Page 87 of Monster Daddies
Sally snorted. “I doubt it’s worth much. It’s not a mansion and housing prices in that area are cheap. And who knows what kind of condition it’s in?”
Ellie’s eyes narrowed, her lips pressed tight as she examined her mother’s face. There was something more to all of this. Maybe itwasannoyance that the house hadn’t been left to them, or maybe it connected back to the big secret. It didn’t matter. If her mother wanted her to turn this down, she was going to have to give her a real reason for doing so.
“It has to be worth something, which means I’ll end up with more than I’ve got now. And maybe I’ll love it. Unless… there’s some specific reason you think I shouldn’t take it. Does this have anything to do with the big fight you had with Aunt Rose? I mean, she’s gone now, so you might as well tell?—”
Sally slapped her hand down on the table, cutting her off. “We’re not talking aboutthat. It belongs in the past and it’s not going to help anyone to dredge it all up now.”
Before Ellie could push any further, her mother got up and left the room. A door slammed down the hall, and she knew the conversation was over. She slumped in her chair and sighed. “I don’t get it.”
Bill was quiet for a long moment and then he sighed too. “I know you don’t. Your mother—” He shook his head. “Losingher only sister is hard, even if… even if they were estranged. It’s natural for her to be upset.”
“It’s more than that, Dad, and you know it. There’s always been this big dark secret about Aunt Rose, and no one has ever explained it to me. They sent each other birthday and Christmas cards every year, but haven’t had a phone call since before I was born. I never even met the woman.”
“I know. It’s complicated, kiddo. Your mom loved Rose, but they just couldn’t see eye to eye on certain things. Sometimes it’s like that with siblings.” He reached across the table and patted her hand. “Being an only child isn’t as bad as you always thought, trust me.”
She wanted to accept that it was nothing more than some silly disagreement, but she had a hunch it was more than that. Besides, if it was just that they didn’t agree, would that really have been enough to never talk? To never visit? To speak about her only in whispers and refuse to mention her to Ellie at all? That seemed highly unlikely.
She frowned and tilted her head. “Exactly what was it that they couldn’t agree about?”
He straightened, shaking his head as he pulled his hand back and stood up. “Onthisissue, I’m afraid your mother is right. There’s no point in getting into all of that now. It’s messy and a very long story.”
Ellie’s lips pursed as she caught the emphasis onthis. What other issue was there? The light dawned as she recalled what had started the whole problem. “And what about theotherissue? The house? Doyouagree that I should turn it down?”
There was a long hesitation, so long that she was worried he wouldn’t reply at all. But finally, “No, I guess that would be silly. Whatever happened back then is old news. Besides, the property is real, tangible. It can do a lot for you.”
It was such an odd way to describe a house. Real? Tangible? Before she could ask anything else, he turned. “I better go check on your mother, kiddo. If I were you, I’d get online and find out more about this place. Just so you know what you’re getting into—even if it’s only for six months.”
It was good advice, and she’d taken it. Nothing she’d found online had discouraged her, mostly because she found very little aside from a few pictures of the outside of the house. Luckily, she had a direct source that had proven to be much more helpful.
The lawyer, Edison Price, had enclosed his business card, which included his email address. She dashed off a quick note full of questions about the property, and then later sent a more composed, longer one with another list of queries that were directly related to her aunt. Waiting was hard, but it wasn’t for long.
Mr. Price was clearly expecting her to be in touch, and more than ready for her questions, at least as they pertained to the house. When it came to her aunt, he was vague. Finally saying, bluntly, “I’m afraid I can’t speak much about that, Ms. Newton. I didn’t know your aunt well, and our business mainly related to the will. Besides, it wouldn’t be professional to indulge in gossip.”
It was a clear admission that therewasgossip and hedidknow all about it, but he would say nothing further on the issue. And the more she pressed, the slower his replies came, until she was forced to give up for fear she’d simply stop hearing from him at all. It would be awkward to plan the next phase of her life if that happened.
Thankfully, he was fully forthcoming about the house. A zip file full of photos landed in her mailbox, that showed every room from multiple angles, as well as the overgrown yard outside. It was an older home, worn, but fully livable. Every room wasfurnished, albeit a little cluttered with the remnants of Rose’s life.
It was, he assured her, in good shape, and he saw no reason why it wouldn’t sell quickly when she was ready to list it. He clearly didn’t expect her to stay past the six months, but she wasn’t so sure. The idea of having her own cozy little home, far from the noise of the city, was attractive.
Her father pushed her to pay for an inspection, but when it came back with no major issues, he gave her his support. Her mother shot him a look of betrayal, but he just shrugged. “Sally, what are you going to do? Tell her to throw away a perfectly good house and keep living with us forever?”
“She’d be better off here.”
“Kids grow up, Sal. She’s twenty-eight now. You’re going to have to let her make her own choices. And no matter how you feel about…” He paused and cleared his throat. “No matter how you feel, you can’t honestly deny that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Her mother’s mouth twisted, and her eyes narrowed, but when she turned back to Ellie the look softened. There were a few moments of silence before she sighed. “Fine. You’re both right. You can’t turn it down, but I worry about you, honey. West Virginia isdifferent. It’s—there’s going to be— it will be a big change.” With the starts and stops, it was so obvious her mother was editing the words before they came out.
Which was weird. To her knowledge, her mother had never lived in West Virginia. Though Sally was so closemouthed about her past, that anything was possible.
And in the end her mother had been right about one thing. Itwasreally different. Living in the south, living in a small town, was a long way from the city life she was used to. Her dad had been right too, when he’d warned her about emergencies and repairs, and struggling to pay for everything.
But none of those things made her regret packing up and moving. She’d been here for two months now and was seriously considering keeping the house when the time was up. She was broker than she’d ever been, but that was balanced by not being a loser stuck living with her parents forever.
She felt free, truly free, for the first time in her life.
Anyway, the money problems would clear up as soon as she got her substitute teaching permit. It wouldn’t take long to show them that she was reliable and then she’d get plenty of jobs. She just had to tough things out in the meantime, find a way to deal with the broken dryer, and not go completely insane from the humidity. Oh, and find out who was stealing her damn clothes.
She could totally manage all of that. Probably.
