Chapter 8
Lindsey was downtown and popped into the coffee shop, ordered a coffee, then sat down, thinking about what was next on her work list. She had a pad of paper with her, filled with her schedule, because sometimes her work got a little on the crazy side.
When she looked up, she was surprised to see Chelsea staring at her, a confused look on her face. Lindsey smiled and asked, “Chelsea?”
The other woman nodded. “Yeah, I do know you, don’t I?”
Lindsey laughed. “We went to school together, so … and I really suck at volleyball as you know.”
“It was a good game last night and as for school…” Chelsea flushed. “Sorry, that’s a stage in my life I was just trying to get through.”
“You and me both,” Lindsey agreed. “I think we both hid out in the library a lot and, speaking for myself at least, just avoided everybody.”
“Exactly,” Chelsea said, with a laugh.
Lindsey motioned at the chair in front of her and said, “Feel free to join me if you want, unless you’re still avoiding and hiding.”
“I am a bit better now, but I’m not very social.”
“Oh, I get it,” she noted, with a smile, “though I’m not the introvert I was back then.”
“I don’t remember thinking you were ever someone who hid like I did,” Chelsea shared, smirking now. “Just goes to show you how we can be so focused on what we’re doing that we don’t really notice what other people are doing.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” Lindsey muttered.
Chelsea sat down with her coffee.
“What are you doing with your life these days?” Lindsey asked.
“I just finished nursing school,” she shared, “and I’ve started my practicum, so I’m getting there, slowly but surely.”
“Good,” Lindsey replied. “I was just lamenting to somebody the other day how I wished I’d gone to vet school. He was telling me that I should just go because the next however many years will go by whether I’m doing it or not.”
“And he’s right,” Chelsea noted. “That’s good advice.
I hemmed and hawed about it for a long time.
I was involved in the family business, until that went belly up, and then I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do,” she admitted, with a shrug.
“In the end, what I really wanted to pursue was nursing. Although my mother was dead set against it, I ended up going ahead with it.”
“Good for you,” Lindsey stated. “I’m not sure that our parents are always on our side, even though that may seem to be a stupid thing to say, since they should be.”
“The fact is, they aren’t always on our side. They’re always on their side, at least in my case,” Chelsea noted, with a sad smile.
“You don’t get along with your mom?”
“I’m not sure anybody gets along with my mom,” she declared, “but that’s okay. I’ve come to terms with it.”
“Do you still live at home with her?”
“No, not now, absolutely no way. The moment I could get out, I was out. And now that I’ll get paid work soon,” she added, “it will be a lot easier.”
“Of course it will,” Lindsey murmured, relieved that Chelsea wasn’t involved with her horrid mom.
“And now my mom is in a real snit at the moment over some court case or legal issues. I don’t know what it’s all about,” Chelsea said, “and I don’t want to know.
Life has been tough enough. I feel as if I worked all through high school just to make her dreams happen, and now I want to chase my own dreams.”
“And you’re entitled to have your own dreams,” Lindsey confirmed.
“But parents don’t always see it that way.”
“No, you’re right. I’m doing what my grandfather did. I’m an accountant, but that was never what I really wanted to do.”
“Oh, gosh. I can see why the thought of going back to school would suck then.”
“Yeah, it sure would. Yet would I be happier in the end? I just don’t know,” she murmured. “I’m here, doing what I’ve always done, and it is what it is.”
“Agreed, and, in that case, I would probably tell you to forget about going back to school, since you’re obviously doing fine.”
“I run my own business now, which is something I took over from the family.”
“At least your family business didn’t collapse like mine did,” Chelsea shared, with a wince. “Although it is for the best that it failed. It might have been what my mother wanted, but she wasn’t very good at it.”
“Ooh, ouch,” Lindsey replied. “That makes it even harder, doesn’t it?”
“It really does, and of course you couldn’t talk to her about it, couldn’t do anything with the farm but what she wanted with it.”
“Is it just you and your mom?”
“She’s got a boyfriend who’s … He’s just not my kind of people.”
“Ah, there is always that issue, isn’t there?”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t matter at this point. So, what do you do for fun these days?”
“I just told my volleyball team that I’m not playing anymore,” she shared, with a laugh.
“I’ve only been a backup, but, when it comes to playing, I really suck.
They just used me to fill out the required number of players on the roster, and it was all I could do to get out of it.
