Page 53 of Brandy Snap: Part One

I’d done everything I could to get rid of my scent. I got a next-day delivery on a triple pack of scent-blocking body wash and a three pack of spray, and spent an hour rubbing myself down before I came to Greensprings.

But my car still smelled like heat. I laid a blanket on the driver’s seat, but I didn’t know if it would make a difference. I just hoped there weren’t any alpha nurses once I got past reception and on to Mum’s room.

I aimed for the high desk I could only just look over, pretty sure that the lovely blonde sitting there was a beta.

“Hi,” I said, giving her a soft smile. My lips were cracked from days of crying and no water, and my skin and hair didn’t look any better. But if the receptionist noticed it, she didn’t say anything. She was the first person I’d spoken to face-to-face in days.

I thought I knew all the receptionists here by now, but I was glad she didn’t recognise me, and I didn’t have to make up some lie about how ill I was.

“Hi, how can I help you?”

“I’m Melanie Sanderson, here to see Catherine Sanderson. I’d like to sign in.”

And try not to freak out because I’d lost the only way I could support her. Which was why Rosa was next on my list of visits after Mum. Though she was going to gloat for years over the fact I needed to rely on her now that I didn’t have a job.

“Okay, perfect. Let me just pull up her file.”

I released a breath, so thankful that she was a beta. I didn’t know how I was supposed to act around other designations.

I couldn’t just be a beta, put on a fake customer service smile, and hope other designations wouldn’t notice me. Half the population was made up of betas, but it still meant there were a quarter of alphas and a quarter of omegas out there who might sense how weird I was.

“How has she been?” I asked. “I haven’t been able to visit at all week.”

There was a nurses’ station at the end of Mum’s corridor and it was easier to ask them for an update, but I was stalling.

“Oh! It says all good on her file here. No incidents registered.”

I gave a sigh of relief. Even though they took good care of her here, I still worried she got worse when we weren’t around.

Mum looked at me whenever I visited, reached out a hand, and she’d smile every now and again. But I didn’t know if she knew where she was, and even what date it was.

Next came the hard part, and the other reason I was glad the receptionist didn’t recognise me. My fingers were white from twisting them together, but I kept a straight face. I didn’t want to break down in front of a stranger.

I took a deep breath. “I was wondering if it was possible to discuss a change in the payments? I’m currently in between jobs and wanted to know if we could shift to a longer-term plan?”

My sister and I had agreed when Mum went into the home that we would pay half the fee each. At £3,000 a month, it was a lot to keep up on, and I always had to work extra hours to make sure I could afford it. But it was worth it when I knew Mum was getting proper care.

With her alphas, my sister could definitely cover more than half, though she always fought me when I brought up money.

There was more tapping on her keyboard before the receptionist looked up with a furrowed brow.

“I’m sorry, Ms Sanderson, it appears you’re currently on the longest payment plan. Actually, we’ve been sending letters about overdue payments.”

My heart dropped through my stomach, pain bursting in my fingers as my nails dug into my skin.

“E-Excuse me?” I stuttered. “What do you mean?”

“Well, it says here that you switched to the minimum payment plan last year.”

I blinked rapidly, trying to focus on anything apart from the white noise filling my ears.

“It’s noted here that there have been a number of phone calls requesting the overdue fee as well. It’s strange that they’ve not followed up with you. It says the main caregiver met with the finance department at the beginning of the year to arrange your new plan.”

The ground slipped out from under my feet as I gripped the edge of the counter.

“How…How much is that fee?”

I already knew exactly how much it would be. And I knew exactly why. Because Rosa had called me six months ago threatening to stop her payments for Mum if I didn’t start caring for Tommy two times a week. Her pack therapist had advised that she and her alphas should spend more time in her nest in the garage for a healthier relationship, and she couldn’t afford a babysitter for Tommy.

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