Page 111 of Drawing Home
“So you’d be okay with that?”
“Penny, you could live on the moon and it wouldn’t change the fact that I’m your mother, that I love you more than anything in the world. But for now, I’m so happy you’re right here with me.”
Her mother still had her sunglasses on, but Penny spotted a wet streak on her face. Penny leaned forward, bracing herself on her good leg, and hugged her. Her mother’s arms felt like they’d never let go.
Emma vacillated between feeling that some of her rage toward Bea was misplaced and also thinking she wasn’t angry enough.
She couldn’t get her mind around the idea of Bea sitting down and writing Mark a check. How had that even happened? She had every intention of asking Bea the minute she walked into the house. The opportunity to confront her was the only thing keeping Emma from changing the locks.
Emma paced in the kitchen. She poured herself a peach iced tea from a glass pitcher in the refrigerator, resisting the urge to turn it into a Long Island iced tea. As soon as she heard the click of the front door opening, she rushed to the entrance hall.
Bea’s face was shiny with perspiration, her white hair frizzing slightly at the ends. She dropped her straw Chanel purse on the foyer side table with an uncharacteristic weariness.
“I want to talk to you,” Emma said.
“I suspected you might,” Bea said. “Perhaps we should go outside. For privacy.”
“Privacy. Yeah, I’m sure you don’t want anyone to hear what I have to say. Luckily for you, Angus already left and Penny’s by the pool.”
“Very well, then,” Bea said. “Can we at least sit down?”
She strode ahead to the kitchen, Emma keeping pace right behind her. Why was Bea still acting like she was in charge, even in this interaction? It was infuriating!
Bea poured her own glass of the iced tea, then sat at the island. Emma stood directly opposite her, the width of the table between them.
“How could you give Mark money to take my child away? Actually, back up—how did you two even meet?”
“He came to the house,” Bea said, twisting one of the ropes of pearls.
The audacity of it, the premeditation of it all, took her breath away. “When?”
“Before Penny’s accident. I’m truly sorry, Emma. In my defense, I did not give him money to take Penny away from you. My motivation was simply to help him gain control of the estate. It was just a business decision.”
“Businessis not more important than family. And you almost ruined mine. You still might have!”
Bea shook her head so vigorously her large pearl earrings wobbled. “Mark’s case is completely undermined.”
“No, it’s not! We still have to settle. And you don’t know him. He’s like a dog with a bone. You gave him this opening and he’s not going to give up easily.”
She knew, even as she said it, the court case was not entirely Bea’s fault. Mark would have made his play with or without her. But she certainly made it easy for him.
“I’ll give you any amount of money you need to see it through—”
“I don’t want your money! Did you ever think that maybe the reason Henry didn’t leave you this house is that you’re a bad person? All you care about is money andthings. You have no idea what really matters.”
Bea, looking stricken, pressed her hand to her chest. “I apologize for hurting you, Emma. I mean it sincerely.”
“You need to get out.”
“I understand, but—”
“No, Bea. This is over. Leave. Today.”
“I would like to suggest, if you would consider it, that I stay until after the auction next week. There’s work left to be done and I can at least take that off your hands and see this event through to the end.”
Emma was so emotionally drained, she couldn’t imagine even attending the auction, let alone managing the last-minute details. “Fine,” she said. “But that’s it. You’re out of here the day after the auction. Not packing, not starting to leave—you’re out of the house. Or the next time you’re in court, it will be for trespassing.”
Bea was not typically one to hide from her problems, but she was not above hiding from people who were angry with her.
