Page 10 of Heartbeat Girl
JAYNE
TIMBERLAND NEWS:
After six long, torturous months, they’re finally putting Ruth’s case to an end. Without a body or evidence to suggest if she was killed, the case would be left unsolved…
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“Excuse me?” I blinked, then blinked again at Ruth’s lawyer in front of me.
Barb, Ruth’s mom, slapped her palm over her eyes and sighed. “It means my daughter wanted you to have it.”
My skin was clammy, hands shaking as I stared down at the paper. “S-s-six million dollars?” I set the paper back on the lawyer’s cherrywood desk. “No, this can’t be right.”
My heart hammered painfully. Had Ruth known about my debt? The amount would cover it hundreds of times over, and I could live like a damn queen if I wanted.No, no, no.I had no clue where she went, but Ruth was alive. I shouldn’t be receiving money she busted her butt to earn.
The lawyer exhaled, leaning back in his rolling chair. “I assure you, it’s correct.” He shuffled through more papers and handed them to Barb. “Besides what she has left for you and Jayne, she also left clear instructions on picking out which charities to donate the rest of the money.” He pulled open a drawer and handed each of us an envelope with our names written on them. Ruth’s handwriting. “These are for you. Funny, those envelopes weren’t added until a week right before she went missing. She had the will written months before, though.” His eyes studied us, and my insides churned. It was like he knew something was odd about the situation.Bingo!
Barb tore into her envelope quickly while I waited to open mine. Her lips trembled as her eyes darted across the paper. She looked to the side, wiped her cheeks as she refolded the letter, and rose to her feet. “Is that all that was needed from us?”
He nodded. “Yes, everything should be finalized within the next few weeks.”
I didn’t look at the lawyer as I stood and followed Barb outside, where she stopped once the sun touched my heels. In seconds, the heat already warmed my backside. “You think she’s regretting her choice now?” Barb’s shoulders and head both drooped. “How do I know Ruth’s okay?” I looked away when Barb’s voice cracked. “How can my daughter take care of herself when we have all her money?”
Don’t break down when I want to break down!
I sighed. Although I shared the same worries, I wasn’t the one allowed to freak out. I coughed, clearing my voice. But remembering Ruth’s words over the phone and the fact that one of us had to keep it together, I said, “You raised a strong and confident woman. I think she knew what she wanted and went for it.”
Barb nodded vehemently, clutching the letter against her chest. “You’re right. She’s tough. Lord knows she had to be with me as her mother.” She walked away, then stopped and looked over her shoulder. “If you hear from her, you’ll tell me, right?”
I cocked my head to the side, plastering a smile on my face. Like Ruth wanted. “What are you saying? I’m going to take you out for bagels next week! Just because Ruth left us doesn’t mean we have to leave each other.”
She scoffed. “Who eats bagels?” Her dark curls bounced around as she scurried down the steps. Yeah, that would not be easy. Barb was going to push me away, but a promise was a promise. Ruth better be glad I was persistent.
As I watched Barb fade away in the distance, my smile faltered.I’ll look after your ma, Ruth. I couldn’t understand why she had to disappear to get what she wanted, but if there was one thing I knew about Ruth, she did things she had to. There was always a reason. One I didn’t know but respected. But I missed her and wanted to ask her why she left me so much money. I hated her a little for leaving, but imagining her happy made her leaving less painful. She deserved to be happy with Amit if that was indeed who she was with.
After Barb left, I walked to a bench, sat down, and stared off into space.
Holy shit.It dawned on me again. Ruth made me a millionaire. Why? For being a good friend? I was a good friend because she was a great one in return. That was it. I didn’t deserve the money she spent so much time earning. My eyes watered and I sniffled. Damn. How annoying to cry over your boss.
“There she is.” Playful and upbeat.
“I told you we could find her here.” Mischievous and charming.
My skin tingled with awareness. Those were familiar voices that I spent a good amount of exhausting time avoiding when Ruth toured with them. And I was very good at avoiding them, especially after Ruth disappeared. Liam called a lot for someone that I wasn’t close to. I never answered, though. Heat crawled up my neck and face. My brain was going over a hundred scenarios on how to get away.
Too late.
Why did Liam have to be the one who sat next to me? I swore my body tingled at his nearness. The other two stared down at me like the creepy cat from Alice in Wonderland.
“Plotting an escape?” Liam asked.
I bit my bottom lip. Sometimes Liam seemed like the nicest out of the three. Other times, he was the most mischievous. And on rarer days, the scariest. In those strange moments, he got a cold look in his eyes that chilled me to the bone. He cocked his head, flashing his perfect smile.Playful today.
Remembering what they first said, I narrowed my eyes. “Are you guys looking for me?”
“Indeed, we are,” Pete answered.
“We heard it through the grapevine you had a meeting about Ruth’s will today,” Liam said with a wicked grin.