No problem.
By the time she and Maggie headed into the kitchen, Kate was already there, setting her purse on the table.
She wheeled around and shot them both a weary smile, until her gaze locked on to the jar in Maggie's hand. "You're an angel. I don't even need a glass. Hand it over, it's been that kind of day."
Maggie padded over and handed Kate the moonshine.
"That smell is killing me," Lena announced as she stepped into the room, sniffing the air appreciatively.
Sasha swallowed hard and turned to study the refrigerator magnets. Some of the ones shaped like the letters in the alphabet were arranged the same as Maeve had set them up before she went to be with the Lord:
Buck housework.
Preach, Mama. Preach.
Eyes pinned in place, she forced out the words that had been locked in her throat. "I'm sorry."
The sound of a jar opening and the patter of footsteps went silent as she chewed on her lower lip and pressed on. "Um, I know what I did last night was real stupid and I could've been hurt or gotten one of y'all hurt. That wasn't my intention, and I apologize, okay?"
Probably, she should've stopped at "I apologize”, and left off the sort of aggressive-sounding, "okay?" at the end there, but hey...She never claimed to be perfect.
"Maggie's text said tonight was going to be our fresh start. A clean slate," Lena said slowly. "Far as I'm concerned, that's what this is. Serina or Tim or whoever is really behind all this will have a lot harder time messing up our lives if we stick together as a unit."
Strange. Maggie's invite to her had been an offer to get drunk and eat pizza. Apparently, the little scamp had tailored her invitations to accommodate each of them.
Smart.
Sasha pivoted and reached into the cabinet high above her head to pull down four glasses. Technically, they were for sherry, but she'd always loved them. Their mother had received them as a gift from a local glassblower who had made them especially for Maeve. They were three inches high and made of paper thin, magenta glass. The stems gleamed like gems under the pendant light as she set them on the kitchen island.
With little fanfare, she filled each to the brim with peach moonshine, and then picked up her glass.
"To cleaning the slate," she said with a nod.
Her sisters all joined her and held their glasses aloft.
"To cleaning the slate."
They tossed back their shots and then set the glasses down.
"Now, what say we get something on our stomachs so we can get serious about our drinking, ladies?" she asked, giving each of them a grin.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Kate agreed as the others nodded.
As they bustled around the kitchen in a seemingly choreographed dance of plate-getting, cheese grating, and slice serving, Sasha realized with a start that this was the happiest she'd been since Mama had died.
If only it could last awhile, for once...
Maggie
"So you're telling me that you're the one who broke my Walkman?" Kate demanded with a gasp as Sasha let out a peal of laughter. "You know I stopped talking to April Thorpe for a month after that because you told me you saw her sit on it at my sleepover party."
"I was a little jerk when I was a kid, what can I say?" Sasha admitted with a shrug, her face filled with impish glee.
"Sorry, maybe?" Kate shot back in faux indignation.
"If anyone is owed an apology, it's April Thorpe, but seeing as how I've reached my apology quota for this millennium, and April is now married to a banker, has a mansion in the Garden District, and drives an Aston Martin, neither one of you should hold your breath."
Maggie closed one eye and then the other, sizing up her vision. Yup. She could still see straight. Which meant they were all due for another shot.
"Glasses up, girls," she chirped, dragging the moonshine jar off the table and pouring as her sisters leaned in.
They all sat around their gently used but new-to-them coffee table, sprawled on the floor among pizza boxes and cupcake wrappers. The grandfather clock against the wall had struck nine and they were all deep in their cups, but the mood in the room was warm and easy. A far cry from the near-constant tension between them since the reading of the will.
Maggie let out a snick of disapproval as she poured the last few drops of moonshine into Lena's glass.
"Okay, looks like me and Kate are gonna have to take one for the team and settle for the Prosecco, because we are officially out of Mama's moonshine."
"Sweet Maeve's Moonshine," Kate corrected with a chuckle. "Remember?"
Maggie tensed and shot a glance at Sasha. "Um, yup, I remember..."
