Page 3 of Bitter House

I hear a soft exhale of breath, like she’s trying to decide how to respond. Eventually, her answer comes. “I don’t think she was doing any of this to be cruel, sweetheart. Truly, I don’t. This was… I wish I had an explanation. I wish she had told me something, given me a heads-up, so that I could help you both through this, but I have to believe this was her way of making things right. Of trying to help you both.”

Vera has never helped anyone but herself, but pointing that out will only make things worse right now. “What are we supposed to do?” I ask her. “What are we supposed to do with the house, Edna? How is this supposed to work? Can’t you just talk to him? Tell him this isn’t right? We all know we can’t stay here together, and if he won’t agree to sell it, what happens?”

“Well…” She pauses, thinking. “If you don’t want the house, if you have no plans to stay there, perhaps you would consider giving it to him. Letting him buy you out of your half.”

My vision blurs with anger. Even though, just minutes ago, I was sure I didn’t want to stay here, the idea of giving it to Cole is unthinkable. I would sooner burn it to the ground. “Absolutely not. How can you ask me to do that? Why didn’t you tell me about this before I arrived? Warn me that this was happening? That he would be here.”

Her voice goes soft and breathy. “We both know why I didn’t. I’m sorry, but if I had told you Cole would be there, you wouldn’t have shown up, and I needed you to help me handle things. Both of you.”

“So you lied to me? You set me up?” Tears well in my eyes over yet another betrayal. That seems to be all this house brings me.

“I wasn’t trying to lie. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I can only do what the will asks of me, and I’m trying to navigate uncharted waters myself. Vera had it stated very clearly that you and Cole were to be given equal shares of the property. I’m sorry, honey. I know this is a difficult time, and I never meant to make it worse for you?—”

“Difficult time,” I scoff.

“Bridget, please?—”

“I have to go.”

She doesn’t argue. We both know there’s no point. What’s done is done, and now, once again, I’m left to pick up the pieces of my grandmother’s decision.

CHAPTER TWO

BRIDGET

“What did you do?” After I get off the phone with Edna, I track Cole to the kitchen, launching myself at him as if I were a predator and he is my prey. “Did you blackmail her? There is absolutely no way my grandmother would’ve left you the house. It’s not yours.”

He stands on the opposite side of the island with the most casual expression on his face I’ve ever seen, like we’re discussing dinner options and not our futures.

“Legally, I’m afraid, it is. It’s both of ours.”

“No.”

He turns away from me, opening the double doors of the fridge and sifting through what’s inside. “Look,” he calls over his shoulder, “like it or not, the house was left to both of us. So now we have to decide how to move forward.”

“I will sue you. I’ll take you to court and sue you. I’ll say you manipulated her. That you took advantage of her.”

Clearly unfazed, he retrieves a tray of fruit from somewhere inside the fridge, sniffs it, and places it on the island, popping a grape into his mouth. “Go ahead. Be my guest. You can try to fight it all you want, but you won’t be able to prove anything because there’s nothing to prove. I didn’t manipulate Vera. Hell, I was just as surprised as you clearly are. But come on, B. Pick your jaw up off the floor, and let’s move on.”

I snap my jaw shut on command, glaring at him. “Why would she leave the house to both of us?”

He shrugs one shoulder. “Great question. One that I would like an answer to as well, in fact. What did my mom tell you?”

“She said Vera didn’t tell her anything either. She had no idea, aside from knowing that she was the executor, until she read over the will with her lawyer.”

“Vera hadn’t lost her mind,” he says. “She was coherent when she died. Stubborn as ever. Whatever choice she made, it was hers. She had a reason.”

Something flutters in my chest. “You were with her?”

“Not on the day…no. But leading up to it, I was here with Mom. She didn’t leave her side.” He looks down as he says it, as if he’s apologizing, though for what I’m not sure. He knows Vera and I had a strained relationship more than most people, since he had a front-row seat for most of it. In fairness, his view of our relationship is one of the only ones that exists, since Vera and I were never seen in public together. She couldn’t be bothered to do anything for me. Edna was always responsible for whatever I needed.

I cross my arms. “Okay, well, what are we going to do about this situation? It’s ridiculous.”

“What would you like to do about it?”

“I’d like you to do the right thing and give me my house.”

“Our house.”

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