Numerous books lined a bookshelf wall behind his desk, and all of them were medical related. There was a picture of my mother from when she was younger on his glass desk, and it struck me that it was the only picture I’d seen in the entire house. I stared at it. She looked joyful as she smiled back at whoever was taking the picture. Was it my father? A friend? I didn’t know how old she was in the photo, but she looked cheerful, and that made me feel a little better to know that at some point she’d been happy.
I just wished I had known her then.
Sleeping in Avery’s parents’ house was weird. I woke up multiple times during the night scared I would see them standing in the corner watching us. Of course, we didn’t sleep in their room, but still. Avery didn’t sleep much either, and the entire night we were glued to each other as if a monster might crawl out from under the bed.
In the morning, we went to breakfast and then back to Edna’s to see if the Scotts had any more friends and to let her know we were having the viewing Saturday afternoon. She opened the door, and Avery held a latte from Starbucks for her. “We brought you coffee.”
Edna smiled and took the hot coffee. “Thank you. This is sweet of you two.”
“We came to give you an update,” I advised her.
“Please come in.” She motioned for us to enter and we went to the kitchen table again. “I was wondering what’s been happening, but I wanted to let you two have some time to grieve.”
“Thank you. We’ve found out quite a bit actually,” Avery stated, and we all sat at the table.
“Oh?” Edna took a sip of her coffee.
Avery told Edna about his father’s will and that his parents were being cremated. “Would you be able to let the book club know about the viewing?” he asked her.
“Yes, of course.”
“Did they have any other friends?”
She nodded. “Yes, I know they did, but I don’t know them. Your parents went to a lot of functions and charities.”
“We can just text everyone in their phones,” I suggested. Did older people text? Surely if they got one, they’d know how to read it.
“I guess that would be the only way, but I don’t know the passcodes,” Avery replied.
“Have you tried?” I asked.
“No.” He shook his head. The phones were turned off and left in the clear bag we got from the coroner.
I thought for a moment. “I bet your mom’s passcode is your birthday.”
Avery stared at me for a beat. “I could try it.”
“Either way, you can count on me to be there. Just let me know what I should bring,” Edna chimed in.
“Bring?” Avery asked.
“Usually there are refreshments and finger foods,” she replied.
“Really?” he questioned. “So, it’s a party?”
Edna smiled. “It’s a celebration of life, honey.”
My gaze turned to Avery. I knew he wouldn’t admit it, but celebrating his father was probably the last thing he wanted to do. Unfortunately, even though people probably didn’t know about him, he would have to put on a brave face and go with it, and I would be by his side every step of the way.
“You don’t need to bring anything, Edna. We’ll take care of it,” he stated. “Let’s say three o’clock?”
“I’ll be there,” she replied. “And I’ll let the book club know.”
“Great. And one more thing,” Avery went on. “We found a safety deposit box key in my mother’s purse. Any idea what could be in it?”
She frowned. “No, I’m sorry. I have no idea.”
There was only one way to find out.
We left Edna’s and went to the closest Chase Bank. As we pulled up, Brooke called me.
“Hello?” I answered as we sat in the parking lot of the bank.
“Hey! Where are you?”
I furrowed my brows in confusion. Why would she be asking me that? “A bank.”
“Which one? Easton and I will come to you.”
“Um, what?” I looked over to Avery as he sat patiently in the driver’s seat.
“We just flew in.”
My eyes widened. “You what?”
Avery mouthed, “What?”
I shrugged.
“We came to help you guys out. Text me the address, and we’ll be there soon.”
“You’re here? In Santa Barbara?” I questioned, still confused.
“Yes, Nic.”
“Seriously?”
“Nicole Scott! Hang up the damn phone and text which bank you’re at so Easton can start driving us away from the fucking airport.”
“Okay, bye.” I hung up the phone and opened my text messages. As I typed which bank we were at, I said, “So, our friends flew here.”
“Really?” Avery asked.
“Yep. I had no idea they were coming.”
“Me neither.”
Twenty minutes later, our friends pulled into the parking lot. Avery and I slid out of our car and three doors in the other opened. I wasn’t expecting Cheyenne to come—even though I had no idea they were coming at all—but I’d assumed it would only be Easton and Brooke given the circumstances.
“C.C.!” Avery boomed and rushed to her with open arms.
Cheyenne rolled her eyes. “Don’t call me that.”
“Shut up,” Avery stated and pulled her into his arms. “Your pre-teen shit isn’t going to work on me.”
“Uncle A!” she protested and pushed at his chest. He didn’t budge. “I’m almost thirteen. You can call me Chey.”
“I’ll call you whatever I want.” He gave her one final squeeze and released her. She rolled her eyes and pulled her phone from her back pocket.
“Teenagers,” Brooke said and opened her arms. We hugged while the guys greeted each other.
After pulling away from a hug with Brooke, I whispered, “Thank you.” Avery and I were married, loved each other, and knew we were there for the other, but I also knew that having his lifelong friend to help would be a blessing.
