Chapter 2 #2
She wanted to accept that it was nothing more than some silly disagreement, but she had a hunch it was more than that.
Besides, if it was just that they didn’t agree, would that really have been enough to never talk?
To never visit? To speak about her only in whispers and refuse to mention her to Ellie at all? That seemed highly unlikely.
She frowned and tilted her head. “Exactly what was it that they couldn’t agree about?”
He straightened, shaking his head as he pulled his hand back and stood up. “On this issue, I’m afraid your mother is right. There’s no point in getting into all of that now. It’s messy and a very long story.”
Ellie’s lips pursed as she caught the emphasis on this. What other issue was there? The light dawned as she recalled what had started the whole problem. “And what about the other issue? The house? Do you agree that I should turn it down?”
There was a long hesitation, so long that she was worried he wouldn’t reply at all. But finally, “No, I guess that would be silly. Whatever happened back then is old news. Besides, the property is real, tangible. It can do a lot for you.”
It was such an odd way to describe a house. Real? Tangible? Before she could ask anything else, he turned. “I better go check on your mother, kiddo. If I were you, I’d get online and find out more about this place. Just so you know what you’re getting into—even if it’s only for six months.”
It was good advice, and she’d taken it. Nothing she’d found online had discouraged her, mostly because she found very little aside from a few pictures of the outside of the house. Luckily, she had a direct source that had proven to be much more helpful.
The lawyer, Edison Price, had enclosed his business card, which included his email address.
She dashed off a quick note full of questions about the property, and then later sent a more composed, longer one with another list of queries that were directly related to her aunt.
Waiting was hard, but it wasn’t for long.
Mr. Price was clearly expecting her to be in touch, and more than ready for her questions, at least as they pertained to the house.
When it came to her aunt, he was vague. Finally saying, bluntly, “I’m afraid I can’t speak much about that, Ms. Newton.
I didn’t know your aunt well, and our business mainly related to the will.
Besides, it wouldn’t be professional to indulge in gossip. ”
It was a clear admission that there was gossip and he did know all about it, but he would say nothing further on the issue.
And the more she pressed, the slower his replies came, until she was forced to give up for fear she’d simply stop hearing from him at all.
It would be awkward to plan the next phase of her life if that happened.
Thankfully, he was fully forthcoming about the house.
A zip file full of photos landed in her mailbox, that showed every room from multiple angles, as well as the overgrown yard outside.
It was an older home, worn, but fully livable.
Every room was furnished, albeit a little cluttered with the remnants of Rose’s life.
It was, he assured her, in good shape, and he saw no reason why it wouldn’t sell quickly when she was ready to list it. He clearly didn’t expect her to stay past the six months, but she wasn’t so sure. The idea of having her own cozy little home, far from the noise of the city, was attractive.
Her father pushed her to pay for an inspection, but when it came back with no major issues, he gave her his support. Her mother shot him a look of betrayal, but he just shrugged. “Sally, what are you going to do? Tell her to throw away a perfectly good house and keep living with us forever?”
“She’d be better off here.”
“Kids grow up, Sal. She’s twenty-eight now. You’re going to have to let her make her own choices. And no matter how you feel about…” He paused and cleared his throat. “No matter how you feel, you can’t honestly deny that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Her mother’s mouth twisted, and her eyes narrowed, but when she turned back to Ellie the look softened.
There were a few moments of silence before she sighed.
“Fine. You’re both right. You can’t turn it down, but I worry about you, honey.
West Virginia is different. It’s—there’s going to be— it will be a big change.
” With the starts and stops, it was so obvious her mother was editing the words before they came out.
Which was weird. To her knowledge, her mother had never lived in West Virginia. Though Sally was so closemouthed about her past, that anything was possible.
And in the end her mother had been right about one thing. It was really different. Living in the south, living in a small town, was a long way from the city life she was used to. Her dad had been right too, when he’d warned her about emergencies and repairs, and struggling to pay for everything.
But none of those things made her regret packing up and moving. She’d been here for two months now and was seriously considering keeping the house when the time was up. She was broker than she’d ever been, but that was balanced by not being a loser stuck living with her parents forever.
She felt free, truly free, for the first time in her life.
Anyway, the money problems would clear up as soon as she got her substitute teaching permit.
It wouldn’t take long to show them that she was reliable and then she’d get plenty of jobs.
She just had to tough things out in the meantime, find a way to deal with the broken dryer, and not go completely insane from the humidity.
Oh, and find out who was stealing her damn clothes.
She could totally manage all of that. Probably.