it so well and I should come here and see if you needed me to help out with Simone and Scott.”
Stephanie lifted her arms as she shook her head. “So you decided to contest the will?”
“Well, first, yes. I figured get the ball rolling with that. And then come see you. And it’s perfect timing because the hearing is in a couple of days and if you relinquish your rights, things should go a lot smoother. And I’m not just thinking of myself, when I get the money it will help you, too. I can take Scott out of that awful home and back with me. That thing costs an arm and a leg that you can’t afford and he should be with his mother.”
Stephanie watched as her mother’s lips kept moving but she couldn’t hear her. All she could hear was a loud buzzing. Her mother had come here to steal her children’s inheritance and she was trying to bribe Stephanie to go along with it by promising to rip Scott from the only place where he’d ever been happy. The only place that he’d ever had a good quality of life in, just so she wouldn’t have to pay for it anymore. She remembered her bank account and the payment getting reversed and wondered if she had Mason to thank for it somehow. If he’d somehow orchestrated the situation so that Scott would have to leave Brookside hoping that Stephanie would have no choice but to let her mom take him.
Unfuckingbelievable.
Standing up with a calm that took her by surprise, Stephanie placed her hands on the table and leaned forward slightly. “I’m going to leave now. And when I get back you will be gone. If not, I will call the police. There will be no trace that you were ever here. If I even find a napkin is missing, I will call the police.”
“Stephiebug, don’t be ups—”
Stephanie continued, “You’re not now, or ever will be welcome here. I never want to see you again. If I do happen to pass you on the street, I will not acknowledge you. You are dead to me.”
“You can’t do this!” Stephanie could see the panic in her mother’s eyes as she saw her chance at the money slipping away. “You can’t keep me away from the twins, away from my babies.”
“If Simone wants to have a relationship with you, then she can. Away from here. Away from me. As far as Scott goes, I can keep you away from him and I will. I am not only his legal guardian I also have power of attorney. If you try to go near him, I will get a restraining order. If you violate that restraining order I will press charges.”
Stephanie shut her computer, grabbed her purse and walked out the door, ignoring her mother’s protests. She had no idea if her mom was going to take her seriously or not, and she really didn’t care. She was taking back control of her life and her next stop was Mason’s and then Brookside.
* * *
Ace turned his wrench, adjusting the clutch cable on his bike when he heard a noise.
Lifting his head he saw Stephanie in the same sweats and shirt she’d been in yesterday, standing in the driveway, cursing. “Shit!”
“Hey.” He put the tool down and grabbed a rag to wipe off his hands. “Everything okay?”
“No.” She shook her head and let out a forced laugh. “I forgot that I let Simone take my car to school and I need to go take care of something really important—”
“I’ll drive.” Ace pulled the keys to his truck out of his pocket and hit the FOB. Before he made it to the passenger side, Stephanie was already in and shutting the door.
Okay. No time for chivalry. Got it.
Picking up on the fact that she was in a hurry he rushed to the driver’s side and hopped in. As he drove, Stephanie sat beside him in total silence. He’d never seen her like this. She was obviously upset, but her face was unreadable. As much as he wanted to know what was wrong, he could sense that if she wanted him to know, she would tell him. So instead of pressuring her, he just drove.
He was halfway down Main Street before he realized he didn’t know where he was going. “Are we going to Brookside? The hospital?”
“No. We’re going to see Mason. He’s staying at his parent’s house. They live on the golf course.”
Of course they did. Ace hadn’t lived here long, but even he knew the houses on the golf course were the nicest in town. They were mini-mansions that backed up to a manmade lake.
Other than instructing him to go right, left and faster, Stephanie remained silent. She didn’t offer any reason for her urgent mission to see her ex. At this point he just counted himself lucky that Simone had borrowed the car. If not, he would have most likely looked up to see Stephanie peeling out of the driveway, with no idea where she was going or what was wrong.
Now at least he knew one of those answers.
He’d been worried about her since he left her at her house with her mother and sister last night. He’d wanted to stay, but he couldn’t exactly invite himself to the sleepover. All night, he’d tossed and turned wondering if she was okay. If Simone was okay. After meeting Connie, Stephanie impressed him even more. He wasn’t sure how it was possible for a woman with seemingly zero redeeming qualities, who tried to manipulate and con people at every turn, could’ve possibly produced an angel like Stephanie. It truly boggled his mind.
“There.” Stephanie pointed to a long driveway that led to a gorgeous, sprawling estate. Ace pulled into it and before he’d even come to a complete stop, she was opening her door. He hadn’t even put it in park before she jumped out, moving so fast she looked like a blur.
He hesitated for a moment. She hadn’t told him to stay here, but she hadn’t invited him to go with her either. Maybe she wanted privacy. But then she should’ve told him to stay.
Decision made. He exited the truck and made it up to the door as she was pounding on it loudly. Just as he stepped beside her the door flew open.
Mason stood in front of them, his expression turning from irritation to concern. It was obvious he hadn’t appreciated the pounding but once he saw it was Stephanie his face softened. “What’s wrong?”
“Where should I start?” Her hands flew up and she began using her fingers to list each infraction as she called him out. “First, how about what’s wrong is that you show up in town after years of us not speaking and just expect us to pick up where we left off. Second, what’s wrong is that you show up at my job, at my house, for weeks trying to talk to me. Third, what’s wrong is that you go to visit Scott behind my back and tell him that you and I are back together, that we’re getting married. Fourth, what’s wrong is that you called my mother and told her about my dad. You told her to come here. You brought that horrible, awful person back in my life. Fifth, what’s wrong is that you somehow managed to screw up my payment to Brookside and get it reversed.”
Oh shit. Ace saw that Mason had no clue what Stephanie was talking about. And why would he? Ace was the reason her payment was reversed.
She was on a roll and kept going, “Did you actually think if Scott got kicked out that I would j
ust let my mom take him? That I would relinquish my rights to the will and just sign over my dad’s money?”
Mason lifted his hands. “Steph, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh give me a break! Are you honestly going to stand there and say you didn’t show up after years of us not speaking and expect us to be back together? That you didn’t show up at my job, at my house, trying to—”
“Yes” Mason nodded, looking nervously between Stephanie and Ace. “I did those things. I’ve missed you and when I lost my job and came back here I thought maybe, maybe it was a sign that we were supposed to be together.
“And yes I went to see Scott. I felt bad about the last time I’d seen him, when I you know, took him to that place. I was young and stupid and I thought that I was doing the right thing. That you deserved to have a better life, I just didn’t bother asking you if that’s what you wanted. I went to see him to apologize and he asked me if we were still getting married, if we were back together. I didn’t know what to say because I remembered he doesn’t like to repeat himself, so I said yes. It was wrong to go there without you knowing. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.
“And I did find your mom and tell her about your dad, but only because I was worried about you. Every time I saw you around town you looked like a zombie. You’re the strongest person I know and you looked…defeated. It scared me. I thought that maybe, maybe she might be able to help. That might have been stupid, but I didn’t know who else to reach out to.
“But I don’t know anything about a will or money and I sure as hell don’t know anything about a payment to Brookside.”
Stephanie shook her head. “You’re such a liar. Why can’t you just tell the tru—”
“He is telling the truth,” Ace spoke up.
“What?” Stephanie spun towards him.
“At least about Brookside, he is. He didn’t have anything to do with the payment. That was me.”
All He Needs – Ace & Stephanie (Crossroads Book 10) Page 21