Monroe chuckled. “How’s Middle Sister doing?”
“I’m not too sure.” Hope could feel her heart pounding. It was one thing to argue a case in court, but doing it with your sister was entirely different. She didn’t know how much of this she could take—or whether or not it was wise to keep Monroe with her like this. Really, what did she have to offer him? Besides no parenting experience, she didn’t even have a fully functioning bathroom!
“So, it’s really okay then?” He looked hopeful. “I can stay with you?”
She held out her hands in a helpless gesture. “You know what you’re getting into.”
“I’ll help work on the house.”
She smiled. “That’d be great.”
“And maybe Aunt Cherry will let me use the shower at her house. They have three bathrooms.”
Hope was about to correct him, to say they only had two, but then she realized they could have easily put in a third bathroom for all she knew. Not that she’d be welcome to use it. But maybe Monroe would be welcome. And that was worth something. And maybe if Hope really tried, she could mend this thing between Cherry and her. Somehow, hearing what Drew said last night made her realize that they were all hurting over what had happened in the past. Maybe it was time to put some old things to rest.
Chapter Seventeen
“Looks like Aunt Cherry’s on her way over here.” Monroe pointed out the living room window then grimaced. “And it looks like my mom’s with her.”
Suddenly Hope wanted to run and hide. Really, how much stress could one woman take? Unless, perhaps, Cherry planned to handle this in a mature manner. Maybe she would be objective and reasonable about the situation. After all, Monroe had spent part of the day at her house yesterday. Maybe Cherry could see his side, too. Perhaps she’d even talked some sense into Faye. Faye might be willing to listen to Cherry since she was a mom, too.
There was a loud knocking on the front door, and before Hope could open it, both Cherry and Faye let themselves in. Cherry just stood there looking around as if she were in shock. “It’s true,” she finally said. “You are tearing the place down.”
Hope sighed. “No, I’m not tearing it down. I’m just getting some work done. I’ll admit it doesn’t look great now.”
“Where are Nona’s things?” Cherry frowned at the mostly empty room. “Did you throw everything away?”
“No, of course not. I set aside the things I thought you and Faye might want to look through. It’s all out in the garage and driveway.”
“I thought maybe you were having a yard sale.” Cherry turned up her nose, confirming Hope’s suspicion that little Miss Perfect didn’t enjoy living next to such a messy-looking place—even though it was temporary.
“You can go through everything if you want. I set aside a couple of boxes that I thought you might want to—”
“That’s not why we came over,” Cherry said.
“Oh?”
“Faye told me that you are interfering with Monroe.”
“Interfering?” Hope glanced at Monroe now. She wanted to tell him to go outside and play but knew he was too old. And yet, she didn’t want him to be in the middle of this sisterly feud either. She didn’t want him to think it was his fault, since it wasn’t.
“Faye wants Monroe to go home with her.”
“Home?” Monroe stepped forward. “Mom doesn’t even have a home.”
“You know what I mean,” Cherry said pleasantly. “Your mom is between houses at the moment.” She glared at Hope now. “And maybe if you hadn’t torn Nona’s house to pieces, she and Monroe could stay here until the condo is ready.”
“But I—”
“And it really doesn’t seem right for an outsider to come between a mother and her child, Hope. I would think you, as a lawyer, would know better.”
Part of Hope knew that Cherry was right…and yet what could she do? Should she force Monroe to go with his mom? Was that really the best thing for anyone?
“Aunt Hope is just trying to help me,” Monroe protested.
“You keep out of this,” Faye told him. “This is between Hope and us.”
Monroe blasted out of the house, swearing even more loudly than his mom had.
“See,” Faye pointed to the door, “this is what happens when people butt into other people’s affairs.”
Hope just stared at Faye. Really, what was the point of responding?
“And while we’re on that subject,” Cherry continued in a calm but chilly voice, “I would like to ask you to stop interfering with my family, too.”