“So why are you guys at a bank?” Brooke asked.
“Nic found a safety deposit box key among my mom’s belongings, so we’re going to see what’s in it,” Avery replied.
“You don’t know?” Easton asked.
“Nope. That’s why we’re here.”
“You guys go ahead. We’re going to wait for Cheyenne’s grandfather out here,” Brooke advised.
“Oh, he’s coming to get her?” I asked, looking over at Chey who was still on her phone.
“Figured if we were coming all this way, I’d let Bill take her to see her mom,” Easton clarified.
It took me a second to understand what Easton meant. Avery had told me that when she visits her grandparents, she also visits her mom’s grave. It was sweet and sad all at the same time. Just like I couldn’t imagine losing my parents like Avery had less than a week ago, I couldn’t imagine growing up without my mother either.
“All right, we’ll be back.” Avery grabbed my hand, and we walked into the bank. We waited a few minutes for a banker to be available, and once one came over to us, Avery let him know what we needed. “We’d like to access a safety deposit box.”
“Sure, right this way.” We walked to his desk in a small cubicle and took a seat in the two chairs. “Let me just look up the account. Can I see your I.D.?”
“Sure.” Avery pulled out his wallet and then slid his driver’s license across the desk with the slip of paper that had the box number on it.
The banker typed something on his computer. “I’m sorry, Mr. Scott. This box isn’t under your name.”
“It’s my mother’s,” Avery advised him.
“Then she’ll need to come in with her I.D.”
“Unfortunately, she passed last Friday.”
The banker frowned slightly. “I’m sorry to hear that. To access the box, you’ll need a copy of her will—”
“Oh,” I piped up. “I have that.”
“And a copy of the death certifica
te,” the banker went on.
“We don’t have that,” Avery advised.
“Then I’m sorry. I can’t let you access it.”
“There’s nothing you can do?” I questioned.
The guy sat back in his chair, thinking. “Well, the only other thing would be if you have a note from the coroner.”
“Really?” Avery asked.
“Yeah. I’ll accept that if you can get it.”
Avery stood. “We’ll be back. Thank you.”
We told Brooke and Easton what was going on, and they decided to drive down to the beach to give us some time to sort things out. After running to the coroner’s office, we were able to get a signed letter from Arnold. He was more than happy to do it right away, given that he knew Denise.
“All right. Everything looks good,” the banker said once we returned with the letter. “Mr. Scott, if you’ll follow me.” I stood as well, ready to go with my husband. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Scott. I can only allow the person who’s willed the box into the back room.”
My gaze moved to Avery. “I’ll just grab whatever’s in there and bring it out for us to go through together,” he suggested.
“Okay,” I agreed with a smile. They were his belongings, and he could go through it without me, but my heart swelled when he suggested we go through it together. “I’ll text B and let her know we’re almost done.”
Avery turned and walked with the banker to what looked like a vault. I grabbed my phone out of my handbag and sent a text to Brooke: We’re almost done. Let’s do lunch. Come back to the bank, and we’ll take you guys to this taco stand that’s to die for.
I waited in the lobby area for Avery thinking about the tacos and what could be in the box. He wasn’t gone long, but the moment I saw a crestfallen look on his face, I sucked in a breath.
What the hell was in the box?
The banker took the key from me and opened the locked box before pulling the safety deposit box out of the slot and setting it on the table they had in the center of the vault. “Go ahead,” he instructed.
My plan was to grab whatever was inside and go out to look at it with Nicole. That was still my plan, but when I opened the lid, I was thrown off for a second by what I was looking at. I was expecting jewelry or money. Hell, a part of me thought it would be empty.
“Can I take everything?” I asked.
“Of course. It’s legally yours.”
I reached in to grab everything. “Did she have a bank account here?” I had yet to go over the entire will in detail. I knew there were bank accounts listed, but I had no clue if she had one here. I assumed she did since she had the safety deposit box.
“She did.”
“I’ll go ahead and close it and the safety deposit box.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Scott. While we know there’s a will naming you the sole beneficiary, we have to wait for a judge to grant you beneficiary status before you can close anything.”
“Really?” He nodded. “But I can take everything in a safety deposit box?”
“Yes.”
“That makes no sense.”
He smiled. “I know, but that’s the law.”
“Weird. How long does it take to grant me beneficiary status?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know.”
“Okay. Well, then I’m ready to go.”
The banker put the box back and then gave me back the key to the now empty box. I put it in my pocket and turned to exit the vault.
“What’s wrong?” Nic asked.
I didn’t respond. I just held up the VHS tape and the stack of folded papers.
“What the—?”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“Mr. Scott, please let me know if you need anything else and when you have the letter from the judge,” the banker stated.
“Thank you.”
We shook hands, and then Nic and I walked outside. Easton and Brooke were sitting in their rental car waiting for us. “So?” Easton asked as we walked up to the driver’s side window that was already down.
I held up the tape and papers again.
“What is it?” Easton asked the million dollar question.