"What are you two talking about?" Lena asked, scooping up her glass and letting out a hiccup that sent them all into another laughing fit. When the chuckles stopped, Sasha clinked her glass to Lena's, knocked back her shot, and rolled to her feet, weaving a little as she did.
"Okay, on that note, since tonight is officially slate-clearing day, I have a confession to make."
Maggie ceased her efforts to uncork the Prosecco and gave her sister her undivided attention.
"I've been thinking and...I want to keep the house."
She said it like she'd dropped a bomb into a crowd, but since Maggie and Kate both already knew, all their attention was on Lena as Sasha continued.
"I spent a lot of my childhood and a large part of my adulthood in this house. More than that, though, this was Mama's house. I feel her everywhere here. I just can't imagine selling it to some strangers off the street."
Maggie held her breath on Sasha's behalf as she eyed a silent Lena, waiting for the verdict.
Lena cocked her head and studied Sasha for a long moment, and then nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, keep talking.”
Sasha wet her lips nervously. "Well, I was thinking, we still have the barn back there and all the equipment. Mama made a great product, everyone in the whole parish loved it. I'd like to get the permits, upgrade the equipment, and make it a real business. Hopefully one that can start to generate enough money to maintain the house."
"How are you going to do all that with your shifts at the diner and going back and forth?"
"I quit my job already. Don't get mad," Sasha said in a rush. "I wasn't being as impulsive as it seems like. My boss was giving me trouble about taking so much time off for Mama, and I was working doubles just to make ends meet. Whether this idea panned out or not, I knew I needed to find something else anyway."
Lena settled back to lean against the couch. "Makes sense to me. So what would happen to the equity? I don't need the money, but I'm sure Maggie and Kate could use it."
Sasha blinked and glanced around the room at Maggie and Kate, clearly at a loss. She certainly hadn't imagined Lena would be so open to this discussion. It was one thing for her to walk away from her stake in the house like she'd tried to do at the reading of the will. It was an entirely other kettle of fish for her to entertain an idea that both required her to stay and fulfill the three-month requirement, and still not walk away with a quarter of the house. Not to mention that it had likely seemed to come out of left field and was coming from Sasha.
"I totally get that. And if you guys would consider maybe pushing back the sale on the house by, like, six months, just to give me a chance to see what I can do, maybe I can figure a way to buy y'all out by then or, at least, start paying in installments." The excitement in her wide, blue eyes dimmed as she lifted her glass toward Maggie and jerked her chin toward the bottle, which jarred Maggie back into cork-prying action. "I know it's a huge ask of all of you. You don't need to decide right now. If you could just think it over, I'd really appreciate it, is all."
Maggie thumbed furiously at the cork until finally it leapt out of the bottle with a sucking pop, breaking the silence. She poured the golden, bubbly liquid into Sasha's tiny glass, and then her own, before setting the bottle down again.
"It's definitely something to consider," Lena said, shooting a glance towa
rd Kate, who nodded. “I know The Luxe wasn't doing well the last time I'd heard, but who knows? Maybe it's been doing better and we can liquidate there some to make it work."
"After you left the will reading, Alistair told us he would get in contact about Maeve's business ventures early next week,” Kate said.
Maggie had been waiting on the sidelines like a little girl looking for her window playing double-dutch, and here it was.
Time to jump in...
"I have something to say that might help influence this discussion somewhat," she said, downing a portion of liquid courage before she stood up beside Sasha. "Following our theme of full disclosure, I received a call from Alistair the day before yesterday." She paused, realizing that it was much easier cheering Sasha on than being in the spotlight as her older sisters eyed her expectantly. Despite the air conditioning on full blast to accommodate a house fairly brimming with menopause, sweat beaded on her upper lip. "I went in to speak with him yesterday and he gave me a letter from Maeve. It seems as if..."
How could she say it? How would they take it?
"It seems as if Maeve wanted me to take over the running of The Luxe and some other ventures, in order to secure her legacy in La Pierre."