“What?” Hope turned to Cherry. “What are you talking about?”
“For starters, there’s Avery. I thought it would be okay for her to come over and help you in the yard from time to time, but it seems you are determined to make her into your slave, and I will have to—”
“My slave?” Hope felt her hands balling into fists. “I have hired Avery to—”
“Oh, yes, the matter of money and shopping and—”
“Avery told me that you gave her permission to go to Bend with me yesterday.”
“But I did not give her permission to buy that skanky little excuse for a bathing suit.”
“But I—”
“Yes, I don’t expect you to understand these things, Hope. You’re not a mother, so how could you understand? In fact, that is precisely our point. You are not a mother, and yet you insist on interfering with our children.”
“I’m their aunt.”
“And you are an interfering aunt who seems set to turn our children against us. Do you know that Avery and I had a terrible fight last night? And all because of you.”
“But why?”
“Because Avery thinks you’re her new best friend and that you think it’s okay for her to go around practically naked and you understand her and—”
“I never even saw the swimsuit she bought, I only—”
“And that is precisely my point. You let her pick out something without even knowing whether or not it was appropriate for her age. Maybe you think it’s okay to turn an eleven-year-old into a tramp, but I will put my foot down. Because I am her mother.”
“I’m sorry, Cherry.” Hope was sincere in her apology. “I honestly never dreamed Avery would get something that wasn’t appropriate. She seems like such a mature girl that I—”
“She is a child!”
“I said I’m sorry, Cherry.”
“Well, Avery is grounded from coming over here. And if she tries to sneak over, I would appreciate it if you sent her home.”
Hope didn’t know what to say.
“And, while we’re talking about my family, I would appreciate it if you kept your hands off my husband, too.”
Both Faye and Hope looked equally shocked by this.
“What?” Hope stared at Cherry in disbelief.
“I know Drew was over here last night. Some excuse of helping with your plumbing, which is really pathetic, if you ask me.”
“He did help with my plumbing. A cap had come off and—”
“Whatever.” Cherry waved her hand. “But Drew stayed over here for quite a while, and I saw you two talking in the kitchen—or what used to be the kitchen. And then he acted funny when he came home. And I have a pretty good idea about what was going on over here.”
“Nothing was going on over here.” Hope just shook her head. “But maybe your mind works differently than mine.”
Cherry stepped closer to Hope now, looking up at her with a furrowed brow. “And just so you know, I saw you on Sunday night, too. Out in the backyard with Lewis, eating by candlelight like you’re making a move on him. Like you think he’s interested in you.”
“Wow, I’m surprised you even have time to be such a super mother, Charity.” Their mom had always resorted to full names when she was irritated. “You’re so busy spying on me.” Hope knew it was a childish thing to say. But this whole conversation was just getting more and more absurd.
“That’s not all I know about you,”
Cherry shot back. “What about your contractor Brian Godwin? I overheard his son telling Harrison that you and Brian have something going on, too. It’s like you can’t get enough men!”
“That’s crazy!”
“What is it with you, Hope?” Cherry shook her finger under Hope’s nose. “You making up for the fact that you lost one man by going after everything in pants?”
“Maybe you’re like that hussy my husband’s been sleeping with,” Faye said suddenly. “She’s that type.”
“I always knew you were selfish, Hope.” Cherry’s chin was trembling like she was on the verge of tears. “You never wanted to share any of your clothes or your time or anything with me. You hogged all of Nona’s attention, and now you even hogged her house. I thought maybe you’d grown up, but it’s plain to see I was wrong.”
Hope felt like she was about to explode—or erupt. Instead she sucked in a quick breath. “Fine. I see how my two sisters feel about me. Now I will thank you both to leave my house.” She spoke as evenly as she could, but she could feel her hands shaking. “Feel free to take any of Nona’s things that are outside. And then do not come back here uninvited again.”
“Big surprise there,” Cherry told Faye.
