Chapter 4 #2
Ruth would have been furious about Arthur's deception. She would have taken one look at Samantha Larson's phone number and been on the next plane. No doubt she would already have found an attorney by now.
The phone was still in her hand. She called her best friend, Priya.
Priya answered on the fourth ring. Emma could hear a hospital sound behind her, distant, the low white noise of a nurse's station.
“Emma, give me thirty seconds. I’m walking somewhere quiet.”
“Take your time.”
The hospital sound faded. A door closed. Priya’s voice came back closer.
“Okay, I’m in a supply closet. Where are you?”
“Key West, Florida.”
“Talk to me.”
So Emma told her the whole of the last two days.
She explained about the broker's call, about Twenty-Three Hibiscus Lane, its garden and Jake Kelleher and the will her grandmother had written. She laughed while talking about Margarita Max’s and the fun sisters who worked there.
And finally, she shared what Connie had told her about her grandmother Gloria's gentleman friend and her uncle's hand in all of it.
Priya listened without interrupting.
When Emma was done, Priya finally responded.
“Your grandmother had a gentleman friend?”
Emma laughed. “That’s what you got from everything I said?”
“I think that’s adorable.”
“Adorable?”
“Of course. A later-in-life romance, at her age. What else would you call it?”
Emma smiled at the thought.
“Anyway, let’s get back to the main point here. She wrote a will leaving you the cottage?”
“She did. It’s on record in Monroe County but nobody ever filed it with the Probate Court.”
“Two years before she died?”
“Yup.”
“Emma.” Priya’s voice was warm and quiet the way it got when she was talking to a parent whose child had just come back from surgery. “Your grandmother spent the last part of her life happy, and she made sure the house was yours. Do you hear what I’m telling you?”
“I hear you.”
“Good, because you’ve got to get serious about this. You need a lawyer today. Not tomorrow. Today.”
“I know, Priya. What do you think I’m doing down here?”
“Well, do you have one yet?”
“Not yet. I have the name of a few Miami firms, but I want someone in Key West.”
“Then ask the women at the bar. They’ll know someone who can help.”
“That’s my plan.”
“That’s good.” Priya’s tone shifted. “Also, I need to tell you something.”
“What?”
“I saw Joseph at a medical conference last month.”
Emma closed her eyes. “Priya.”
“I know. I wasn’t going to tell you until I saw you at Christmas.
I thought it would be good to let some time pass.
Then I thought I’d tell you when we went out for drinks Saturday night, but you’re there and I have no idea when you’re coming back, and, well, I couldn’t hold onto this news any longer.
I’m sorry, the timing probably isn’t the best.”
“How is he?”
“He looked well. He was there with his wife. They have a second baby now. He asked about you. He was kind, Emma. He's always been kind.”
“I know he has.”
“I'm not telling you this to open anything. I'm telling you this because you're allowed to have finished that chapter without feeling bad about it, and I wanted to be the one to tell you that.”
“Thank you, Priya. I haven't let myself think about him in a long time.”
“You're welcome. Now go find a lawyer. And eat lunch. Call me tonight.”
“Again with the food.”
“What?”
“Never mind. I’ll get a lawyer.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too. Now get out of the supply closet.”
They ended the call, and Emma sat there a minute smiling at Priya’s orders. They’d been best friends for years, and Emma depended on Priya to be honest and direct with her, even if it hurt. Her friend had done that very thing time and again, and Emma loved her for it.
From the armchair, Emma watched the strip of light that fell across the tile.
She enjoyed the relaxing sound of a small waterfall in the center of the garden, not far from her patio.
The bougainvillea moved a little in the breeze, and the kitten dropped to the floor, curling in a spot to enjoy the sun.
Two years of thinking about Joseph in the smallest and quietest corner of her mind, and she'd closed the door on that part of her life for good.
She was happy for her ex-boyfriend and wished him well.
What she did notice after Priya's call was that she felt lighter, not sadder.
Although it took her a while to get over Joseph, she was finally in a healthy place about him.
Her perspective on it no longer influenced her views on romantic relationships in a negative way, and for that she was grateful.
It was almost eleven o’clock. On her to-do list today was to talk to Jake Kelleher and get over to Margarita Max’s to talk to Connie and the others about finding an attorney in Key West.
Marisol was still at the desk when Emma came back through the main house.
She looked at Emma’s head.
“You don’t have a hat.”
“I don’t own a hat.”
“You’re going to own one by four o’clock this afternoon whether you buy it or not, because your scalp’s going to make that decision for you.
” Marisol crouched down behind the desk and came back up with a wide straw hat.
“Lost and Found. It’s been ninety days and nobody’s called about it, so it’s yours. ”
“I can’t take a stranger’s hat.”
“You can take a stranger’s hat, or you can get a sunburn.” Marisol held it out and kept holding it until Emma reached over and took it, putting it on her head.
“Look at that. It looks perfect on you,” Marisol said, clearly pleased with herself.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Enjoy your day.”
Emma grabbed her bag and headed out the door.