Page 78 of Drawing Home
Emma calmly poured tea into one of Henry’s vintage mugs, glancing at Kyle. “I’m sorry we woke you. We’re all going to sleep now.”
“All going to sleep now? Why are you evenhere?”
“Bea, come on,” Kyle said. “Don’t start.”
“Penny had an accident. She broke her leg and we’re staying here because she can’t use the stairs at our other house. Again, I didn’t mean to wake you. But this is our house now, and you should be leaving.”
Sheshould be leaving?
“I’m sorry to hear about your daughter’s misfortune,” Bea said. “But that does not give you license to barge in here at this hour.”
“Emma, you’ve had a long night,” Kyle said after glaring at Bea. “Try to get some sleep. I’m just down the hall if you need anything.”
“I’ll be fine. Thanks for everything.” Emma shuffled out of the kitchen.
Bea watched the exchange incredulously. What was going on here?
Kyle opened the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. “Bea, enough is enough.”
“Whose side are you on? This is outrageous. Did you give me two weeks’ notice just so you could sabotage me? Is there no loyalty left in this world?”
The girl had had an accident, and that was unfortunate. But children got into all sorts of messes—again, she’d chosen not to deal with that in her life. And she wasn’t about to start now. The bottom line was that broken bones would heal in a matter of weeks. If she lost Henry’s legacy, it would be gone forever.
“I am not trying to sabotage you,” Kyle said. “I was all for helping you recover the estate of Henry Wyatt. But come on. How long are you going to play this game? These are decent people. Emma barely has the energy to deal with her job and her kid. You think she masterminded some swindle? I can’t believe you really think that.”
“I showed you his will from 2000. That was a major breakthrough on this.”
He shook his head. “I don’t agree. The guy had a different will in 2017 than he did in 2000. He changed his mind. It happens all the time.”
She expected this from strangers—from people in this myopic town who cared more about a burned-down movie theater than about the fate of a priceless estate. But she’d thought she could count on Kyle, if for no other reason than he was on her payroll! Oh, the betrayal.
“I want you out of here tomorrow!”
The surprised expression on his face gave her a bit of satisfaction. But not enough. Not nearly enough.
She whirled around and headed up the stairs, wired with so much adrenaline she felt ten years younger. She’d never fall back to sleep.
Back in her room, with her door closed against the invasion, she paced with impotent rage. This fight was not over. But what more could she do?
And then, with a glance at her phone on her nightstand, she recognized her next move. She rummaged through her handbag and found the business card that he had handed her earlier that day.
Then she texted Mark Mapson that she would gladly write him a check for his legal fees.
The pain in her leg woke her up.Ow,that hurt!
It was still dark. Penny reached for the Advil and water her mother had left by the bed and swallowed two of the pills. Her mother said if she needed her during the night she should text her, but Penny didn’t want to do that. It made her feel like a baby, and it would compound her already heaping pile of guilt.
Now she’d really done it. Why, oh, why hadn’t she just stayed home last night? Or why, when Robin said to come on the boat, didn’t she just say no?
She reached for the light and was startled to find herself in the strange room. She’d completely forgotten she was at Windsong. The details of the night came rushing back to her: The hospital. Her dad being there. How strange to have him around after all this time.
The room was big and there was so much distance between her bed and the bathroom that she was afraid to attempt the trip on her own. She’d have to text her mother after all. She turned on her phone and it chirped with a flood of texts, all from Jess. Mindy had a concussion. Robin had a broken wrist and a fractured collarbone. Jess wasn’t injured, but she was grounded for the rest of the summer.
Penny was going to be grounded for the rest of her life, probably. And she deserved it. In any case, she had to be on crutches for six to eight weeks. That took her to the middle of August, at least. The summer was over.
Penny shook her head. What a friggin’ disaster. And then, feeling like the biggest loser in the world, she texted her mom for help going to the bathroom.
Emma appeared, still dressed in the clothes she’d worn the night before. Had she fallen asleep in them? Penny felt a flash of shame for giving her mom such a hard time lately.