“I don’t know. I just grabbed the stuff and left.”
“Can we see what the papers are?” Nic asked.
I wasn’t sure if I was ready to see what was on the papers. The last note from my mother was eye-opening, to say the least. “Let’s go grab beers and open them while I’m drinking.”
“Nic, you said we were going to get tacos. Can we do that there?” Brooke asked from the passenger’s seat.
“You did?” I questioned. It would be perfect because the taco joint had beers.
“I’ve been thinking about those tacos since we had them.” Nic shrugged.
Those tacos were amazing, and it would be fun to take some more rounds in the cage, especially with Easton. “Yeah, let’s go there. You guys are in for some epic tacos.”
“Follow us,” Nic said and started to walk toward our car.
I tapped the hood of Easton’s rental car and went to my own, placing the VHS and folded papers in the backseat and away from Nic who I knew couldn’t wait to see what was on the papers. I was anxious too. It felt as though we were on some quest for me to learn who my parents really were.
I started the engine and pulled out of the driveway. Easton followed us toward the water. “You know I can’t wait,” Nic stated, reaching toward the backseat.
I slapped her arm playfully. “You can wait five minutes.”
“It’s only five minutes to the taco stand?”
It was probably ten or so. “About that.”
“You’re lying.”
I grinned. “You can wait.”
“What if it’s something private?”
I stopped at a red light and turned my gaze on her. “This is Easton and Brooke.”
“I know, but what if?”
“We’ve been friends with those two practically our entire lives. We don’t have secrets, right?”
“I know we have, and you’re right, but this is about your mom. I just want to make sure.”
“Whatever it is, I would tell Easton anyway. And I assume you’d tell Brooke too.” The light turned green.
“You’re right. I’m just anxious and want to know what it is already.”
I chuckled. “Me too, baby. But we can wait another few minutes.”
Having Nicole by my side through all of this was really what kept me sane. She had always been my breath of fresh air, the one to make me smile when everything around me felt as though it was crashing down. Since being together, we’d had a great life, an even better marriage, but there were days when the stress of running a business, or drama at work for her, would make us feel as though the odds were against us. She was the one who could get me through anything. This time in California was no different, and I fucking loved her.
Staring at her for a moment, I hoped and prayed that I wouldn’t turn out like my father. At some point, he had to have been a decent man for my mother to have fallen in love with him. Maybe I was a mistake. Maybe they never planned to have me. I didn’t know, but that thought made me nervous. Was there a switch waiting to be flipped when I became a father? Everyone more or less becomes their parents, right? Or take on some of their traits? What if this was a Scott trait?
I pulled into the parking lot of the batting cages and taco stand and Easton pulled in behind me. Just like the other day, there was a line. It made me think that we needed to open a taco stand/batting cage back in New York. That would be epic.
“You didn’t tell us it was at a batting cage,” Easton stated as he walked up to where Nic and I were getting out of the car.
“Surprise?” I laughed.
“Are they really good?” Brooke asked.
“Ah-maz-ing,” Nicole confirmed and opened the backseat door to grab the safety deposit box contents.
“Well, let’s go. I’m starving,” Brooke stated.
Nic t
ilted her head as she stared at B. “Are you pregnant?”
Brooke balked. “No. Why?”
Nic shrugged. “Just asking.”
I looked at Easton, and he shrugged too. Last I’d heard, B was still on her medications. I slapped Easton on the back. “Let’s go. They have beer too. After we eat, we can hit a few rounds in the cage.”
“Hell yeah,” he agreed.
Nicole put the papers into her purse, and I knew it was killing her to stand in line as we waited to place our order. “You want to go find us a seat?” I asked her.
She hesitated for a few moments. “Sure. B, want to go look at the menu and then just tell E what you want?”
“Sure,” Brooke agreed.
“Thank you for coming,” I said to Easton as our women walked away.
“Of course. I knew you’d do it for me,” he replied.
“Yeah, but Jimmy and Jane are like my parents. Circumstances would be different.”
“Still.” He shrugged. “You’re my best friend.”
I smiled warmly at him and slapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks, man.”
Our women came back and told us what they wanted before going to grab a table under the covered patio area.
“So, give me all the details,” Easton prodded.
I did. While we waited in the line, I told him about the wills and what Edna had told us about my mother wanting to come to my wedding. I told him about the stark white house, the guest bedrooms that I was never offered a chance to stay in, and I told him how all of it made me hate my father. I’d never hated my dad before now, and I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because I just wanted his love. Most kids want that from their parents, and I was no different. I thought neither one loved me, but it appeared it was only my father who didn’t love me back.
“I’m sorry,” Easton said when I was done. “I can’t imagine what you’re feeling.”
We stepped up to the window and ordered our food. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was feeling. It seemed as though every emotion was coursing through my veins—even happiness. I was happy my friends were there to help, and I was also happy my father was dead and not controlling my mother any longer. Hopefully, she was up in heaven living her best afterlife, and my father was burning in hell.
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