Page 69 of Don't Fall

“We never do seem to meet under the best circumstances. I know I was hard on you this summer. I was hard on everyone, because losing my mother...was hard on me. I know we all loved her. And everyone misses her. You included.”

I’m fumbling for words. Anything I can say to her to match what she’s sharing with me, but I’m too overwhelmed to come up with much of anything. “Aunt Edi was the best thing that ever happened to me,” I blubber into the phone.

“I know that,” she says, kind understanding warming her voice, “you meant so much to her, Tessa. She wanted to be sure you would be taken care of, even if she wasn’t around to look out for you anymore.”

“But, I don’t understand. If you’re not trying to take the condo from me, why did you rent it out while I was gone over the summer?”

“I didn’t. That’s why I’ve been calling you. To talk to you about the account.”

“What? What account?”

“Apparently, my mother opened a bank account for you, using both your names. She’s been setting money aside in it since the day you moved in with her. I didn’t even know it existed until I started getting the monthly statements regarding the ongoing deposits.”

“Deposits?” If this is her idea of making things less confusing, it’s not working.

“Rent deposits.”

“The rent has been going into Aunt Edi’s account?” It doesn’t make any sense. “But that means...”

“My mother rented out the condo before she died,” Meredith finishes for me.

“Why would she do that?” She wouldn’t. She wouldn’t leave me the condo just to take it from me.

“Honestly? I think she was scared to leave you, knowing you’d be left alone.” Meredith’s shallow breathing shows an unusually emotional side of her I’ve never seen. “I found the ad she placed. I’ll email it to you, along with the messages they exchanged. You’ll see what I mean.”

“O-kay,” I stutter, thoughts overlapping, words twisting and turning before they can even form. “No, wait.”

“What?”

“I...I still need you to take the condo. I know it doesn’t make any sense, but if you don’t take it, we’ll all lose it.” I close my eyes, squeezing them shut as tightly as I can, trying to force out all the new information. I don’t have room for it right now. I need to take care of this first. Everything else has to wait.

“Your mother,” she says dryly. “I know she called the attorney, trying to figure out if my mother left her anything.”

“She’s relentless. She’ll stop at nothing to get what she wants,” I say, trying to impress upon her how serious this is. That I’m not just being dramatic.

“She can’t have the condo. She can’t have anything.” Meredith’s anger flares and I’m grateful that for once I’m not on the receiving end of it.

“It’s not that simple.” Here’s the part that will sway her from my side again. “She’s...blackmailing me. Threatening to hurt someone I care about.”

“Is she now?” Meredith sounds oddly calm. “Well, she’s not the only one in a position to do that.”

“Huh?”

“You forget, Tessa. Long before you ever came along, I knew your mother better than anyone. You let me handle her. I’ll take care of everything.” Then she hangs up, leaving me to sort through the details of everything that was said and still only understanding half of it.

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LANE

“Oh my God! Are Mom and Dad okay?” Alexis gasps as soon as she sees me.

“Last time I checked, why?”

She glares at me, then follows it up by whacking me in the arm with someone’s medical chart. “You look like shit and you’re standing in a hospital. Excuse me for jumping to worst case scenario conclusions.”

“It’s a pediatric hospital,” I state flatly. I don’t have the patience to deal with her antics today. “And I look like shit because I feel like shit, so can we just stay focused on me for a second and not assume it’s about everyone else.”

She leans back into the nurse’s desk behind her, giving me a long once over before frowning at the sight of me. “Fine. Is this a doctor visit or a sister thing?”

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