Chapter 6
Violet glared at Matt. “What kind of ridiculous will is this, anyhow?”
Matt shrugged. “I told you it was a bit unusual. There are a few more details that I need to share with the three of you, but it’s getting late, and it’s Friday night. I know you ladies will probably want to get back home, so I’m willing to meet you in my office tomorrow morning at nine sharp, and we can go over it then.”
Camellia held up her hand in protest. “What details? Matthew Fox, you sit your bottom down and tell us what more there is right now.”
Matt slicked back his jet-black, well-gelled hair and looked at Camellia defiantly. “I’m already doing you a favor as a family friend by meeting with you tomorrow on a Saturday, Camellia. I was your father’s lawyer, not yours. You and your husband chose to go with my competition, remember? If tomorrow doesn’t suit you, then you can wait until Monday.”
Without waiting for an answer, Matt walked over to his car, got in, and backed out of the drive at a pace fast enough to kick up the gravel.
“Pompous jerk,” Camellia muttered under her breath.
“He just left you here stranded, didn’t he?” Lily asked softly.
Camellia shrugged. “I can get an Uber if I need to.” She looked up at the house. “Or maybe I’ll just stay here for the night. In his eagerness to show off, the snake forgot to lock the door again.”
Violet grinned at Camellia. “You call him the snake, too, huh? Funny, that’s kind of become our nickname for him as well.”
“I thought the two of you were like family?” Lily asked.
Camellia shook her head. “His parents and my parents were, but they had Matt pretty late in life, and as much as I adored Clare, I’m afraid she spoiled her only child and turned him into an insufferable snob.” She looked down the road after him. “I guess he’s still pretty miffed about Ray and me choosing to take another lawyer instead of him.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your mother, Camellia. We lost our mother when we were quite young, but it still hurts,” Lily said.
Camellia looked away. “Thank you. That’s very kind of you. It is hard. Dad was away a lot, and since it was mostly just the two of us, Mama and I were very close.” She looked at them and let out a bitter laugh. “I guess this explains why he was gone so often.”
“He traveled an awful lot for us, too,” Violet agreed. “I guess dividing your time between two families is pretty time-consuming.”
Camellia sighed and nodded. “Why don’t we all go inside and warm up? I haven’t filled the cupboards or refrigerator yet, but there’s usually tea and coffee here for the renters.”
Lily shivered in her light coat, realizing for the first time just how cold she was. The shock of the news had numbed her body, but now, as the darkness closed in around them, she started to feel cool air. “Yes, that sounds wonderful. I’m sure you have as many questions for us as we do for you.”
Camellia led the way to the spacious kitchen and set about making them all some tea. Without saying anything, Lily and Violet watched her move around efficiently. Clearly, Camellia felt very much at home here.
“I found some honey to put in it as well,” Camellia announced as she set the mugs in front of them. “Let’s take our tea into the living room. I’ll flick the switch on the fireplace, and we’ll be warmer in there.”
They followed her and sat down across from the gas fire, grateful as it immediately started to glow and warm up the surroundings.
“So, you’re planning to spend Christmas here this year?” Lily asked, looking around and noticing the lack of Christmas decorations.
“I was until Matt informed me that he’d put a lock on the door and that the house was still in probate until further notice.” Camellia sat down, clutching her mug. “I didn’t understand what the problem could be. It took me a few months after Mama died to even ask about the house. I was distraught, and the thought of coming here without her tore at my heart,” she explained. “But then, my daughter, Autumn, asked if we could celebrate Thanksgiving here, and that was when I discovered that I couldn’t get into my own house anymore.”
She looked at the two women sitting across from her. “I was livid with Matt for not informing me that he’d locked me out, but he just kept saying there were details he needed to straighten out before he could sign off on my inheritance.”
Violet smirked. “I’ll bet he kind of enjoyed leaving you in the dark. He gave me the impression that he loved being in control of us as well. He’s kind of a young punk, isn’t he?”
Camellia gave them a rueful smile. “He’s a punk, all right, but he’s not all that young anymore. He’s only about ten or twelve years younger than I am.”
She laughed at their surprise. “In case you hadn’t noticed, he dyes his hair, and rumor has it he’s had work done. He’s already gone through two wives, and I’m guessing he had to run off so fast tonight because he’s trying to woo wife number three.”
“I see. Are his parents still alive?” Lily asked, thinking how much Matt reminded her of Scott. It seemed that some men were always on the search for something younger and better.
