Page 29 of My Mistake To Make

The word makes me flinch: me. I was the mistake that was made.

‘She wrote to Charlotte, told her she was leaving her the house and the money, but Charlotte didn’t want it. She said she didn’t imagine she would ever return to Forest Falls. Then she asked Roberta to leave it all to you.’

I feel the frown creasing my forehead. Why wouldn’t my mum ever want to return here? I know she left under a cloud, but this town is so warm and welcoming. It doesn’t make sense.

‘Anyway, did you bring some identification with you, Cara?’

The quick change of subject surprises me.

‘Oh, um, yes.’ I reach into my bag and pull out everything, my driver’s license, my passport, and even the email from Roberta that I printed out just in case.

‘Wonderful, well, I need you to sign a couple of things, and then it’s all yours, the house, and the account.’ He beams widely and then appears to trip over himself. ‘Oh, I almost forgot. I don’t know if you’ve seen the house yet, but it is going to need some work. You are going to want to speak to Doug Campbell about the renovations. He’s the best there is for miles around, and truth be told, that young man has been waiting a lifetime to get his hands on that house.’ He chuckles to himself as my stomach twists uncomfortably, and I just nod my head in agreement.

‘Okay, let's get to it then.’

I stand on the street outside of the bank, my feet lead weights, unable to move.

I didn’t know what to expect of the account Roberta left me; she didn’t have an ongoing income that I could pick out from the stories the bank workers told me, and I assumed that’s why the house fell into disrepair the way it did. I was wrong. I was very wrong.

Roberta was apparently a bloody genius when it came to investments, and I am now officially…oh god, I can’t even thinkthe word in my head. Instead, I look down at the paper in my hands, a printout of the balance in the account Roberta left me.

$3,757,965.43. Add to that the money from my house sale in Scotland, and that number jumps up another two hundred thousand dollars, just over technically, not to mention the fact that those investments she made, all transferred into my name, will continue to deposit money regularly into my account.

‘Fucking hell.’ I breathe words I don’t think I’ve ever said out loud.

‘You okay?’

The soft voice beside me has me looking up and folding the paper in my hand. Bree.

‘Um, yeah, I.’ I swallow hard. ‘Yes. I’m okay.’

‘Listen, Cara, this morning, what you heard. Doug, he—’

‘Bree, it’s fine, really.’

‘No, I don’t want you to think he’s a dick. I promise he’s not. He just has a lot going on right now.’

‘It doesn’t matter. Really. He’s working for me. We don’t need to be friends.’

I see the way her shoulders slump, the disappointment in her eyes, but she doesn’t push.

‘What are you doing today? I’m just heading up to meet Zoe at the diner if you want to join us for lunch.’

I nod. ‘I’d like that.’

‘Ooh, and tonight, come and drink with us. There’s a live band playing at the bar, and Zo doesn’t have to work. You feel like having some fun?’

I just became a millionaire. Some fun is exactly what I feel like having.

‘Yes. Yes, I really do,’ I admit, and smiling, I follow my new friend toward the diner.

Now, We Need Some Ground Rules

Doug

‘You have got tobe fucking kidding me, Jess,’ I hiss angrily as my day is made worse by the presence of Satan’s lovechild.

‘I have a date.’

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