Page 36 of When We Were More
“I’d be more thankful if you hadn’t stolen my house from me.”
I sigh. Not this again.
“We don’t have to go through this again. It’s not going to change anything.”
“Well, how would you feel if your parent died and left everything to one of your kids? Not that you’ll ever have kids at the rate you’re going. Couldn’t even keep a husband the first time. The least your grandmother could’ve done was divide it between you and Claire.”
Now I’m pissed. Claire treated Gram like shit and hadn’t seen her in over ten years.
“Yeah, well, that’s not what Gram decided to do. I’m sure she had her reasons for not leaving anything to you. That’s up to you to figure out. But as for Claire? Claire hadn’t seen Gram in a decade. When she did, she was always bratty. Why you think Claire should have received anything from Gram, I’ll never understand. And let me tell you something—I would much rather Gram still be alive and not have anything of hers, than to have her gone like this.”
I step outside and walk to my car without giving him a chance to say anything else, but then the bitterness he brings out in me wins, and I turn around and narrow my focus on him.
“You and Mom are in no place to judge anybody else’s parenting or marriage. So, keep those thoughts to yourself in the future.”
I sound way stronger than I am right now. Because I feel like the little girl again—the one who was aware every day that her dad favored her sister. No matter what she did to try to earn his love, she was the one her father never chose. Not even today, at thirty years old. My dad would rather see Claire, whom he sees monthly, and sit with my mother, whom he claims to despise, than come to my house for dinner.
I make it a few hundred yards down his street before I reach for my inhaler. I pull over, put on my emergency lights, and take my first puff. There’s a faint wheeze coming from my lungs, meaning I probably let this go too long.
I close my eyes and attempt to stay calm. When it’s time, I take my second puff. It takes a solid ten minutes, but my lungs are opening up. There’s less wheezing, and I can pull in more air with each breath than I could a few minutes ago.
I wait five more minutes, then drive toward home. My home. The one that was my Gram’s. The place she turned into a safe haven for me. Not for my dad, not for Claire. Gram loved me, and she chose me.
But now, she’s gone. It’s still home, but not the same without her there. That breaks my heart.
CHAPTER 16
Tillie
I reach across the table and shake the hand of Jonathon Wickham, owner of Wickham and Son Plumbing in Elladine.
“Mr. Wickham, I can’t thank you enough for being willing to take a chance on our company. I promise you won’t regret it.”
“Well, I don’t doubt that. You’re both smart as whips, and the fact that you desire to build your business supporting small and medium-sized businesses in our communities speaks volumes about your character.”
Shannon grins next to me. She’s met Mr. Wickham before since her dad bowls with him.
“My dad didn’t guilt you into signing with us, did he, Mr. Wickham?” She chuckles.
Mr. Wickham grins and winks at Shannon, then turns and looks at me.
“Don’t let this one fool you, Tillie. I’m not signing with you two because of my buddy. I’m signing with you because of your values and because this girl here,” he gestures to Shannon with his head, “she’s smarter than anyone I’ve ever met. When she was in eighth grade, she was already tutoring my son, who wasa junior in high school. Helped my boy pass his math test so he could stay on the baseball team.” He leans back and chuckles. “Get this—he’s a teacher himself now. Not of math, though.”
I glance over at Shannon, and her cheeks are pink. “Jon Junior wasn’t bad at math. He only needed someone to show him how to do it in a way that made sense to him.”
“Whatever you say, Shannon. But I’ll tell you this, I have no doubt that if you’re hanging out with this beautiful lady here,” he smiles at me, “then she must be as bright as you are. Shannon Donley never surrounded herself with people who would bring her down. Something tells me I’ll have the best accounting team in town.”
Shannon’s phone dings, and she looks down at it.
“Oh, shoot. I have to get going. I need to pick Oliver up from the library in twenty minutes. It was amazing to see you again, Mr. Wickham. I’m thrilled that you will be our first client come January.”
“I couldn’t be more pleased. I probably need to get going, too. My days of hanging out in bars are over, so I need to get out of here before the rowdy crowd comes in.”
Jonathon Wickham is a classic small-town businessman. Honest, hard-working, and loves his community. He’s exactly the type of client Shannon and I are hoping to build our business model around.
Shannon stands at the same time Mr. Wickham does, and he gives her a big hug. I stand and extend my hand to shake his, which he does heartily.
“I have an inkling you ladies are gonna take the business by storm. Don’t forget that a couple of my buddies may be calling you. They’ve not been happy with the lack of attention they get from the bigwigs. I’ll put in a good word for you.”
