Her face instantly came out of her frown. “But you quoted it, which means you want to go, right?”
I rolled my eyes at the twinkle that had formed in her eye. “Right.”
She patted my arm. “So we will find you this money and take care of all your expenses, so you can go. That way you have no excuse, girl!”
Before I knew it she ran from the bed and out into the hall.
Sighing, I leaned up and shouted, “Margot, it doesn’t matter. Most of the cast is leaving this week. You’d never be able to come up with the money that fast.”
“I guess that means I’ll have to sell a generous amount of weed in a short amount of time!”
I chuckled, but stopped the moment a crash of tumbling objects sounded from the living room.
Good Lord she broke something. I told her to be careful with all the moving boxes. With a huff, I got up and went into the living room. And as I suspected, Margot was picking up the box of books that used to be on the mantle with my paper in her mouth.
“You couldn’t manage to not knock something over?” I bent down, picking up the books.
“Mot. My. Mault.” She spoke around the paper.
Shaking my head, I pulled the paper from her mouth. “English please.”
“I said, not my fault—” She pulled in a gasp of air.
My head shot her way. “What? What?”
Pushing over a book, she picked up a rectangular piece of paper. “My God if I hadn’t seen it. I wouldn’t believe it.”
I groaned, staring at the check she held up to the light from the house window.
That thing was still haunting me.
“How many zeros is that?”
I snatched it from her, pushing myself to my feet. “Doesn’t matter. This thing is going where it needs to. The trash.”
She followed me to the kitchen. “Why do you still have it?”
“After Drake left, I went to see Mama. I must have just forgotten about it,” I said, clicking on the burner of the stove. The trash was too good for this thing.
The flames risen, I raised the check to them.
“Wait. At least, let me take a picture of it. That’s the last time I’ll ever see that kind of money.”
“Sorry. It’s dying right now, and I don’t ever want any evidence of its existence.” I slowly lowered the check to the flame for it to catch, but stopped.
Margot’s eyes flickered up from the document. “What?”
I wanted to answer her, but my stare was locked on the names written across the top of the check.
Philip Truman Drake
Madeline Adelaide Drake
“They named their kids after themselves,” I muttered.
“What?”
I looked at Margot. “The Drakes. They named Drake and Adele after themselves.”
Margot shrugged. “So?”
Sighing, I put the check to the flame, watching it burn until I had to toss it in. I made sure to the watch Mr. Drake’s name until it was completely curled, turning into black ash.
“So Drake hates his first name. It’s Truman after his father,” I said, turning off the burner.
Her face went sour like she sucked a lemon. “Ugh. I’d hate it, too. It’s kind of dorky.” Laughing, she walked away from my side.
She’d never understand. Now, I did.
Putting my hands on the range, I watched the black ash on the stove that had caused so much pain for me. For Drake. I shook my head. Why did Drake have to come over at the exact moment Mr. Drake left? If I would have had more time before he came over I know I would have thrown the thing away. I was just so frazzled after Mr. Drake left that I didn’t even think. I didn’t have any rational thoughts at all. I heard another knock at the door, and the first thing I did was hide the evidence like an idiot.
I was so stupid.
I was weak, and I was stupid.
I gave a small smirk, which held no amusement behind it, at all. If I didn’t know any better I’d say Mr. Drake planned the whole thing on purpose. Come at me at the worst possible time in my life with a bribe only to have his son find me holding the money—
I froze at the sudden realization. Fuck.
“Freeze, dirt bag!” Margot shouted.
My head shot up from the range.
Margot stood in the middle of the box-filled living room. Hands in a karate chop formation, she held up a little bald white man standing with a brown leather folder by my open door. His cheeks red, the poor guy looked like he was about to faint.
“Back up, old man. We don’t have anything for you to steal.” Margot edged forward, looking like she was actually about to use her Karate hands.
The man stood there with his folder in front of him like it was a suitable form of protection against Karate. “Miss, I want no trouble.”
“Sure, you don’t. Lacey, find a bat or a knife or something.” She gestured behind her, the guy’s eyes not leaving her. “We’ll show this creep how it works here in the West Side.”
As little of a threat as this guy looked, he was standing in my house uninvited. With the intention to scare him, I stepped off to the side like I was going to grant Margot’s request for weapons.
“Wait. I’m Kevin Martin. Ms. Naya Douglas’ lawyer.”
I stiffened at hearing my mama’s name.
“Which means, consequently,” he said, lowering his hands, “I’m now her daughter’s lawyer. Is either of you Lacey Douglas? If not, do you know where I can find her?”
Dropping her hands, Margot nodded me ahead.
I joined her side. “I’m Lacey, but Mama didn’t mention having a lawyer.”
“You weren’t supposed to know until . . .” He didn’t finish, giving a remorseful expression. “I’m sorry about your loss. I know it was sudden.”
I swallowed hard. “It was. She would have had at least a few months if it wasn’t for the complications.”
