Page 41 of Single Mom's Christmas Wish

“Your other grandma dying.”

I shake my head slowly. “I’m sorry she passed away, but I don’t feel any attachment to her. I’m just curious as to why she wanted me here. She never gave me a reason to even consider her as family.”

“Clearly, you’ll never be a Monroe, not a real one,” Chelsea mockingly mimics her.

I can’t blame my friend for being so upset on my behalf. She was there. She witnessed the whole thing, and she understood how deeply it hurt. Once we step foot inside the pavilion, however, we both assume a somber and respectful demeanor.

“Welcome,” says a gentleman in a tailored black suit as he approaches us. I recognize him quickly. He’s the lawyer who delivered the letter. “I’m glad you were able to make it,” he says, then offers us his hand to shake.

We oblige and offer soft smiles.

“Thank you,” I reply. “I wasn’t sure if it would be a good idea to attend the funeral, given how things went the only time I ever met Katherine.”

He nods politely. “I’m Theodore Rawlings. I’ve represented both your grandmother’s and the Monroe estate’s interests for the past six years.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” I say. “Why am I here?”

“Give it a minute; we’re only expecting one other person,” he replies.

“Just one?” I ask, befuddled. From what I know, the Monroe family is huge.

He nods, then points at a handful of chairs off to the side. “Please, have a seat. Callie should be here in a moment. Once she joins us, I’ll be able to unseal and read Katherine’s last will and testament.”

“I’m nervous,” I whisper to Chelsea as we sit down. “I do not want a repeat of our last meeting.”

“It’s going to be okay. I’m right here, and I’ve got a mean left hook.”

“Yeah, you’re not helping,” I grumble but laugh anyway. “I just hope she’s not looking for another argument. I didn’t want it then, and I certainly don’t want it now.”

I look up at Mr. Rawlings. “How many members are left in the Monroe family? Is it really just Callie and me?”

“No, you have plenty of uncles and cousins of varying degrees. But Katherine amended her will precisely two years ago, naming you and Callie as her only beneficiaries.”

Holy shit.

“Chelsea, hold my hand,” I tell my best friend.

She does, and upon realizing how clammy it is, she stifles a grin. “Shit’s about to get wild, isn’t it?”

“And then some.”

The sound of heels clicking along the marble floor makes us both turn around just in time to see my half-sister approach. I hold my breath as I watch her sashay toward the center of the pavilion, draped in a modest but form-fitting black dress with a black fur jacket covering her long arms and bony shoulders.

Callie could easily dominate a runway with her supermodel looks.

I feel kind of dowdy all of a sudden.

Diamonds sparkle in her ears, and the contempt in her gaze sends shivers down my spine.

I have a feeling I’m not going to like what happens next. Chelsea and I stand and nod slightly to greet her. “Hey, Callie. Sorry we keep meeting under such grim circumstances,” I say. “Please accept my sincere condolences for Katherine’s passing. It can’t be an easy time for you. For what it’s worth, I know how it feels, and I promise it—”

“It gets better?” she scoffs and rolls her eyes at me. “Please. Just sit down, and let’s get this over with.” She looks at Mr. Rawlings. “The rest of the hyenas are out of the cemetery.”

Mr. Rawlings releases a soft sigh as he brings out a sealed envelope.

We all sit down, quietly waiting as he breaks the seal. “As you can see, this is untouched,” he says. Callie looks at me for a brief moment. I see something flash in her eyes, but I’m not sure what to make of it. Disdain? Grief? I don’t know. But she is still a human being who grew up without a father. In that respect, I feel for her.

Mr. Rawlings clears his throat. “I, Katherine Elizabeth Monroe, being of sound body and mind, hereby declare this to be my last will and testament.” He goes on to read through the formal stuff first, carefully changing his inflections from one paragraph to the next. It’s obvious that Katherine was a very particular woman and was determined to leave behind a legal document that no one could contest. “By the same sound body and mind, I have reached the following suppositions in these later years of life.”

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