“Gran.”
“My beautiful girl.” I’d been holding back tears but at hearing my grandmother’s whispered words, the dam broke.
“She knew,” I cried. “She helped them.”
“She did, dear. I’m so sorry.”
There was nothing else left to say. My own mother had worked with Travis. Meredith? I couldn’t believe it. She’d always acted appalled at my mother’s behavior. We’d discussed her antics over drinks many times. She’d helped me when I was trying to untangle the mess my mother had left when I’d pushed her out of my finances and management. Meredith had taken on the task of helping me rebuild my life after all the money my mom had stolen from me. Why would she betray me? Why would she help my mom and Travis? Why would Travis, for that matter? Gladys had treated him like he was scum. None of it made any sense.
“I hate her,” I told my grandmother. “I hate them both. Dad never did anything to stop her. He knew. He knew how she treated me, yet he did nothing. He just stood there and listened to her call me fat and stupid. He didn’t ever stand up for me. Not once.”
“Did you know it was your father’s idea to move to Hawaii?” she asked.
“No. Neither of them ever talked to me. All Mom said was they’d done their job and now it was time for them to move on with their lives.”
My grandmother was silent for a moment then she softly told me, “Your dad is not a strong man. Part of that may be our fault. Mine and your grandfather’s. We should’ve made him work harder. Should’ve made him earn the things he had. For that I am sorry. Your grandfather grew up in a family that struggled. Often times, there was barely enough food. He scraped and saved and worked himself to the bone to build something that was great. When we had your father, he didn’t ever want his son to feel that kind of burden, so we spoiled him.
“But there was a change in him when he met your mother. He was in love. The sun rose and set with her. It didn’t matter how many times we warned him. She had her hooks in him and there was no stopping him. The only thing my son has ever done for you that I’m grateful for was moving that woman far away from you. He didn’t have the backbone to stop her, but he could entice her with the promise of a lifestyle she couldn’t say no to. So he packed up their life here and got her away from you. It doesn’t abolish his sins, but that’s why he did it.”
It was not my grandparents’ fault their son was a spineless asshole who didn’t love his daughter enough to stand up to his wife. But at least I now understood the abrupt move right after I graduated high school. Of course, my mother had to put her own twist on it and dig her knife in.
Gran sat next to me, rocking me gently while Jackson was escorting my mother out of the building. I hoped he wasn’t doing it kindly. She would hate being told to leave, but she would seriously hate being told by someone she felt was below her social status. God, she was such a bitch.
“Gran?”
“Yes, dear?”
“Thank you for always loving me.”
“Oh, my sweet granddaughter, you never have to thank me for that. You are one of the greatest blessings in my life. Your grandfather’s, too. I hope you remember how much he adored you.”
“I do. I could never forget.”
And I couldn’t. My grandfather had never been selfish with his love. He’d been open and had communicated how much he loved both my grandmother and me. He’d always had a smile on his face, a hug to give, and a kind word to say. I missed him so much.
25
Jackson
I needed to get back to Patty’s room, but I was giving myself a few minutes to calm down.
Gladys was not only the world’s worst mother, she was also a crazy bitch.
As soon as we’d cleared the threshold and hit the hallway a security guard met me and helped guide her to the lobby. The woman shrieked all the way there. Threatening lawsuit after lawsuit. It was ridiculous.
The guard couldn’t care less what Gladys was saying. Though, I’d never wanted to gag someone as badly as I wanted to her. The only good news was, once we were outside of Autumn Lakes and taking her to her car, she started to incriminate herself more. The smug bitch had reiterated her role in the scandal to revitalize Tuesday’s career. She was pleased with herself that the scheme had worked brilliantly, even if Lambert, whoever that was, had tried to shut it down before it had hit the newswire. The stupid bitch hadn’t cared that her daughter had been humiliated. She’d been an active participant in Tuesday’s mental abuse.
“Sir?” the receptionist called as I walked past her desk.
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry to bother you, especially after that scene. But Ms. Knowls requested Mrs. Knowls’ current statements. Normally I wouldn’t give them to anyone but our patient.” She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “You know, with the laws the way they are. Anyway, we all heard what went on with her mother, and, well, I really don’t want to bother her, but she said it was urgent. So, I want to give them to you. They’re sealed. Just, um . . . please don’t open them, or tell anyone I gave them to you.”
I took the envelope the woman was handing me and smiled. “Thank you.” I leaned in and added, “It’s our little secret.”
“I hope Tuesday’s okay,” she offered.
“Thank you for that, too. And she will be.”
With a lift of my chin I walked down the corridor taking those last moments to control my anger. Patty and Tuesday both needed me to be levelheaded. I was about to enter the room when movement to my right caught my attention. Randolph was in a heated conversation with a woman. She clearly wasn’t a patient. When they noticed me staring, they broke apart and the woman walked away at a fast clip. As much as I’d like to know if Randolph was harassing the poor woman like he’d done to Tuesday I had more important things to do.
When I stepped into the room, I found the two women huddled together on the bed. Patty’s frail arms wrapped tightly around her granddaughter while Tuesday cried softly. It would’ve been picture perfect if I didn’t know what had caused those tears. A moment so sweet and protective, I didn’t want to interrupt.