Mama was in just so much pain, so uncomfortable. We had to try something to ease it. We attempted to have some of the fluid removed from her lungs to help with her breathing. We knew the risks involved with any kind of surgery. We just didn’t think she’d be on the lower end of the statistic. In the end, the results of the surgery made the ultimate decision for her. She didn’t have to slowly die. I no longer had to watch my mama slowly die. I allowed myself to grieve once she left, but I celebrated who she was more than I allowed myself to despair. She would have wanted that, her life to be celebrated for the light she shined on everyone’s world and mine. Through it all, I made myself push on despite the ache. She made me promise to live on, and I didn’t break promises to my mama. Not ever. That was why I went to the audition, and even if it turned out I couldn’t afford to go, I would never regret going. I’d never regret trying.
He nodded. “I’ve come to settle her assets if you have a moment.”
My eyes flickered, surprised by his statement. “Um, okay. Well, I’d offer you a chair, but they’ve already been taken to my new place.”
“We have boxes.” Margot pushed one over to him.
“A box is fine.” He smiled, taking his seat.
“I didn’t know Mama had any assets. We even rented the house,” I said, taking my own box as a seat.
Since I was still without a job, I didn’t have enough to even think about taking on the payments. Moving to an apartment was my only option really. Despite the loss of the house I grew up in, moving to the other side of the city had its benefits. It was safer if anything.
Mr. Martin opened his brown folder. “She did have a bit. She started a small savings account when she got sick. A little bit here and there.” He pulled out a paper and handed it to me. “The bank name and the account are listed there as well as the amount inside. It’s been put in your name, and you can access it right away.”
Margot read the amount over my shoulder with me. It wasn’t much, but it bought me a few months if I couldn’t find a job. “Thanks. This will help,” I said, managing a small smile.
“Oh, that’s not all. The savings account was to handle your immediate affairs as you waited.”
I looked at Margot, and she gave the same arched eyebrow I currently had.
“While I wait? Wait for what exactly, Mr. Martin?” I asked.
Finding the paper he searched for in his folder, he held it out wearing a strong smile. “Your check, of course. For her life insurance.”
With a shaking hand, I took the paper from Mr. Martin.
I had to put my hand over my mouth as I stared at the new figure.
“I took care of you. I did. I promise . . .” Mama said that night at the hospital.
“Lacey?”
I glanced at Margot in a daze.
She put her hand on my shoulder. “You finally get to live your dream, sweetie.”
Chapter Forty-Nine
Drake
Later that week
I bit off a piece of duct tape from the roll and sealed my last moving box. Besides the few things I had in my closest and some of the furniture that was staying here, the box was all that was left in my room. I only lived in this new house for a short while over the summer, but the place had enough horrible memories that wouldn’t see me back anytime soon. I’d rent my own place over the summer breaks, and my parents would be lucky to see me during the holidays.
I picked up the box as my sister walked into the room wearing casual shorts and a boy band tee for moving.
“Nice of you to join me now that I’m finally done.” I arched an eyebrow at her.
She scowled at me as I passed her and strode into the hallway. “Sorry. Pete and I just got back from our ice cream date.”
Pete. Pete. Pete. I shook my head as I went down the stairs. The guy wasn’t half bad, I guess. I met him a couple of times in passing when he came over for movie dates with my sister. I was definitely relieved I no longer had to endure Adele squeal in her flirty voice to him during her phone conversations.
“There’s nothing else?” Adele shouted from the second floor as I made it to the main entry of the house.
I fumbled my hand from my box to the doorknob. “There’s a few clothes in my closet if you want to get those.”
Not waiting for her response, I went to my Jag stuffed with boxes. The moving van had already headed to campus with some of the bigger items.
It took a bit of maneuvering, but I managed to get the last box into the passenger side and close the door behind it.
As my sister came out with the hangers of jackets, I groaned, realizing I just closed the door of my car.
“Any room for these?” She studied the massive amount of cargo I had.
I took the clothes from her, balled them up, and stuffed them behind my seat.
My mom would have cringed.
That was the point.
Thinking about my mom, I pulled my keys out of my pocket. I told her I’d be leaving in an hour, so I’d miss her. Lately, I hadn’t been saying much to her besides hi and bye. Keeping up with the tradition seemed fitting for today.
“You’re not waiting for Mom to come home?” Adele walked around the car to my side as I got in.
I put the keys into the ignition. “Didn’t see the point.”
I reached for the door handle, but Adele put her hand on the door.
Before I could complain, she grabbed my arm and tugged at me to get out. She was a weak, little thing so the action did nothing, but I decided to humor her and exit the vehicle. I had a few minutes to spare, I supposed.
I crossed my arms and lounged against the car. “What?”
She ticked off a finger. “You’re not waiting for Mom when you’re about to head out and not come home until the holidays . . .”
If that. Fighting the urge to voice my sarcasm, I allowed her to continue.
“You look completely miserable,” she said, ticking off another, “and on top of all that, you didn’t even give me a hug goodbye.” Balling her little fists, she tapped her foot on the cobblestone walk with a stiff jaw and red cheeks.
Letting out a short laugh, I pushed off my car and opened my arms.
She went into them. “I take it, she hasn’t called yet?”