If Sasha's news had landed with a squeak instead of a kaboom, Maggie's had certainly ratcheted things up a notch.
Kate's eyebrows shot high and Sasha rocked back on her heels as Lena stared at her, nonplussed, as if waiting for the words to sink in.
Not good.
"Look," she said in a pleading rush, "I know I'm not Maeve's daughter, and I'm not really one of you, and this probably doesn't seem fair—hell, maybe it isn't—but I really want this. I really, really want this. Maeve's brand can be a huge selling point if she had someone who knew what they were doing. I can make this work for all of us. Already, I went over to The Luxe and I can see exactly what--"
"Don't ever say that again," Lena hissed, her previously bleary eyes now as bright as chipped diamonds, and clear as glass.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Maggie asked, her stomach roiling. She didn't know which thing it was that had stoked Lena's fury, but it must've been a doozy. She swayed on her feet, breathless as she waited for Lena's reply. She wanted this, but not at the expense of her relationship with her sisters.
Lena scooted to her feet to join Maggie and Sasha, and closed the distance between them. "Don't ever say you're not Maeve's real daughter," she said, those green eyes still glittering. "You are one of us, Maggie. You always have been. What you need to do is stop selling yourself and your position in this family short. If anyone shouldn't be here, it's me. I'm the one who walked away while you all took care of Maeve through the hard times. So if we can stop passing around the chalice of guilt, maybe we can focus on figuring out how to do better for each other going forward?"
Maggie’s throat went thick with tears as Lena dragged her in for a tight hug. Maggie was hugging her back as more arms embraced her.
"It's a sister sandwich!" Sasha exclaimed as they all rocked together slowly, laughing watery laughs. They stayed like that for a while before Lena pulled away with a shuddery sigh.
"I can't speak for Kate, but I'm happy to talk to Alistair and figure out how to make all this work."
"I'm speaking for myself, and I'm in," Kate said, pausing to snag a piece of cold pizza. "I'm in like Flynn. Whatever you guys want to do, we'll make it work."
"What about Frank?" Sasha asked.
"Screw Frank. He can decide what he wants to do with his part of his inheritance when his mother dies, although we all know that's never gonna happen." She tore a chunk of pizza off with her teeth and continued talking around it. "And even if it does, how much can a person really do with twelve cockatoos and two cartons of Pall-Malls, anyway?"
She snort-laughed at her own joke that got the rest of them laughing again. By the time they stopped, Maggie was breathless.
"I love you guys. All three of you. And, Sasha, if you want to talk business and how we can maybe work Sweet Maeve's in with The Luxe or work out a way to create a brand for Maeve that folds in both, I'd love to do that...when we're sober."
"Sounds like a plan," Sasha said, nodding as she leaned in and filched a bite of Kate's pizza slice.
"Seems like we're all set then. I'll talk to Alistair and find out our options. Until then, cupcake, anyone?" Lena asked, holding up the half empty box.
"I want a cupcake, but I also think we need to keep this whole full disclosure thing going, because I have a lot of questions for my big sisters," Sasha said as she plucked a coconut cream cupcake from the box. "Lena...did you or did you not let sexy Sheriff Joe get a bit of the old lady biscuit?"
Maggie squealed and collapsed back to the floor, laughing.
"I did not," Lena said primly. "And watch whose lady biscuit you call old, you whippersnapper," she shot back with a grin.
"Well, you should," Sasha shot back with a wink. "He's got those big, strong hands...I'm just saying, I think you're missing out."
Lena stayed quiet, but to Maggie's relief, she was still smiling as Sasha turned her attention toward Kate. "And what about you? Frank's like a sack of potatoes. You got a man on the side to keep that engine running, or what?"
Kate popped the last of her pizza crust into her mouth and shook her head. "Nope. But he really made me mad today, so if he keeps it up, I just might."
"What happened?" Lena asked, taking a seat on the couch and folding her legs beneath her bottom as she settled in.
