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I stopped at the front of the property and shot off texts to both Maddox and Derek, letting them know what was going on. Derek responded instantly.
Don’t go inside. Wait for me. I’m on my way.
My heart fluttered at the response. I was scared of what I might find inside, but it made me feel better that he’d drop anything to take care of me. As he always had before.
I hovered over the phone number for the police. I didn’t know if it was an emergency. I didn’t want to call them here for no reason.
I was about to make the call anyway when I heard voices from inside. Not in anger or yelling or anything out of the ordinary. Just calm voices. And worse, I recognized one.
My blood froze over as I stomped across the yard and up the steps. “Mom?” I shouted.
She appeared then out of Gran’s kitchen, holding up an old teapot. I recognized it as an heirloom that had been passed down for generations. One that I loved very dearly.
“Oh, Marley, I didn’t know you’d be in today,” she said as if it were completely normal for her to be in the house. She’d even dressed herself up. She wore a knee-length black skirt and shiny pink shirt. She looked half-presentable, if I didn’t know she was completely rotten on the inside.
“What are you doing here?” I snarled.
“What do you mean?”
“This isn’t your property. I don’t even know how you have a key. You shouldn’t be here.”
A second woman stepped out of the kitchen. She was also dressed sharply in a black suit with a blue blouse. She smiled sweetly at me. “You must be the daughter.”
“Who are you?”
She stepped forward and offered her hand. “I’m Regina McGregor. Your mom has hired me to help appraise the house and the belongings within. Let me tell you that I am so sad for your grandmother’s passing, but don’t worry. You’re in safe hands.”
I saw red. My eyes snapped to my mom. “You did what?”
“Don’t overreact, Marley Sue,” she said, saccharine sweet.
“Get the fuck out of my house.”
Regina startled. “But we’ve only just begun.”
“What lie did she spin for you? This isn’t her house. It doesn’t belong to her. Gran left it for me and my brother. She didn’t get a dime. Not a single cent from the woman she never treated like a mother. So, no, you can’t be in here, appraising my belongings.”
Regina gaped. “I… I wasn’t aware. Hannah said that she had been given the property and there was some legal dispute.”
My mother’s face soured at my outburst. “Marley, you are going to have to come to terms with reality.”
“Reality? You’re the one suing me, your own daughter. You’re not going to get the house or anything in it. Not a single thing as far as I’m concerned.”
Regina held her hands up, clearly floundering between the two of us. “I’ll just wait outside. We can start things again at a later date, Hannah. There’s plenty of time.”
Then, she crossed Gran’s house and went to step outside, but in her way was all six foot five of Derek Ballentine.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, low and venomous. His eyes found mine in the room, unhurt and in one piece. He released a breath. Then, he saw my mother standing a foot behind me. “Ms. Christianson?”
“Derek,” she said coolly. “What are you doing here?”
Her eyes snapped between us, as if trying to decipher something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. I minutely shook my head once. He shouldn’t give my mother the ammunition she needed.
“I was in the area. I saw the door open as I drove by.”
“I see,” she said. “We were having the property appraised.”
I stiffened all over at those words, and he must have sensed it because his voice hardened when he replied, “As your attorney, I would encourage you to step away from the matter. We can speak about evidence for the trial, but you shouldn’t be… entering a property that doesn’t currently belong to you.”
“Fine.” My mom huffed and dropped the teapot into my hand. It bobbled as I grabbed for it, nearly losing the priceless thing. I clutched it to my chest as she passed by without a word.
Derek waited for my mom and Regina to vacate the premises before turning back to me. He was still formal, considering they were so close. “We’ll close this behind us. Sorry for all of this, Miss Nelson.”
“Thank you,” I breathed. My eyes were wide to show how much I appreciated it.
He nodded his head. “Just glad that I… happened to be in the area.” He winked at me.
I held back my snicker. “Saturday?”
A smile broke through his polished veneer. “You’ve got it.”
Then, he pulled the door closed behind him and was gone. I crumpled onto the floor, holding Gran’s teapot close to my chest. A sob escaped my lips, and tears fell all over again. I hated my mother so much. So, so much. What a horrid woman. I needed to get the locks changed, but I didn’t even know if I could do that while we waited for all of this to be fixed. I’d have to call my attorney and ask.