Hope turned her back on them and then, feeling as if the room was tipping sideways, she went into her bedroom and loudly closed the door. Her heart was pounding so hard that she wondered if it was possible for an otherwise healthy thirty-two-year-old woman to suffer a heart attack. She sat down on the bed and attempted to breathe deeply. Then she flopped back and gave in. If she died right now, it would be because her sisters had killed her. She felt hot, angry tears sliding along the sides of her face and down the back of her neck.
Hope woke up later to the feeling of something wet licking her cheek. She opened her eyes to see Andy standing on her bed and Monroe in the doorway. “Sorry to disturb you, Aunt Hope,” he said quietly. “Are you okay?”
She sat up and put Andy in her lap. “I guess.”
“I heard them tearing into you.”
“They’re really mad at me. I’m not totally sure why.” She looked around the barren room. “But I know it has a lot to do with this house—and the fact that Nona left it to me.”
“They’re just jealous.”
She pushed the hair away from her face. “I can’t say that I blame them. I’d be jealous, too.”
“Why did Nona give everything to you?”
“I think she felt that Faye and Cherry had already gotten their inheritance.” Then she explained about her mom’s insurance policy that went to Faye, and how Cherry had practically been given the family home. “I think Nona felt a little sorry for me.” Hope kind of laughed. “I also think she hoped that her gift would bring the three Bartolli sisters back together. Although it seems like it’s just driving us further apart.”
“Well, my mom’s not thinking real clear these days,” Monroe said slowly, “but I’m not sure what’s gotten into Aunt Cherry. I never saw her act like that before.”
“I think it’s me.” Hope set Andy down and stood up. She wanted to say she thought it was a mistake for her to be here in Sisters—that her presence was rocking everyone’s boat. But then, where did that put Monroe? Especially since it seemed that, at least for the time being, he was her responsibility.
She went out to the living room and wished that she’d never started the wheels turning on this remodel. Really, what had she been thinking? “Has Brian been around?” she asked Monroe.
“He showed up while the fireworks show was still going on.”
“You mean while we were all fighting?”
“Yeah. I tried to explain to him that my mom was nuts. He said he’d come by later.”
“I wouldn’t blame him if he never came back at all.” Hope set the phone back on the small table she’d kept in the living room. “Except that we have a contract.”
“I’ve been doing some painting outside.” Monroe smiled proudly. “It’s kinda fun.”
“Really, you like painting?”
“Yeah. It’s something you can do to take your mind off of other things.”
“I’ll pay you for your time, Monroe.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I was doing that for Avery,” Hope insisted. “I will do it for you, too.”
“Sounds like Avery won’t be coming back.”
“Yes. Cherry is certain that I corrupted her.”
Monroe went back out to paint, and Hope started pacing inside. She wondered if there was some way to put the brakes on everything. She would tell Lewis she’d changed her mind, call to see if she could get her job back, and book a flight to Portland for tomorrow. She wasn’t sure about Monroe. But maybe she’d book him a flight to Portland as well. And then, after a day or two, she could send him on to Seattle and let his dad figure it out. Really, what more could she do? Like her sisters had both clearly said, she was not a mom. She was in over her head. And she wanted out! The sooner the better.
“Hey, Hope,” called Brian from the back porch. “You around?”
“In here,” she called back.
“So, I’m guessing Family Feud is over.” He grinned.
“Sorry you had to hear that.”
“And I thought my sisters were bad.” He shook his head. “But there are only two of them. I guess having three girls in a family complicates things even more.”
“I’ll say.” Hope pressed her hands to her cheeks. “I’m so frustrated that I’m thinking about jumping ship.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean going back to Portland…getting back my job…having my own life again…pretending I’m an orphan. That’s what I feel like doing.”
He frowned. “What about this house?”
“Oh, the house still needs to be finished, Brian. We still have a contract and, believe me, you’ll get paid. But I’m just not sure I can take living in the same town as my sisters. Especially with one of them right next door.”
