Page 400 of The First Time
Chapter Thirty-Six
Everything blurs together.
Blake takes over organizing.
I sit on the couch, staring at my sketchbook like it will offer some comfort. It does, but it's not enough.
Fiona is a wreck. She stays in her room so no one will see her cry. It's an admirable strategy.
I manage to sleep a little.
In the morning, I manage to eat a little breakfast. Drink a little coffee. Change into the black dress I brought for the occasion.
I even manage to listen to a few eulogies at the funeral.
Meryl told me to find what I want, and grab it, because no one else would give it to me. Because that was the only way I'd ever get it.
I owe it to her to try.
* * *
A manin a suit taps me on the shoulder. He's in his fifties. He looks every bit the quiet suit.
"Miss Katrina Wilder?" he asks.
I nod.
"You're a named beneficiary of Miss Sterling's will. Please come with me."
"Yeah, sure." My senses catch on slowly. I'm a named beneficiary. That means Meryl left me something in her will.
I follow the lawyer through a crowded hallway, to an office in the back of the building.
Blake and Fiona are already inside.
Fiona isn't wearing her wedding ring.
Maybe she's okay with the divorce. She must know it's what her mom wanted.
Blake's eyes catch mine. They bore into mine. They demand everything I have to give.
I swallow hard. "Hi."
He nods back. "Hi."
The lawyer clears his throat. "Miss Wilder, please, take a seat." He motions to the empty chair.
I sit.
He shifts behind the desk and pulls out a contract. "Mr. Sterling, Mrs. Crane."
"Miss Sterling," Fiona corrects him.
"Of course, Miss Sterling. You know that your mother left most of her estate to charity."
They nodof course.
"But there was a last-minute change," he says. "To add Miss Wilder as a beneficiary."
