“I have guests and don’t owe you anything. Least of all a courtesy,” I retorted. “Myles knocked my boy out and took him from me. He attempted to force meth on Lars. Your tweaker son tried to drug mine, and I owe you? Fuck off!” I snarled.
“We’re going to court!” Mimi stated.
“For what?”
“Crook House. Shirley wasn’t in her right mind when she left everything to you! And we can prove it. You’re living with a criminal, and your kid is an addict,” Mom sneered. “We know that Myles didn’t kidnap your son or do what you accused him of.”
“Bull-fucking-shit. Lars isn’t a liar, and you can run any test on him, and he’ll pass. He’d never touch that filthy stuff. Don’t push your own lack of parenting skills off on me. After all, look at what you’ve raised. A thief whom nobody will hire, and even her own husband got custody because she’s a mess.
“Your son is a deluded drug addict. And you let him live like that. Thinking he could sing and act. What is the matter with you? Why would you do that? Jesus. Don’t stand therepretending to be great parents when you’re scum. The only kid who amounted to anything is the one you couldn’t be bothered with.”
“And what did you ever amount to?” Mimi snapped. She smiled at Magic, and he recoiled.
“A happy marriage that ended because I was a widow and not a cheating, lying, thieving scumbag. A job I held down for years, my college degree, and raising two beautiful, amazing children. That’s what I achieved, and now I’m looking to open my own parental centre. You won’t be welcome naturally; we don’t deal with deadbeats!” With that, I slammed the door in their faces.
Magic leaned into me. A frown crossed his face. “Lawyers?”
“It’s an empty threat. Dad tried breaking it when Shirley inherited. They think I don’t know. He failed miserably. The trust is tied up tightly, and there’s nothing he can do. And we all undergo a mental health assessment when making a will and deciding where the estate goes. Even if we make a change, we still have a check-up. It protects us from the will from being challenged. Mimi can go ahead, but she’ll just waste money she doesn’t have. That’s not my problem,” I explained.
“And Laila inherits this?”
“Yes, all of it. Now, what my asshole parents didn’t realise is, the seven thousand we’re given monthly, anything left is ours to do what we want with. I could easily have shared some of that if they were decent people. Lars and Laila have a nice nest egg bequeathed to them by Aunt Shirley.”
“Speaking of Shirley, have you been to the bank yet and opened the safe-deposit box?”
“No. I need to do that Monday,” I replied.
“I’ll come with you,” Magic offered.
“That sounds great. You by my side.”
“Where I was always meant to be. I’ll never try to take Vulcan’s place, and I understand he’ll always have a spot in your heart. Jody, I’m just happy you made room for me.”
I smiled and kissed Magic. We’d gone the wrong way about things, but we got there in the end.
???
“What are you expecting to be in here?” Magic asked as I studied the safe-deposit box. It was larger than I’d expected.
“Aunt Shirley’s jewellery, it’s missing,” I said and unlocked it. I lifted the lid and gaped. It was crammed full of small velvet bags. Opening one, a pair of diamond and ruby earrings slid out. The next bag contained a gold cross on an eighteen-inch chain, and the third held a sapphire bracelet.
“Well, we found it,” I murmured as I pulled the bags out and checked everything. All that I remembered was here, and a lot I didn’t. At the bottom was a folder, and when I examined its contents and studied what was inside, I gasped.
“What?” Magic inquired.
“These are share certificates. Look, IMB, Netbook, and several other huge companies. These are worth a small fortune. I was unaware Shirley had these.” An envelope dropped out, and I picked it up. It was addressed to me. I opened it and began reading aloud.
“Darling Jody,
If you’re reading this, I’m dead. Don’t mourn me. I had a good life. But you, sweet girl, went a different path from what was ordained for you. I wouldn’t have done this if Vulcan were alive, and I loved that man for what he did for you. Vulcan was special and exactly what you needed. But with hisdeath, avenues opened up. Vulcan was never your soulmate, but Magic was. I hope that having to fetch the key from him provided an opportunity for you two to communicate and work things out. If it worked, I’m overjoyed; if it didn’t, I’m going to come back and kick your asses.
Love you, my sweet niece, give everyone a kiss from me.
Shirley.’
I stared at the letter as tears welled. “Oh, Aunt Shirley, I miss and love you so much. And thank you for your final gift,” I whispered as Magic pulled me in close and held me. There was nothing more to say. We’d fallen in love once more, despite the odds.
Epilogue.
