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The truth is, neither has been able to hold down a job. They’d work someplace for a few months and then either quit for one reason or another or get themselves fired. They did much better on welfare, and Willow moved out the first second she could. They were never close.
“They didn’t even come in for Willow’s funeral.”
Tom leans back in his chair, resting his hands on his stomach. “Do you want their story or what is more likely the truth?”
“Both,” I tell him, gripping the arms of my chair.
“Their story is that they miss their daughter so much that they want whatever piece of her they can have. That they were too distraught to fly in for her funeral and watch their only child be buried. That they love Katy and want the opportunity to take care of her and give her the best life possible.”
I sigh, my stomach twisting in painful knots. “And the real reason?”
“One point eight million dollars from life insurance that’s in Katy’s name, plus whatever revenue there is from the sale of your brother’s house. Because Katy is a minor, that money will go to a court-appointed custodian to oversee the funds in Katy’s name, which will be whoever becomes her fiduciary guardian.”
I haven’t even started to think about selling the house. Aurelia and Fallon offered to go there and pack up Katy’s room and toys and belongings from it. I couldn’t do it and I didn’t want to put Katy through that either. I planned to have everything else packed up and either donated or sold off.
I just hadn’t gotten there yet.
“Meaning if they become fiduciary guardians of Katy, they get at least one point eight million to spend at their discretion as long as ‘it’s in the name of taking care of Katy?’” I put air quotes around the last part.
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”
I fall forward, my elbows digging into my thighs, my hands covering my face. No wonder they suddenly wanted me to fly her out so they could see her. We were informed there was life insurance for Katy Friday afternoon. I just didn’t put it together.
“What about legal guardianship of Katy? They’re not seeking that?”
He sits up, talking directly to me. “At this time, no. I also don’t believe a judge would grant that without a pressing reason. It takes a lot to move a child who just lost her parents out of the home she’s currently living in especially if the person she’s living with is petitioning for custody. You’re single and work long hours, so that’s not a mark in your favor, but right now, I don’t think it’ll be an issue. Willow’s parents want the money. Not the little girl.”
That last part doesn’t shock me, and it’s also a relief.
I grit my teeth. “Can we stop them from having any stake in Katy’s life?”
“We can certainly try, but that doesn’t mean we’ll be successful.”
“Whatever you need to do, make it happen. I don’t want them in control of anything that has to do with Katy.”
“I’ll get the paperwork filed this morning and I’ll be in touch.”
We shake hands and I leave feeling worse than when I arrived. The crushing weight that’s been moored on my chest like an anchor since Declan and Willow died isn’t getting any lighter. I start to walk the streets instead of climbing back into my car and driving home.
I never have free time during the day. Not ever. It’s a weird feeling.
I don’t want to go home alone to my thoughts. Part of me is almost tempted to go to the hospital and put in a few hours. Then I remember Layla is there and the desire to see her again gnaws at me to the point where I immediately shove that idea away.
I need to figure out a way to be around her again—something I was sort of just starting to do—but now it feels like I’m beginning from square one with that. I want my voice in her ear, my words in her head as she touches her sweet body the way I told her I wanted her to, and then I want it to be my name on her lips when she orgasms.
Shaking all that off—because I will not call her, and I will not text her, and I will not go to the hospital to see her—I find myself in front of Katy’s camp just as my phone rings in my pocket. Asher.
“Hey,” I answer.
“How’d it go with the lawyer?”
I wipe a hand along my jaw as I stare at the building for her camp. “Ash, some bad shit is going down.”
I can practically hear the smile in his voice as he says, “Some bad shit as in you need an alibi, or some bad shit as in it’s too late for an alibi and you need bail money?”
I grin, squeezing the back of my neck to release the tension that’s built up there. “Maybe the first one if I can’t pull all this off. Willow’s parents are seeking fiduciary guardianship of Katy.”
“I know a guy who could make them disappear.”
