Chapter 39
Lucy
“Lucy, I presume?” Lila’s smooth voice answers in my ear, amusement coloring her tone.
“The one and only!” I answer brightly.
A chuckle sounds in my ear.
“Alright, why don’t you put me on speaker? If you are at the point where you’re answering each other’s phones, then you need to hear this and I assume my sister is there.”
“Yeah, she’s right here,” I answer glancing over at Aria who has moved into an upright position and (unfortunately) covered herself with a blanket.
“Good. I didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to kill her and not get dispose of her phone as well.” The amusement is still present in her tone and a shiver runs through me as I remember what Aria told me about who her roommate is.
Best not to mess with her, I firmly decide.
Refusing to answer that comment, I put the phone on speaker and say, “Okay, we’re both here.”
“Okay, good.” Her voice comes out of the phone much louder this time. “Ari, you good?”
“Yeah,” Aria draws out the word, her brow furrowing. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Oh, no reason, other than you didn’t tell me about your meeting with the lawyer. Do you know how hard it is to break into their encrypted systems, Aria? Pretty fucking hard is the answer, in case you were wondering.”
“Please don’t admit to felonies over the phone, Lala,” Aria groans, burying her face in her hands.
“Don’t you start with that,” Lila shoots back, “What do they mean the DA won’t press criminal charges?”
“Wait,” I break in. “They’re not pressing charges for the pictures?”
“No,” Aria sighs, running a hand through her hair, wincing as she catches on a tangle. “Apparently, we live in one of two states that don’t have any laws on record for revenge porn. We’re still going after him in a civil suit for damages, but yeah. Nothing to do, apparently.”
I give Aria a hard look that says you should have told me this sooner.
She hit me back with one eyebrow raised that says you were indisposed.
I drop my shoulders and nod. Fair point.
“He is not going to get away with this, Ari.” Lila’s voice cuts through our moment and I shiver again at the ice in her tone. “I won’t let him. I promise you that.”
“Just…nothing illegal, please,” Aria capitulates. Her face creases with concern, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s not for her sister. Lila’s exasperated sigh comes through in answer.
“Fiiiiiiine,” she grumbles. “I don’t know why you would have to add that qualifier. I’m an absolute angel.” A pause. “That should cover me for any wiretaps.”
I let out a short laugh, then stop when I realize neither of them are laughing with me.
Right. Yeah. Not joking.
“Just send me a warning text whenever I might see something,” Aria says, a note of weary pleading in her voice.
“You got it, Ari!” Lila answers cheerfully, and I find myself a bit concerned for Jacob as well.
The line goes dead and Aria sits there with her head in her hands for a moment longer before heaving a heavy sigh and looking up at me.
“Movie?” I ask, weak amusement in my tone.
“Movie,” she agrees and lifts the blanket in invitation. I snuggle in beside her and hand her the remote. We deserve a moment of peace before the storm hits.
***
The next day, I am in the middle of taking care of a customer when the door opens and an unfamiliar man in a suit steps inside.
“Luciana Ramos?” he calls out. The hustle and bustle slows a fraction in response.
“That’s me! One moment,” I call back before finishing up the dirty chai and handing the register over to Jeremy. I approach the man in the suit and hold out my hand. “Please, call me Lucy.”
“Lucy, then.” His teeth are too white as he smiles back at me. “My name is Damien Thorne. I am here on behalf of Attorney Benjamin Davis. Do you have somewhere private we can talk?”
I nod, recognizing Benjamin Davis’ name as the attorney Mama Betty and I met with regarding her estate. We head back into my office space together and I work to contain my amusement as he takes in the rickety desk and faded armchairs with barely concealed disgust.
“I believe we settled everything regarding the estate, so how can I help you, Mr. Thorne?” I ask politely, ensuring to keep a professional distance.
“There was one more provision that Ms. Gonzalez was adamant be delivered to you after three weeks. Here are the details of the inheritance,” he says, flourishing a white envelope from his inner jacket pocket. “If there is anything I can clarify, please let me know.”
I open the envelope carefully, aware that this is the last piece of Mama Betty that will come from the woman herself.
Within the envelope, there is a smaller sealed envelope and another page that has numbers on it.
I take out the small envelope and hold it in shaking hands before carefully unsealing it and unfolding the letter inside.
I smooth it out on my desk and read:
Mija,
This letter will come after I have gone, but don’t fret, child. I am somewhere without pain and without sadness. I do not know how much there will be left of me at the end, so I wanted to write my hopes for you now, so that you may cherish them.
You are young, Luciana. Live while you are young. Do not waste away your youth grieving an old, tired woman. I am there with you even now, so take me to your joy, not your sadness.
Let love win. Even if it is not with your sweet Aria, let love be your guiding light in life. You deserve the best that love has to offer.
Never make yourself small to appease those who overstep your boundaries. The right people, in business, friendships, or romance, will take you as you are. They will always encourage you to be more, not less. Look for that and listen to it. Let it show you who deserves your time and energy.
There are many things that I hope you hold onto, but I will leave you with this: I love you, Luciana, and I am so proud of the young woman you have grown into.
Love,
Mama
By the time I finish, tears are streaming down my face. I lean back to make sure they don’t fall on the letter itself. As I glance up, it appears that Mr. Thorne has stepped right outside the door with his back to me, granting me a moment of privacy.
I suck in a noisy breath and try to stem the tears. For a moment, I can almost feel a pair of warm hands on my shoulders. I know she’s here, even if that’s crazy or impossible, I know she’s here with me.
“I love you too, Mama,” I whisper into the empty space of the office. The warmth on my shoulders envelopes me completely for a moment before dissipating entirely.
I take a deep breath. Then two. I close my eyes and let the emotion pass like me and my therapist have been working on. Another few deep breaths, and I feel like I am grounded and stable enough to move to the other paper in the envelope.
I pick it up, unsure what to expect. As I unfold it, I take in the myriad of numbers on the paper before glancing up at the man still standing at the door.
“Mr. Thorne?” I call out, proud of how calm and steady my voice is.
He turns and strides back into the room, acting as if no time has passed. I greatly appreciate it.
“Ah, it seems you found the account information,” he says, flashing his too-white smile once more. “Do you have any questions on this or how to access the account?”
“Account…?” I look back down at the paper and he’s right, it’s a statement from a bank account owned by Mama Betty that she apparently passed down to me. I glance down to the bottom where the balance should be.
$50,000.00
“Holy shit,” I breathe, unable to get much force behind my words.
“Indeed,” Mr. Thorne chimes in, his tone amused. “Ms. Gonzalez left the $50k in this account to you, no stipulations. Now, when it comes to taxes…”
I zone out as he starts talking about taxes and what this inheritance will mean for that.
Instead, in my mind’s eye, I see Mama Betty sitting in her recliner, knitting project in her lap.
I see her smiling at me with a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she gives me one last gift now that I can’t argue her out of it.
Nicely done, Mama. I shake my head and smile. Nicely done.