“That’s a tough one.”
Hope faked a confident smile for him. “But you don’t need to worry about this. In fact, it’ll probably blow over soon. Just keep up the good work, and I’ll try to keep the family fights to a minimum.” Then she told him about picking out the cabinets and how she was going to look at some glass tile for the backsplash. “In fact, I might do some looking in Portland. I have to go back there to take care of some things anyway. I might just stay a few days.”
He brightened. “That’s not a bad idea. Especially considering the shape your house is in. Now what about those bathroom tiles? You sure you don’t want to go with the plain white subway tiles?” Brian had suggested this earlier, saying his tile man had gotten a great deal on a bunch of them, but she had said she wanted to think about it.
“I think the white subway tiles would be perfect,” she told him. The truth was she no longer cared. As long as it looked good and would appeal to a buyer. Because, as far as she was concerned, Nona’s house would be going on the market before the end of summer anyway. And the Humane Society and the other charities would all be a little better off.
“I’ll let him know first thing.”
“Thanks, Brian.” She gave him a sincere smile. “What would I do without you?”
“And don’t worry about a thing while you’re gone. I’ve got your cell phone number, and I’ll call you if any major decisions come up.”
“And maybe I should hire a painting contractor, too.” She remembered her plan to paint the inside of the house and realized that would be impossible if she returned to work and her old life in Portland.
“That would probably speed things up.” He rubbed his chin. “Although this is the busy time of year for painters. It might be a challenge, but I’ll see who I can dig up.”
“Thanks. And I’ll mark the paint cans accordingly and leave it on the back porch.” As she said this, she felt sad. She had been excited to see the paint colors in the rooms. To watch as the whole thing unfolde
d. But plans change. And right now the only plan that made much sense was a getaway plan.
She went to her bedroom to call the law firm. She spoke to Hal’s assistant and asked her to leave a message about Hope’s change of plans.
“Wow, that was quick,” Becca told her. “We barely had time to miss you.”
“It’s probably best that I figured it out before Hal hired someone else.”
“He’s barely started to look at résumés. But I have a feeling he’ll be relieved to hear that you’ve changed your mind.”
“I hope so. I’m going to try to get a flight out of here tomorrow. And I’ll come by the firm on Thursday.”
“I’ll let him know.”
“Thanks.” Hope hung up and wondered how she was going to break this news to Monroe. Just then, she noticed Andy’s little bed on the floor next to hers and remembered the feel of his warm tongue on her cheek earlier. And in that moment, she decided that no matter where she lived, even in the city, Andy was going with her. He was her dog. And hopefully he’d be allowed on the flight. She’d seen dogs in carrying cases on flights before. It had to be okay.
Outside, Monroe was finishing up the backside of the house where she’d been working earlier. “Want to take a lunch break?” she asked. “A late lunch anyway?”
He nodded and set down his brush. “Yeah, I’m starving.”
“Why don’t we walk,” she suggested as she leashed up Andy. “The deli’s only three blocks away.” Then, as they walked, she told him that she needed to go to Portland. She knew she wasn’t being totally honest, but it seemed the easiest way to do this.
“I have to take care of things there,” she explained. “I plan on taking Andy with me, and I thought maybe you’d want to come, too. I have a spare room in my condo.” She laughed. “And it actually has things like indoor plumbing and a kitchen.”
“Wow, all the comforts of home,” he teased.
“I’m going to try to book a flight for tomorrow. Or I might even drive, although I’d rather leave the Rambler here. Maybe drive my BMW back.”
“Sure, I’d be glad to go to Portland,” he said eagerly. “If you really want me.”
“And I was thinking I could get you a ticket to fly up to Seattle, you know, for a few days to see your dad and maybe pick up some of your things…since you probably didn’t bring everything you wanted when you and your mom came down for the funeral.”
Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon Page 16