“If she had, don’t you think I’d let you know?” I glanced down at her.
She sighed and pulled away. “Maybe something happened, and she couldn’t call.”
I’d be lying to say the thought hadn’t crossed my mind. With Lacey’s mama being sick, I’d be stupid not to think about the possibility. I refused to let my mind go in that direction, though. If something happened, I believed, she’d call me. She’d call me because she needed me. She didn’t need me, so she didn’t call. The only reason I could make for not hearing from her was because she’d made her decision about us.
She’d made her choice, and it wasn’t me.
It didn’t matter that I had already made mine, a decision that, despite how much she hurt me, wasn’t a hard decision to make. What I wanted didn’t matter, though. She took the power away from me. She took everything away.
I shook my head out of my thoughts, forcing myself to ignore the ache from them. “The only thing that happened is that she took Father’s money. Something he warned me about, I might add.” Though I managed to despise my father even more for what he did, his actions did serve one purpose. He tested her, and she failed. “She’s probably off in Cabo sipping virgin daiquiris by now.”
“Shut your mouth, Drake. You know she’d never do that.”
“I thought I knew her too, Adele. Unfortunately, I didn’t.”
“She told you Dad made her take the money. He can be intimidating. You’ve seen him during his debates.”
“Adele, when have you known Father to deny money? He makes a profession out of whoring himself at banquets for pity sake. And even if he did force her to take it she could have shredded it. She didn’t, and do you know why? Because she wanted to think about it.”
“So what if she did?” She stepped up to me, hands on her hips. “She’s human, Drake, and her mother’s sick. I’m sure handling her medical expenses can’t be easy for her, and it’s not like she exactly comes from a well-off family. Not to mention mom had just fired her. So what if she thought about taking the money. Hell, if I were in her situation I would, too.”
My jaw ticked. “I would have helped her.”
“Do you honestly think someone like Lacey would even ask? She probably only considered Dad’s offer because it was thrown in her face.”
“Adele, it’s not like any of this matters anyway. It’s been a month. She’s made her decision, and it’s clearly not me.”
“What if she hasn’t? What if she’s just too scared to call you after what happened or something?”
I scrubbed my face with my hands. “This is not how I wanted to part ways with you before heading off.”
She let out a breath and wrapped her arms around me again. “I’m sorry. I just care about you, and I care about her.”
I smiled, hugging her little frame back. “I know.”
“I’ll miss you, you dork. Who will I make bets with at Dad’s events?”
Chuckling, I pulled back, seeing the eyes of my father and the beautiful porcelain features of my mom. This girl and I had no blood relation whatsoever, but no one got me more than she did. They said blood was thicker than water, but Adele and I were proof that there was no blood requirement at all for that fact to be true. “We’ll hold pools via the Internet. You can text me the entries.” I ruffled her hair.
“Drake . . .” She wiggled away, fixing her long brown waves. “I’m not ten anymore.”
“Yeah, but you’re still my kid sister.”
Her eyes glassing, she gave me one last hug.
“Call her,” she whispered in my ear.
I wanted to. I really did. I just didn’t know if I could.
*
The end of my room key in my mouth and a box under my arm, I pushed my way through the busy dorm hall with my room number in hand. The entire hall re
eked of that eau du guy scent already, and it was only move-in day. I was happy for it. The less estrogen in my life the better at this point.
My room was an easy find, and as I heard a guy shout out the word “bugger” I knew I had the right room. My new roomie was from the land down under, and Aussie slang was about to be added to the list of languages I’d gathered in private school.
I turned the corner, and a guy with shaggy, blond hair wearing a muscle tee was sucking on the tip of his finger. Hammer in his other hand; he stood in front of a poster. The featured lady in the pin-up sported a red bikini while she ate a hamburger and rode a bucking bronco.
They gave me a jock. Brilliant. At least the guy would keep me on my toes about making it into the gym.
He glanced up from his smarted finger as I crossed the threshold of the tiny box of a room we had to share.
He pulled his finger from his mouth with a wide grin. “There’s my American roomie. How the hell are you, mate?”
I chuckled, putting down my box on the sheet-less bed to shake his hand. “Just great, mate.”
He gave a throaty laugh that could have challenged mine at my statement. After he composed himself he put his hand to his chest. “I’m Austin.”
I did the same, humoring him as I put my hand to my chest like Tarzan. “And I’m Drake.”
“Austin and Drake.” He put his hand in the air like he was presenting our names on a marquee. “Sounds like there might be a hint of douchbaggery on the end there in the year ahead.”
This guy was seriously ready for college.
“I hope so,” I said in response to his statement. Whatever could distract me from a certain someone, I was game for.
“Let me introduce you to our space, mate.” He spread out his arms, gesturing to the room. “Not much, but it works.”
Austin pretty much had all his stuff set up on the left side of the room. He even had his bedding down and a few frames on his dresser already. Getting closer to the pictures, I looked at one with him sitting on a surfboard. “You surf?”
He came to my side, arms crossed. “Yep. I’ll miss it, but I’m glad to be checking out the sights here.”
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