Patty’s eyes came to mine, and she gave me a small, sad smile. She looked absolutely heartbroken, and I knew she was because Tuesday was. Not because she’d taken anything Gladys had directed toward her to heart. Patty didn’t care for the woman and had made that clear, too, something she’d gone to great pains to hide from Tuesday. Though, it was doubtful Tuesday hadn’t seen through her efforts.
I was sure the older woman had found the entire confrontation distasteful for a variety of reasons. The biggest being she had class and dignity, and there was nothing classy about the drama Gladys had caused.
“Would you like to come sit with our girl?” Patty asked, and Tuesday lifted her head.
“No, ma’am,” I said with a smile. “She looks good right where she is, with you.”
“Well then take a load off, you’re making me nervous standing in the doorway.”
I was happy to hear some humor in Patty’s tone. I walked to the nearest chair and took a seat, smiling as I did.
“Is she gone?” Tuesday asked.
“Yeah, Sweetness, she’s gone.”
“What’s that?” Tuesday’s eyes went to the envelope in my hand.
“The receptionist gave it to me. She said you’d requested some additional statements,” I told her.
“Statements? What kind of—”
“If you wouldn’t mind, Patty, perhaps we can tell you about it a little later.”
I didn’t want to be rude, but I also didn’t want to discuss the investigation while the door was open or while at the nursing home at all. Right now, there was no danger to Patty, however, if someone overheard that Tuesday was providing her best friend, who happened to be a DEA agent, proof of prescription fraud both women could be in trouble.
“Who do you have an appointment with?” Tuesday asked her grandmother.
“What, dear?”
“Ea
rlier you said you wouldn’t be playing bridge because you had an appointment.”
“Oh, yes, Mr. Palmer, my attorney.”
“Are you really going to . . .” Tuesday trailed off, leaving her question hanging in the air.
“Yes, Tuesday. It’s already been done. I had the paperwork drawn up months ago. As distasteful as it is, it needed to be done. Unfortunately, your parents have bought themselves some financial issues. And it’s not because of poor business decisions or a declining market. It’s simply due to overspending. I’ve bailed them out before, more than once. If my son is not responsible enough, at his age, to manage his money properly, I’m not giving him mine to waste. Your grandfather worked too hard for it to be squandered.”
Tuesday simply nodded and looked back at her clasped hands in her lap.
“One more thing, then we’re moving on to something happy,” Patty continued. “The Manor is yours. No arguments. I would like it to remain in the family after I’m gone, but it is yours and you may do whatever you’d like with it. The new arrangements will make it so you’ll be able to financially take care of the property indefinitely. Now, about what your mother said about Travis and Meredith. I’m not sure what can be done about it at this point, but I do hope you will be doing what you can to make sure that all three pay for what they did.”
I waited for Tuesday’s response. And the whole time I was waiting, all I could think about was how badly I wanted to be the one sitting next to her with my arms wrapped around her. And how difficult it had been not to take Patty up on her earlier offer. But I knew both women needed each other close. Being in the room to watch over them should’ve been enough, but it wasn’t. Tuesday looked beaten down. Shattered. It was becoming harder and harder sitting so close but not being able to hold her.
Finally, she looked up with some of her earlier anger on her face, and while I never wanted her mad it was a fuck ton better than seeing her forlorn.
“Jackson’s brother, Nick, is with the FBI. He’s been looking into some stuff for us. When we get home, we’ll call him and tell him.”
Us.
Home.
We’ll.
Warmth hit my chest and spread like wildfire. Maybe she wasn’t thinking clearly due to the latest trauma. Maybe it was a slip. Whatever it was, I was taking it and savoring it. I also wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip by. I was grabbing it—and holding on. If this was her letting me in, it was a bloody miracle and hallelujah.
“Good. That’s really good.” Patty smiled. “So, what do the two of you have planned for the rest of the day?”
“I was hoping to catch a few games of bingo while we were here,” I told Patty. “Tuesday tells me you have quite the winning streak.”
“Did she?” Patty laughed just as I’d hoped. “Bingo is a game of chance. I’m not sure you can call it a winning streak. Maybe I’ve caught some good luck.”
“But from what I hear, I may have to fight for a seat next to you.”
“I don’t think the old men in this joint would be too much trouble for a young, handsome firefighter such as yourself.”
I was holding back a chuckle by the barest of fractions, but when Patty added a wink to her statement, I lost it.
“Gran!” Tuesday tried but failed to sound chastising. She could barely cover her own giggle.
“Unfortunately, you’re out of luck, there are no games scheduled for today. We could, however, sit and play a few hands of five-card draw. But there is something you should know about my Tuesday,” Patty started. “Just so you’re aware, she likes to win. Always has. And she’s a card shark. Sometimes I think it’s the only reason she likes to come here and play poker against the old men. She takes their money and they don’t care because they get to sit across from a beautiful, young woman and watch her dance a jig when she wins a hand.”
“You take old men’s money?” I asked Tuesday, still chuckling.
“We play for quarters.” She rolled her eyes at me. “And I do not dance a jig, Gran.”
