Page 11 of P.S. I'm Still Yours
Mom nods. “And do you know what happens if someone leaves you out of their will?”
My mouth falls open.
“Not really,” Gray admits.
Mom exhales a deep breath. “If someone doesn’t put you in their will, you get nothing when they pass.”
Wait…
Mr. Wilder left Evie nothing?
I figured he’d left them a small amount at the very least, but not a dime?
This has to be why they’re moving in with us.
Evie didn’t work in the fifteen years she was married to him. Mr. Wilder wouldn’t allow it. He claimed Evie getting a job would make it seem like he couldn’t provide for his family, and women shouldn’t want to work, anyway.
“That’s what happened to Evie,” Mom explains. “Mr. Wilder gave most of the money in his trust fund to his brother and donated the rest to charity, which means Evie has to figure out how to feed and care for Kane.”
Charity?
I’m supposed to believe the man who beat up his own son gave his money to charity?
Anger soars in my chest. “He can’t do that!”
Mom’s eyes tell a different story. “Unfortunately, he can.”
My mind is racing. “And Evie can’t do anything to fight back?”
“There are things you can do to contest a will, especially when minors are involved. None of which you need to concern yourself with, but I promise you Evie has been doing everything she can to challenge it.”
“How long are they going to be living with us?” Gray asks.
“Evie needs to get a job so she can get back on her feet. Once she’s in a better situation, she and Kane will get their own place. But I’m not going to lie to you, it could take a while.”
Realization hits me. “What about school? Does that mean Kane will go to Easton High with us?”
“No, he’ll be doing online schooling. His old school agreed to let him finish the year since it was already paid for.” Mom turns to Gray. “Grayson, you’ll be sharing your room with Kane like we talked about. I found a bunk bed at a clearance sale last week. It should be getting delivered soon, but in the meantime, he’s going to have to sleep on a blow-up mattress.”
“All right,” Gray grumbles, and it’s obvious he doesn’t like the idea of sharing his space, but he also knows he can’t let Mom down on this.
Mom’s focus darts to me. “Hadley, Evie will be staying in the guest room, so I moved a few boxes we put in there to your closet.”
I give a small nod, and Mom rises to her feet. “Evie and Kane need us now more than ever, and we’re not going to bombard them with questions or do anything that could add to their burden, understood?”
“Yes,” Gray and I agree.
“Good. Now, let’s all try our best to make them feel at home.”
Gray heads back up to his room after telling Mom to call him once they get here, but me? I’m cemented into place, counting down the seconds until I see him again.
A knock rattles the front door a half hour later.
Mom hurries down the hall, calling for Gray as I follow her, my stomach churning at the possibility of seeing two strangers on the other side.
There’s no way they’re the same people they were at the beginning of the summer. No way that their world getting turned upside down didn’t leave them in shambles.
Mom opens the door, and my breath gets stuck in my throat.