"He was just a jerk. He didn't even get up when I walked in the door. Then all the complaining about the food I was making." She blew out a sigh and shrugged. "I'm just tired of it."
"Get up, then," Sasha said, the fire in her eyes igniting again.
"What do you mean?" Kate asked, brow wrinkling in confusing.
"What did Mama always say?" Sasha demanded, crossing her arms as she looked at them expectantly.
"Vows are fleeting but diamonds are forever?" Maggie said.
"Don't send a man to do a woman's job?" Lena chimed in.
"If you don't use buttermilk, it ain't fried chicken?" Kate asked, still clearly puzzled.
"Actually, those are all really good, too," Sasha conceded with a sage nod, "but I was going to go with, 'If you lay down, expect to get walked on’." She paused and held their sister's gaze. "So get up, Kate."
The grins faded as they all turned toward Kate.
"Ouch," she said, wincing. "But I know you're right, Sash. God, even when I went there today, he was such a jerk. No, 'how are you holding up?' or 'what can I do to help?' It was just, 'The meatloaf was dry, so I'll take more of the casserole instead’." Kate's bubbling laughter was more of an expression of disbelief than humor. "How did I get here?" she asked, tossing her hands up. "I know it's not all him. I've let him do this without penalty for years. But I don't want this life anymore, and I don't know how to fix it."
"What about counseling?" Lena asked gently.
"I would. I doubt he would agree, though."
"Maybe he just needs a wakeup call," Maggie suggested. "If you tell him you're not happy, maybe it will make him see things need to change."
Judging by Kate's dubious expression, it seemed unlikely, but the thought of her sister spending the rest of her years on this earth in a miserable marriage made Maggie deeply, deeply sad.
"It's all just coming to a head now with Maeve gone," Kate admitted as she lowered herself onto an armchair with a sigh. "I appreciate you guys having my back, but we have two kids and a life...I just need to consider this all really carefully and not be too hasty. It's been an emotional time and there've been a lot of changes lately. I don't want to do something I'll regret."
They all went quiet, sipping their drinks, lost in their own thoughts for a long while, until the grandfather clock chimed again.
"I have something else that needs saying."
Sasha's low admission jarred Maggie out of her almost hypnotic state and she turned to see that her sister's
face was a bone-white mask of determination.
"This Serina stuff has made me realize we gotta stop with the secrets. So let's put it all on the table, all right?"
Kate's eyes went wide and Lena sat up straight, shaking her head, “Sash, you don't have to--"
"I need to say it out loud because it's like a poison inside of me and I need to get it out."
Maggie's head hummed as the words seemed to come at her in slow motion.
"I’m pretty sure we all know what really happened to Clyde, and it’s time that all four of us know why,” Sasha murmured.
Please don’t let it be what she was thinking. Let it be anything else…
But as she looked deep into Sasha’s eyes, Maggie knew her prayers would be left unanswered.
"He molested me, and Mama killed him for it."
Maeve
November 4th, 1982
* * *
Dear Diary,
* * *
I’d always suspected it, but I was never sure. Today, it’s confirmed: I’m a terrible mother. Far worse than even my own mother was.
My hands are shaking as I write this, because I’ve committed a betrayal far too deep to ever truly right, and my children have paid the price.
Especially my Sasha.
Three weeks ago, Marcus Battle made me a lucrative offer and I agreed to take he and some of his rich friends out on The Luxe for four days of gambling, drinking, and women. I’d had her moored for years, but she was still seaworthy. It seemed foolhardy to turn down the chance to have half a dozen millionaires in closed quarters with my casino at arm’s length. Clyde agreed we could use the money, and never had an issue watching the girls if I had to be away overnight in the past. He wasn’t a big talker, but he’d always cook fun things for them, like mini grilled cheeses with ketchup smiles, and franks and beans, only he’d cut the hot dog in a way that made it look like an octopus with eight legs. Believe it or not, it’s one of the reasons I finally agreed to marry him. But leaving my children alone with that man was one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made, second only to marrying him in the first place.
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