Chapter 23 #2
“So she set up a checking account in my name three months in advance of taking out the loan,” she said more to herself than Gary, who was just following protocol and probably couldn’t help her at all. “How did you get this number?”
“From Sheila Morgan, the emergency contact on your mother’s account.”
“Because you tried the number that was supposed to be mine, and it was dead, right?”
“Right,” he said after a slight pause. “So should I send copies of the paperwork to that email address?”
Rosie sighed. Gary obviously wasn’t quite as intelligent as he sounded.
“No, Gary. Because I don’t have access to that email.
It’s not mine.” She gave him her real address, and seconds later, a message from Gary Brown and the Bank of America popped into her inbox.
“Can you give me a moment while I check the paperwork, please?”
“Of course,” he said and popped her on hold.
Sure enough, her name and details were listed as the co-signee on a loan for $30,000.
“Jesus Christ, Mom.” It wasn’t like Rosie didn’t already have enough debt with student loans.
She had a feeling her mom hadn’t used it for home renovations since she wouldn’t have had any intention of staying in the new place longer than twelve months.
But was there anything left of it? If her mom hadn’t spent it before she’d died, Keith would sure as shit have gotten his hands on it.
She scrolled down to the fees. Fuck. The sixteen percent interest of nearly twenty thousand took the total to just under $50,000, and then there was the fifteen-dollar monthly loan service fee.
Nausea roiled in her stomach, and she took a long, deep breath.
Her mom was gone. How was she still inciting such visceral reactions to her behavior?
She refocused and got to the signature part.
That was her mom’s scribble, but whoever had attempted to forge Rosie’s had failed quite miserably, which was a relief though she wasn’t sure whether that alone would be enough to prove she’d had nothing to do with this damn loan.
She blew out a long breath and waited for Gary to take her off hold.
She knew two lawyers: Lori’s piece-of-work ex-wife and Solo’s wife, though she didn’t have a number for Janie and would have to call Lori.
“Are you still there, Ms. Morgan?” Gary asked when he finally came back on the line.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“And now that you’ve seen the paperwork…”
She waited for the end of the sentence—the accusation—but it didn’t come. “That’s not my signature on the paperwork. It looks more like a drunk spider dropped into an ink pot and then crawled all over the page.”
There was a long pause from Gary’s end. “It looks like we have a little problem, Ms. Morgan.”
“Little? I don’t think you can call $50,000 worth of debt little.” She took a breath, trying to keep her voice even against the volcano erupting inside. “Look, Gary, obviously this isn’t your fault, but also, this isn’t my loan or my financial responsibility.”
“But your name is on—”
“Yes, Gary. I know my name is on the paperwork, but this is clearly fraud by my mom.”
“Your mom?”
His incredulous tone would’ve made her laugh. Of course the average person would find such a notion ridiculous, but then the average person wasn’t unlucky enough to have had a mom like hers. “Yes, Gary. My mom.”
“I’m afraid that isn’t my department. I’m going to pass the case onto our legal team, and they’ll be in touch.”
“Great. Thanks, Gary.” She hung up. “And thanks, Mom.” She flipped to her favorite contacts and was about to call Lori when her cell vibrated in her hand.
Shay. Rosie had replaced a semi-naked picture of Shay with one of them together in Tijuana, and the new photograph made her smile despite the serious conversation she’d just had.
She answered the video call and waved. “Hey, you. How’re you doing? ”
“Hey, yourself.”
Shay’s bright smile pushed away the last thoughts of her potential new debt so she could fully concentrate on being in the moment, and she hoped Shay’s apparent happiness meant her father’s surgery had gone well. “Any news on your dad?”
“Great news, actually. He came out of surgery just after I spoke to you earlier, and he’s been conscious and lucid for the past few hours.” Shay switched the camera around to show she was in the peace garden again. “I’m back in my new happy place.”
Rosie could see the orange tulips in the foreground and wondered if there was any significance to Shay choosing that spot to call her again, or if Shay had attributed some importance to seeing her mom’s favorite flowers just before she’d received good news about her father.
“That’s wonderful, Shay,” she said, putting aside her therapy hat.
“Does he seem like his usual self?” The question was a bit of a double-edged sword.
“Yes and no. He isn’t showing any signs of confusion, and he knows all the family. But he seems to be keeping his usual crankiness dialed down.” Shay shrugged. “Could be he just needs to get his strength up before he clicks back to normal.”
Rosie nibbled on her lip, switching between choosing to say nothing and interfering.
