Page 1 of The Redwoods

CHAPTER 1

Never in my entire life had i felt as heartbroken as i did at that moment. Saying goodbye had never felt so final before today. And the simple fact that I had no other family to speak of made burying Mother’s body in the ground that much harder. I shuffled my black Mary Janes across the wet, green grass that circled Mother’s coffin and looked up at the sky.

If there was a God, I wish he would just put me out of my misery. This cruel joke seemed unending, and I craved to be released from its grasp. Mother was a prankster, always had been. And I had secretly been hoping this was her best prank ever and she’d pop up alive somewhere. But that hadn’t happened.

I pulled my jacket tighter around my body as the light patter of rain splashed my face. My knuckles were white from the grip I had on the black wool coat I held onto for dear life. It was the only comfort I could feel. The only constant my life would grant me now that I was alone.

“The lawyer will meet us at the house.” Susan, Mother’s best friend, whispered in my ear as she slightly pushed me toward the car.

I hesitated, “Do we have to go now?” I asked, not ready for the next part but knowing it was inevitable.

“Yes, Dear. We do.” She made a come here movement with her hand, coaxing me to get moving, and I internally groaned.

I liked Susan, but today, she was testing my patience. My Mother just died, for God’s sake. I needed to grieve, and I wanted to do that at her gravesite. Not in front of her lawyer and the vultures who wished to rob me of my childhood and what was rightfully mine. Mother had no family except me, but she had built a familial legacy unmatched by most men in her field. I didn’t know who my father was, and she’d made it abundantly clear she didn’t either, so I hadn’t attempted to locate him in my twenty-five years of life. I had honored my mother’s wish and would continue to. It was the least I could do for her in death. Besides, I wasn’t interested in finding him. He’d just be another person to try and get a piece of her wealth.

Reluctantly, I walked toward the sleek black limo waiting for me behind a giant white oak tree dripping with moisture. This time of year, the Connecticut weather was unpredictable and moody. I used to love the fall and the promise of cooler temperatures it brought with it, but now it was my least favorite season. I would never see or appreciate it as I used to. My only thought about the fall after today would be that it was the season my mother was taken from me. Forever.

Back at the house, I sat in the wingback chair in Mother’s office and stared into the lit fireplace. The orange, red, and yellow flames flickered brightly as I allowed the bourbon in my tumbler to swirl at the bottom of the glass. I’d had two fingers already, and it had warmed my belly. I needed to slow down, or I’d never make it through the reading.

Susan strolled in, her typical pristine mask of perfection settled on her pretty face. Not a blonde hair on her perfectly styled head was out of place. Not even after being in the rain at the gravesite, and I envied how she seemed so put together. John, my mother’s estate lawyer, dutifully followed behind her. He had his briefcase in his hands, papers hanging out as if he’d closed it quickly to attend to whatever Susan had requested. He’d clearly been in the middle of completing some important legal task when she’d pulled him away. I felt a pang of discomfort when he plopped his large body into the chair behind her mahogany wood desk like it was his.

It wasn’t. It was mine, now.

Susan sat on the arm of the chair I was slumped in. Her knee comfortably rested on the end of the armrest, and my eyes homed in on a tiny bruise peeking out from under her nude hose. I looked away quickly, as it reminded me of Mother’s bruises and the wasted look of her body as she took her last breath. Breast cancer was an evil disease. Susan stroked my raven locks, and I struggled not to pull away. I didn’t particularly appreciate being touched, but I allowed her to continue anyway. I prayed we could get this over quickly and they’d leave me be. This had been a long enough day as it was. I needed some time alone.

John shuffled through a few papers before he spoke. He had a slight lisp, so his words came out mildly slurred. I hadn’t noticed that before. But I’d never had a reason to be in a room with him for longer than a few seconds. Mother didn’t typically invite me to business meetings or dealings.

“Your mother wished for you to inherit the house and all financial holdings included in her business and personal accounts.” I already knew that. I peeked up at Susan, who smiled softly when our eyes met.

“The house in the Hampton’s and the foundation will be left to Susan.” Again, I already knew that. John’s eyes flashed to Susan’s before they returned to the document he held between his fingers.

As he continued, I watched the liquid slosh around at the bottom of my glass, feigning interest. I’d already heard all I needed to.

He cleared his throat, and when his words didn’t follow, I felt my nerves tingle in awareness. I glanced at him over my shoulder and quickly understood why he’d gone quiet.

“There are stipulations to your inheritance, Dahlia.” What? Stipulations?

“Your mother left explicit details of how you can earn your inheritance.” Earn my inheritance. If I had to earn it, it wouldn’t be an inheritance.

I looked at Susan incredulously and knew immediately she wasn’t privy to my mother’s request either, and I suddenly felt very slighted. Susan’s back went ramrod straight. I didn’t think it was possible for her to slouch, but apparently, she could. Judging by the way her posture changed during this development.

“Ok.” I drew the word out before rising from my chair and rounding to sit directly in front of the desk. I needed to be closer to ensure I’d heard him right.

“What are the terms?” I set the tumbler on the corner of the table, then dried my suddenly wet palms on the skirt of my suit.

“You must find your uncle in California and deliver a package your mother left for him.”

“Come again?” I choked out. “I don’t have an uncle, John.” A tiny wrinkle appeared between his brows as if he was perplexed.

“Yes, you do.” He deadpanned, and I had to grab ahold of the edge of the desk to keep from sliding out of my chair and onto the floor in shock.

My wide eyes shot to Susan, who shrugged her shoulders in reply. Mother kept this big secret from both of us. How could that be?

“Your uncle’s name is Jack Lawrence,” John spoke as if this wasn’t the most shocking news of my entire life, never skipping a beat. I could barely hear him through the pounding of my own heart raging through my ears.

“Last known residence was a cabin in the Redwood Forest. Just outside a small mining town, Strawberry Flats.” Is this for real? It couldn’t be.

“Your Mother knew you would be reluctant to believe this, so she included Jack’s birth certificate with her last will and testament. Your mission, should you choose to accept the terms, is to go to Strawberry Flats and deliver this package,” he reached down to the drawer Mother kept locked at all times, turned a key, and pulled a thick envelope out.

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