Page 58 of Shifted

She took every cent she could get from him, but she was always humble. She didn't own unnecessary things or super flashy cars. She had small cottages and homes. Penny Lane was the thing that mattered most. It was her estate by the coast, right on the water, where she lived for years. It was where Julie grew up, and I spent my hopeful summers. It was my home, my childhood home. So, being left that was the most important piece.

"All the money will be transferred to your accounts, and all the assets should be in your name soon." I didn't want this; I didn't want my name over hers like she was something that could simply be replaced. "Come by my office this week to finalize the details." I nodded, and she went to her car, leaving me alone. That's when I realized I had no way home. But as I turned around, he was still there waiting for me.

"You think I'd just leave you here stranded?" That same generosity was found in Theo, which was held in Mary Ellen.

"I have to go to Penny Lane. I need to go to Grandma's home, to my home.” Theo nodded at me in understanding and walked towards his car. Opening the passenger door, he gestured for me to go in, but I immediately shook my head. This was something I knew I should do alone.

"I'll get an Uber."

"Hope be serious right now. I'm not letting you go alone?"

"I should go alone, Theo," I argue.

"Just because you should doesn't mean you have to Hope." He tilts his head, and more than I'd like to admit it, I didn't want to go alone. So I slide into the driver's side of his car. The ride is only 30 minutes from here, but I know we’ll be home late.

"We'll miss the mercy meal, plus I left Joely?"

"I’m pretty sure it’s catered, and they can eat without us. Bella's got your keys, and my mom has Joely. It's all good. Now stop making excuses and close the door." He started the car, and rather than arguing with him, I shut the door and leaned back into the seat, closing my eyes.

"Wow, you aren't going to argue back with me?" I turned to look at him, shocked that I wasn’t up to argue with him. I just wanted to go now.

"It's Penny Lane. It's the last big piece of Grandma I have left. I need to see it today. I need to go home." I sighed as the glass fogged up on the window, and I frowned against it. Then I leaned my head against the cold glass. The sensation was cooling, and my eyes slowly closed. I hadn't been able to rest well.

"Hope?"

"Hope we are here." I inhaled the smell of the ocean and sat up. As I opened my eyes, it was all laid out in front of me. The sky was now turning to sunset, the pastels of pinks, reds, and purples. The cold air met me as I stepped out of the car, and as I shivered, a coat was draped over my back. The lights were out, and obviously, nobody was home, not until now.

My heels crunched against the pebbles leading to the front door. As I made it to the wooden door, I twisted the lock open with the key. As I stepped in, the scent of Grandma’s perfume immediately hit me. The interior of the house reminded me of something that would be from Beauty and the Beast. It felt more like home than any place I’d been.

It was cold here, and everything was spotless. I entered the living room and spotted her favorite brown knitted blanket sitting against her chair. The ocean out the window was loud, and the lawn that overlooked it was perfectly cut. She had Louis, her housekeeper, keep it intact.

"She planned my wedding," I stared out at the lawn, "I never really was a wedding kind of girl, but Grandma, oh, she was, and she had three of them." He stood beside me as I stared out at the frozen lawn coated lightly with snow.

"She wanted it in May or June, on this lawn. Something sweet and small. She wanted me to have a lavender thistle bouquet with baby's breath, wooden chairs with an aisle in the middle, and an overwhelming amount of flowers. She used to give me wedding magazines as a teen when I visited; it would crack me up." I laughed at the thought of how crazy she was about it.

"Do you see that for you and Reed?" His question surprised me. It had only been a few months, so without knowing, I simply shrugged. I didn’t know what I wanted if I wanted it, or who I wanted it with.

"I know you don't like him," I mumbled as his face focused on the lawn.

"It doesn't matter what I think; it matters what you think." His jaw flexed as he spoke. I knew he hated Reed. I didn’t know why because he wouldn’t give me a reason, but he had some sort of vendetta against the man.

"Did I screw it up?" He questions as I now turn back to the lawn, speechless at a question like that. So, instead of answering, I face the ocean, letting the sound of the waves crashing be the only thing playing in my mind. But it fails, and I find myself needing something to say, so I pivot.

"I'm going upstairs." As I turn, his hand captures my arm, and I turn back to him.

"You aren't selling, right?" he asks. I could afford to keep this place; hell, I could buy five of these. But Grandma's place was irreplaceable.

"I could never sell Grandma's," he raised his brow in slight concern. I knew he was worried about my financials, which I’ll never understand. He knew I had money. I bid hundreds of thousands against him for a painting he bought me that now sits unwrapped in my closet.

"I can pay for it-"

"I have more money than you'd expect, Theo." I shrugged his arm off. Sometimes, I make the cost of the house upkeep in one job. But I could never tell him that.

My phone vibrates in my pocket again, and after an hour of ignoring it, I answer it as I walk into the kitchen.

"Hey, Bella."

"Where the hell are you? Mercy meal began an hour ago. Are you okay?" she asks worriedly on the other line. "I'm at Penny Lane. I wanted to come here just to collect myself. I'm leaving soon." Silence was shared on the other line after I spoke.

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