Page 20 of The Summer Request
“It was already open,” Michelle yelled back, never one to be outdone. “I was tidying up! The box needs to be thrown away.”
As much as she loved seeing Michelle in her full form, fierce and immovable, this was going south quickly. “Ladies, ladies. What’s the problem?”
Before anyone could answer, the front door opened. Val’s heart dropped into her stomach like an anchor.
Seven
Michelle turned and froze. She recognized the woman who’d just walked into the house from the memorial. It was Lou’s young-looking girlfriend.
“Oh, hi.” She flashed an awkward smile and waved. “Don’t mind me. I got in a bit early.”
“I’m very sorry, Miss Chloe,” Debbie said. “We were just finishing up. I am so sorry for the noise.”
Chloe wheeled her little bag closer and shook her head. “It’s not a problem, Debbie, not at all. I wanted to surprise Lou. I’ll stay out of your way.”
As Chloe walked past, Debbie nodded and tried to pry the package from Michelle’s hands.
Michelle tightened her grip.
“We’re done. We’ll be going now.” Debbie made a swift tug at the box, ripping the cardboard as she lost her grasp.
The sound of tearing made Chloe stop. “What’s that?”
“Nothing, nothing.” Debbie waved a hand, trying to usher Chloe out of the room. “It’s a package for Mr. Emerald. It arrived damaged. I will place it in his office.”
Chloe reached out a hand. “I can take it.”
“No, I don’t mind,” Debbie said, trying to intercept the handoff.
Michelle wasn’t going to miss her chance. She eluded Debbie’s frantic reach and floated the box toward Chloe, open-side down. The canvas inside came crashing to the floor.
“Oh, sorry,” Michelle said.
“It’s okay!” Chloe was already squatting down, turning the painting over in her hands. “Thank you, I’ll just put this…”
Michelle could feel Debbie’s eyes boring into her, but she didn’t care. She was focused on Lou’s girlfriend.
Chloe hadn’t gotten up from the floor. She was staring at the painting in her hands. Her eyes drifted up and down, finally settling onto the faces smiling back at her.
It was an oil painting of Lou with a brown-haired woman and a brown-haired little boy. A paper attached to the canvas said, “We love you, Daddy!”
Chloe finally broke her silence. “What is this?”
“Oh, who knows? I can take it upstairs,” Debbie said. Her eyes bulged out of her head, a stark contrast to her still smile.
She reached for the canvas, but Chloe held onto it and looked up at all of them, eyes round. “I don’t understand.”
Ah. Michelle had been right. This was a secret family. She cleared her throat. “You didn’t know? About Lou?”
Chloe stood and squared off with Michelle. “You know Lou?”
“All of you, out!” Debbie commanded, pointing a finger to the door.
Michelle ignored her. “Yes. I’ve known him for years.”
“If I have to tell you one more time – ”
“Pipe down, Debra,” Val said. “You can leave if you want to.”