“Clare, his mother, died of cancer about five years ago. Her death really affected Mama, and I think it took some of the spunk right out of her. She’d always relied on Clare for a lot. They were almost like sisters, those two,” Camellia said.
Lily looked at Violet. She couldn’t even imagine a world that didn’t have her sister in it.
“What about his father? Dad’s friend?” Violet asked.
Camellia nodded. “He’s still alive, I think. Shortly after his wife died, he handed the law firm over to Matt and retired. Dad went to visit him a few times, but I never really saw him again. The last I heard, he was living in a retirement community down in San Diego.”
Lily and Violet exchanged glances. “Do you think he knew?” Lily asked. “About all of us, I mean?”
Camellia shrugged. “He was Dad’s lawyer, and someone had to prepare this crazy will with all of these stipulations. I’m guessing he must have known something.”
“I wonder if we could go see him. I’d love to ask him some questions,” Violet said.
Camellia let out a derisive snort. “I already tried that. As soon as I found out that Dad supposedly had two other daughters, I asked Matt to give me his contact number. I wanted to ask my uncle what he knew about you.”
“And?” said Violet.
“Matt told me that his father is suffering from poor health and memory loss and refused to let me know where he is. He said he didn’t want his father to get upset by a visit from me,” Camellia said bitterly. “Uncle Matt and Aunt Clare were like family to me. Why would he be upset about seeing me?”
“Well, it seems that Matthew Junior, the snake, wants to be the one holding all the cards and all the secrets for now,” Lily said.
“Even growing up, I never liked him much,” Camellia grumbled. “Ray, my husband, has some family down in San Diego. They’re looking into some of the nursing homes and retirement communities to see if they can find him, but I guess for now, we just need to wait until Matt is ready to tell us what he knows.”
“How many children do you have, Camellia?” asked Lily.
“Oh, are we playing show and tell now?” Camellia sounded derisive. “Do you really care about my family, or are you just passing time?”
Lily took a deep breath and reminded herself again that this whole situation had to be as much of a shock to Camellia as it had been to them. “Yes, I really care about you and your family. Whatever is going on or went on, it’s clear we share the same father, and that makes you our sister. Of course, I want to know about your life.”
Camellia exhaled a breath loudly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped, but I just don’t think I’m ready to exchange stories right now, okay? This is all still so new to me. My whole life has basically been just my mother and me, with occasional visits from Dad. I’m not ready to hear that he might have spent more time with you than he did with me.”
Lily nodded and looked down at the now-cold mug of tea she held, wondering if she and Violet were ready to hear that their beloved but very absent father had been spending time with another family.
“I have one daughter, Autumn,” Camellia said softly. “She’s twenty-four and in grad school right now. Ray and I were college sweethearts, and we tried for years to have children. I went through every test and procedure that exists, and then finally, right after I’d given up hope, there she was, my perfect little angel.”
“You’re lucky,” Violet said so quietly that Lily wondered if Camellia had even heard her.
“What about you two? Married? Any children?” Camellia asked, her voice casual, as if she didn’t much care if they answered her or not.
“Married,” Violet volunteered. “But no kids. I’ve only been married to Lawrence for ten years. He’s much older than I am, so kids were never really in the cards for me.”
Camellia turned her questioning gaze to Lily.
She didn’t feel much like sharing how her life had fallen apart in recent years. “Yes, I have two children,” Lily said. “One boy and one girl. Marcus is married and now has two stepchildren I adore, although sadly, I don’t get to see them very often. Olivia isn’t married yet, but she does have a long-time boyfriend, so who knows, maybe soon?”
Camellia raised an eyebrow at Lily, and it was clear she was looking for something more in Lily’s answer.
She sighed and just let it out. “I’ve been divorced for almost two years,” Lily continued. “Scott decided to leave me for a younger woman. Of course, you can hardly blame him. His new girlfriend is gorgeous and extremely talented. I really can’t compete with that.” She laughed nervously.
“You’re kidding, right?” Camellia looked at her skeptically.
“No, she’s not,” Violet chimed in. “My sister has an uncanny ability to find herself at fault for every horrible thing others do to her.”
Camellia stood up, and putting her hands on her hips in a very Violet-like way, she said, “You’re going to need to stop doing that, Lily, or else people are going to take advantage of you.”
Lily groaned inwardly. The last thing she needed was another sister telling her what to do. She looked at Camellia, wanting to protest, but saw that the woman seemed frozen. Her eyes focused on the front door, and that was when she heard the distinct sound of voices as well.