Was their friendship strong enough that she could offer her thoughts and gently push Shay toward reconciliation with her father?
“I know you weren’t interested last time I brought this up, but do you think you might take this as an opportunity to mend fences?
” A wave of relief washed over her when Shay grinned.
“Get out of my head.”
Rosie smiled and winked. “That’s a yes. Five psychic points for me.”
“Only five?” Shay jutted her chin at the screen. “I think you might deserve ten.”
“Ooh, you’re so generous. Thank you.”
Shay shook her head. “Seriously though, yes, I’m going to talk to him when we’ve finished chatting. Everyone but Aaron has gone home, and he’s in with Daddy now.”
Rosie clenched her toes and held onto her judgment that most of Shay’s brothers were leaving everything to her again.
“It doesn’t matter, Rosie.”
She frowned. “What doesn’t matter?”
“It’s okay that they’ve gone home,” Shay said. “You’d make a terrible poker player. The condemnation was all over your face.”
“It was not.” Rosie blinked and placed her palm over the screen briefly. She liked that she was paying attention and didn’t stop the slight smile at Shay’s reading of her.
“It really was. But it’s good. This way, I get to talk to Daddy alone, and no one’s going to interrupt us.
And,” Shay put her finger up, “progress with Aaron continues. He made a genuine offer to stay, but I told him to go home to his family. See what therapy can do? That’s the kind of difference you used to make. ”
“But now I just manipulate people to spend money they don’t have on things they don’t want.” Rosie made a face and clutched her hand to her chest. “Ouch.”
Shay cocked her head. “Your words, not mine. This time.”
Rosie stuck out her tongue but didn’t argue. Words were powerful indicators of emotional state, and her own choice of them was telling.
“What’s been happening in your world? Do you miss me?”
More than you’ll ever know. “So much stuff. And no, not at all.”
Shay gave her cockiest grin. “Liar. You’re just saying that to hurt me.”
Rosie arched her eyebrow. “You want me to miss you?” The question was out of her mouth before she could marshal her thoughts.
Shay glanced away and shrugged. “Maybe.”
The idea of that was enough, and Rosie didn’t press for more.
It was a good sign their situationship was still solid and that Shay had no idea Rosie was head over heels in love.
“No one’s coming to the memorial, including Aunt Sheila, and my mom forged my signature on a loan, so I have a new $50,000 debt. ”
Shay’s eyes widened. “What? You’re kidding?”
Rosie shook her head. “I wish I was. I need a lawyer.”
“I’ll text you Janie’s number,” Shay said. “I don’t know what kind of lawyer she is, but she should probably be able to help.”
“Are you sure that’s okay, given how things are with her and Solo?”
“I’m positive. And if she can’t help, I’ll bet she can give you the details of someone who can.”
Rosie smiled tightly as the gravity of the situation dawned on her a little more.
Her mom really never thought of anyone but herself.
“Thank you.” She didn’t want to drone on about her problems, so she thought about what it meant that Shay was calling her again, and she tried for a more genuine smile.
This one came far easier. “Have the doctors told you when your dad will be allowed to go home?”
“He’s got to stay in the ICU for another forty-eight hours for round the clock observation, then they’ll move him to a ward, where he has to stay for a week minimum.” Shay shook her head and laughed. “You’ll guess he’s not happy about that.”
“What about you? How do you feel about it?”
Shay rolled her eyes. “Getting back into practice, counselor?”
Rosie opened her mouth to protest, but Shay waved at the screen.
“I’m kidding. I’m okay with it. Me and Aaron will figure out a schedule and corral the others into it, so there’ll always be someone here for visiting hours. I’ll probably take most of the weekend.”
“Oh.” She quelled her selfish disappointment down and hoped Shay hadn’t heard it in her voice.
“Don’t worry. I’ll still be there for your mom’s memorial on Saturday.”
“You will? It’s fine if you can’t make it. You’ve got your own family stuff to manage. You don’t need mine too.” Rosie didn’t want to prove Shay right and be just another emotional time suck she didn’t have the capacity for.
“I’ll be there.” Shay’s teasing disappeared, and her expression was serious. “I promise.”
A kaleidoscope of colorful butterflies fluttered in Rosie’s stomach. That made two promises in one day, and Shay had kept the first one, which was one more than any of her previous partners had. She caught herself. Shay wasn’t her partner; she was her friend with benefits.
Words were powerful and reflected emotional states, she reminded herself again. Love. That was her overarching emotion right now, and keeping a lid on it was proving more difficult than she thought it would be.