I played last night, called in because they had absolutely nobody else, and wouldn’t have been able to play without me, but it’s definitely not my thing. ”
Chelsea burst out laughing. “Oh my, that sounds terrible.”
“I didn’t want it to be so terrible, but it was. So I made it quite clear last night that I’m done. They were kind of upset, yet good-natured about it because, as I said, it’s not as if my playing helped them in any way. Hey, if you’re looking for a volleyball team to join, I can hook you up.”
“God no,” she muttered. “That is so not me, and I’ve already gotten myself into one anyway.”
“I thought I’d seen you around. So, what’s up with that?”
“Oh, it was one of those times where I decided to put myself out there, then immediately regretted it. I mean, I get it. For some people, it’s great exercise, and they absolutely love it, but for me?
I don’t enjoy it. I’m not terrible, but I get in a panic thinking I’ll mess everything up,” she explained, “so it’s definitely not relaxing in my world. ”
“Exactly,” Lindsey agreed.
“So you did good getting yourself out of that,” Chelsea said. Then she looked down at her phone and sighed. “Now I’ve got to go again.”
“Back to work?”
“Yeah, I look forward to finishing my program. Then I can start in full-time somewhere,” she shared. “It will be a huge relief to get off the money headache train and start earning a living.”
“That would be lovely,” she murmured.
And with that, Chelsea waved her off and said goodbye to her.
As soon as Chelsea was gone, she phoned Sterling.
“Hey,” he greeted her. “It’s almost like you miss me.” She burst out laughing, and then he moaned. “Oh, that’s not a good response.”
She giggled and explained, “It wasn’t so much that as the way you said it. But what I wanted to tell you is that I just had a chat with Chelsea.”
“Chelsea?”
“Yeah, your cousin,” she reminded him. “And honestly she’s really nice.”
“Oh, good,” he quipped. “That will make me feel even better when I boot her off the property.” Lindsey quickly recounted their discussion, and he noted, “That interesting.”
“Yeah, she sounded quite happy to be away from her mother.”
“I have to admit, it makes me a little happier to know that I won’t be kicking her out of her home or something.”
“Honestly, she seemed lonely as hell.”
He hesitated and asked, “Is that particular comment for me?”
“No,” she said. “I’m just saying that I think her life with your aunt hasn’t been the easiest.”
“No, I can’t imagine it has been,” he agreed, then groaned. “It’s so hard because—”
“Stop,” she interrupted. “It’s not hard at all.
You need to fight for your farm, and that is just a fact of life.
If your aunt is inconvenienced, it’s because of her own actions, not yours.
You don’t know how she’ll react, but it’s just part of what has to happen.
You should go after what’s rightfully yours, what will make your future so much better and easier, and don’t worry because it’s likely to be unpleasant. You should do this, Sterling.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure, and, if you go into this with that lackadaisical attitude, the judge will have a field day at your expense.”
“Yeah.”
“You need to be firm in your actions and your words. It’s a righteous cause, and you need to act like it.”
“Sure, but it’s also not that easy when I haven’t had anything to do with them.”
“I would think that would make it easier. Regardless, your aunt sent you to foster care and immediately cut you out of the family, so that’s all on her. You didn’t have anything to do with any of them because of her. So, where is your grandfather? That’s another thing I would like to know.”
“Me too. Too bad you didn’t ask Chelsea.”
“Oh God, I should have, shit.” She got up and looked around outside and muttered, “She’s already gone. I’m sorry.”
“Hey, hey, hey, I’m kidding.”
“I’m not. It would have been a perfect time to just ask her if she had any other family and then tell her about my parents or something,” she muttered. “I could have got something from her.”
“It sounds as if you’re pretty damn good at that.”
“As an accountant, I tend to ask very pointed questions to ensure people aren’t conning me or hiding things they don’t want me to know,” she explained. “I won’t do anything for them if I think they’re involved in something nefarious,” she stated. “That doesn’t go over well in my world.”
He laughed. “I can’t imagine it going over well in anyone’s world.”
“You would be surprised,” she muttered. “All kinds of people are out there who don’t think they should pay taxes.
As an accountant, I’m the one who gets hit with IRS audits, even if it’s got nothing to do with me.
I’m just the messenger, so don’t shoot me, but, all too often, it’s still me who gets shot.
” He burst out laughing, and she grinned.
“Anyway, I just wanted to give you that update.”
“I’m happy to have it, thanks.”
“Just be careful though, all right?” Lindsey added.
“What do you—”