Tank (Savage Dragons #5)

Chapter 1

Serenity shook hands with all the people who came through the line. Helen had been well-liked, and she was going to miss her sister something terrible. When the little boy handed her a rose, she took it with tears in her eyes.

“Thank you so much.” He didn’t look old enough to understand what was going on, so she got down to his level. “Did my sister babysit you?” His mother spoke for him.

“She was his sitter since he was eight weeks old. He’s four now.” His mother was crying, and it was difficult for her not to join her. “I’ve never met a better person than Helen. I loved her from the moment that I saw her.”

“I thought that she was the best little sister around.” They both hugged, and she decided that she needed a break from greeting people. Stepping back, she wasn’t very happy with her other sister for joining her. “You’ve only been standing there for ten minutes. I need a break from it all.”

“So do I. This is worse than watching her die.” She wanted to lash out at her that she’d not watched her die, but didn’t. Beth would just cause a scene, and this wasn’t the place to have an argument. She slipped into the bathroom and locked the door.

The knob rattled, and she could hear her sister whispering to be let in.

Telling her to go away didn’t work, but she sat down on the closed toilet and let her tears fall.

It was bad enough that her sister had to die, but to put up with Beth at the same time was worse.

She had to have things all about her, and that wasn’t working for her.

She sat there for a good ten minutes before she felt better.

Beth must have given up at some point, and she was happy for that.

The funeral was beautiful. Since Helen had made all the arrangements, there was little to nothing for her to do.

She was going to pay for the headstone; there’d never been enough money in her budget to pay for that.

Helen had even paid for her own cemetery plot next to their parents when she’d found out that she was sick a year ago.

Just six short months with her was all they’d gotten when they found out after a fall that the cancer was in her bloodstream and too far gone to offer anything but comfort in her final days.

Serenity wouldn’t have been able to live with herself had she not been there to tell her goodbye for anything in the world.

Standing up, she looked at herself in the mirror.

“Not bad, I don’t think.” She had designed her clothing since she’d been a child and had a really good job in doing it now.

It paid well, too. Straightening up her collar, she went to the door to leave.

Going back to flush the toilet, she made her way out to the people who had come to see her sister.

Beth was right outside the door. “What are you doing? Stalking me?”

“Why didn’t you let me in?” She said that she was using the bathroom. “No, you weren’t. You were hiding from me. I won’t have that, Sen. I’m upset just as much as you are, and I want you to stop treating me like I’ve done something wrong.”

“Look, Beth. I’m trying to deal with my own grief. Just do what you want and leave me alone. I don’t want to get into a fight with you here.” She asked her what there was to fight about. “You act like you’re the only one who lost a sister. I’m here too.”

“I know that. But I was there for two whole days, and she didn’t die.

What was I supposed to do when she told me to go away?

” She asked what she’d done to be asked to leave.

“I might have talked to her about dying faster. But she was so doped up all the time, it was useless for me to be sitting there watching her. She didn’t even care that I was there most of the time. ”

“She knew you were there. She told me that you told her that she was taking too long to die. Who says that to their own sister?” People were beginning to stare at them, and she walked away from Beth. “Please leave me alone. I want to grieve on my own.”

For the rest of the calling hours, Serenity walked around talking to people.

She didn’t know most of them, but they were kind enough to tell her how they knew Helen.

As she was getting ready to leave when the hours were over, she didn’t see Beth again and was glad.

It had been hard for her to be around her sister.

On her way back to the house that Helen had had, she picked up a burger and fries from the local place and took them back to the house.

She didn’t mind eating alone and enjoyed the quiet of the house.

Looking over the list of things that she had to do, she realized that she was going to see the attorney in the morning after the graveside to go over the will.

She also had to sell the house and get rid of the things that she’d had in her expansive yard for the kids.

She was sure that she wasn’t going to have any trouble getting rid of either thing; it was just one more thing that she had to do to make her sister’s wishes come true.

Her cell was ringing when she went to the bedroom that she’d been using.

Looking at who might be calling her this late, she wasn’t surprised when she saw it was Beth.

“I don’t have to go to the will reading. What’s all that about?” She said that she had no idea, as she wasn’t around when Helen wrote it. “I want some of what’s going to you. You aren’t the only one who lost a sister.”

“I said that to you today. I don’t care if you go or not.

I was told some matters had to be cleaned up, and I’m going to go and do them, no matter what they are.

She left me in charge of her estate, and that’s all I know.

” She asked her why it had been her. “Because I’m the oldest?

I don’t know, Beth. As I said, I wasn’t there when she made it out.

All I know is that I was called last night to be told that I was the executor of the estate.

I have to sell her house and the things in the yard for her. ”

“I don’t want any of that. Some of the money from the sale of the house would be nice.

I suppose you’ll have to share that with me.

” She again told her that she didn’t know.

“I know what you’re saying. You’re saying that because she loved you more than she did me.

Well, I don’t care. I loved her more than I do you anytime of the week. ”

“Good. Now, are we finished with this conversation? I don’t care who loved her more.

She’s gone now, and I have things I have to do for her.

” She said that she was going to the will reading.

“Again, I have no say over that. I told you this morning what was going on, and you got pissy with me then. Whatever she needed of me, I’m going to do. ”

“You’ll not leave me out of the decisions that she made, or I’m going to call and sue you.” Serenity said that she didn’t care. “I don’t know why she left you in charge anyway. It’s not right that I can’t do as much as you can for her.”

“You couldn’t even be bothered to be there when she took her last breath, Beth.

Maybe she knew you were going to be like this and didn’t want the drama.

I know that I don’t.” She rubbed her hand over her head, which was starting to ache.

“Listen. We only need to get through tomorrow, and that will be the end. I’ll go back to New York, and you can go back to wherever you’re living, too.

We won’t have to see each other again until one of us dies. Then it will be too late. Good night.”

Closing her phone to the connection, Serenity sat down on the side of the bed and cried.

It wasn’t grief this time, but that it had come to this with Beth.

They had never gotten along with each other as children, and as they grew older, it had become harder and harder to be in the same room with her.

She was selfish and entitled, and she hated to admit it, but she didn’t care for her all that much.

After tossing and turning through most of the night, she got up to get dressed.

The graveside was this morning, and she was glad that the weather had held out for the people.

Yesterday, it had been blisteringly cold, but everything had been inside.

Today, with having to be outside, she was glad for the sun shining and the wind to have died down.

It was still cold out, and spits of snow were showing themselves.

Wearing her heavy dress coat, she was as warm as she’d be in New York if she had to go out.

The funeral was over in a short amount of time.

Just as the weather was turning out to be cold and windy again, she was on her way to the attorney’s office.

She’d not seen nor heard from Beth, and she was happy for that.

Now, if she’d not show up at the office, she’d count herself lucky. But Beth was there when she arrived.

“I decided to come here rather than go to the funeral. Were there a lot of people asking about me?” She said that no one had, as far as she knew.

“I bet they all wondered where I was. They probably think I was home grieving for Helen when I just wanted to be here before you did. I know you’re going to keep me from something that she wanted me to have. ”

“Whatever. I’m here to figure out what bills I’m supposed to pay and when they’re due. Are you going to help pay on her bills?” She said that she was not. “I didn’t think so. You want to take-take-take, but you don’t want to help me.”

“If there are bills to pay, then you can pay them yourself. I demand that you give me half the money there is, and when you sell the house, I deserve to get half of that as well.” She said she wasn’t going to have anything because the hospital was going to take it all.

“We’ll see about that. They should know that we’re not paying for a dead woman’s hospital bill. That’s on them.”