“Well, then, I don’t know what it’s called, but you dance.”
“Victory. It’s a victory dance.” Tuesday rallied.
I was enjoying watching the women smile at each other, even if it was forced. I didn’t want to think about how many times Tuesday had been subjected to her mother’s bullshit, and evidence was suggesting quite a bit. It seemed experience meant she could pull herself together quickly. Albeit most of Tuesday’s recovery, if you could call her fake smile such, had been for Patty’s benefit. She loved her grandmother and didn’t want her to worry.
The rest I would take care of when we got home.
26
Tuesday
“I think it’s time we left,” I announced.
I didn’t want to play cards, but when Gran had suggested it, I couldn’t say no. I knew it was her way of keeping me close until she deemed I was no longer going to have a nervous breakdown. Though, I did think she’d needed both Jackson and I to help settle her as well.
“Don’t pout, dear,” Gran said and collected the cards.
“Well, I’m out of quarters.” I pointed out.
“I’m not,” Jackson gloated.
So, there we were playing five-card draw in Gran’s room and I was losing—badly. Jackson, however, was not. He was cleaning up and Gran was coming in a close second.
“You know what they say about being a sour winner, right?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Nope. Sure don’t.”
He was smiling, and Gran was looking at him like he was the best thing since sliced bread. She was beaming, therefore, I didn’t really mind I was losing—that much. I still wasn’t sure what exactly I was doing.
Jackson had asked for twenty-four hours. At the time, with all the craziness that had gone on, it was easy to agree. Well, maybe it wasn’t easy, but it hadn’t been as hard as I’d thought it would be. But, this morning, when he’d asked for another twenty-four there was no big, traumatizing event, just us in my kitchen. I’d agreed again, and now it was hard. I wanted to shut down and pull back.
Watching Gran and Jackson laugh and joke together, even if it was in an effort to erase what my mother had said to me, felt good. I liked seeing it. I liked that he made her smile. I liked that she liked him. I just plain liked it, and that scared the hell out of me.
I was gonna screw this up and when I did, it was gonna hurt. Big time. Maybe even more than seeing a naked picture of myself on the internet. And that knowledge was so terrifying it made me want to tell Jackson his time was up. But, once again, I had Mercy in my ear, do you wanna be happy?
I felt his eyes on me, and, sure enough, they were narrowing, like he could read my mind. But then he tensed, turned his head to the side like he was trying to listen really hard, then he was suddenly standing.
“What’s wrong?”
“Stay here.”
He strode to the door at a fast clip but didn’t even make it out of the door before he turned back.
“Tuesday, help Gran into her wheelchair,” he barked.
“What? What’s happening?”
“Now, Sweetness, hurry.”
He rushed into the en suite bathroom, and I helped my grandmother who, apparently, could follow directions without asking why, was already out of the chair she’d been sitting in and was walking to her wheelchair. Something she didn’t need anymore, unless she was tired.
Jackson came back out with two wet towels and handed one to me.
“There’s smoke coming out of one of the rooms. Both of you keep the towels over your mouths.”
“Smoke? But no alarm is going off,” I stupidly told him.
“I’m pushing Patty. You’re at my side. Do not stop. Not for anything or anyone. Ready?”
“Yes,” Gran answered.
He didn’t wait for my acceptance, he just moved, pushing Gran at a near jog. Once we were in the hall, I could see smoke pouring out of a room at the end of the hall, near the lobby. Jackson went in th
e opposite direction toward the exit at the end of the corridor. When we passed by a red fire alarm, he broke the glass and pulled the alarm, but nothing happened.
“Fuck,” he muttered.
Why weren’t we telling people to get out?
“Shouldn’t that have done something?”
“Yes,” he clipped.
“Sweetness, I need you to take over. Get Gran outside, call 9-1-1, and move to the edge of the parking lot.”
“Yeah, okay.”
He stepped out of the way and let me grab hold of the handles. “Straight outside, baby. Please don’t stop. And get away from the building.”
The reality of what was happening hit me. He was getting me and Gran to safety, but he was staying in. And there was a fire. From the smoke now billowing, it was a big one.
Oh, shit.
Okay.
He started to turn when I grabbed his bicep and stopped him. “Let me get Gran outside and I’ll come back in to help.”
“Tuesday, the only way you can help me right now is to get you and Gran out and safe. I can’t do my job worried about you,” he rushed out. “Now, go. Hurry.”
“Please be careful,” was the last thing I said to him before I practically jogged to the exit with Gran, not bothering to cover my mouth with the towel. But there was so much more I wanted to say. I wanted to tell him thank you for taking care of us. Thank him for making me feel safe—again. Beg him to come outside with us and not put himself in danger. I wanted to make him promise he’d be okay. However, there was no time for that, and even if there was, I wasn’t sure I knew how to verbally express those things.
I turned around, pushed the lock release bar with my ass, and backed us out of the door so I could pull the wheelchair through. The door shut behind us and I continued to walk as fast as I could down the pathway that led around the building to the parking lot, stopping when I’d finally gotten us far enough away from the building.
Claiming Tuesday: The Next Generation Page 16
