did leave you a portion of her estate. I am afraid that I'll need you to come into our offices on 510 Madison Ave, on the sixth floor. I just need to schedule an appointment for you. Would today work for you?"
"No, I have to..." What exactly did I have to do today? No work to get to, nothing really lined up to replace it. I would be putting a little more on my blog later on in the day, but that wasn't really calling my attention at the moment. "What time works for you?"
"How do you feel about one hour from now? I come back from my lunch break by then. We can meet then."
"Sounds good. I'll see you then, Mr... Batten, right?"
"That is correct, Ms. Kane."
I hung up, looking around the room again before starting to get ready. A shower was the first thing on my mind, something quick to calm myself down. I hurried into the bathroom, washed and dressed. Hearing that Aunt Moira had passed away was about the worst news that I'd gotten all week, and that bar had already been set high. I hardly knew her but I felt like I should be more upset at not taking more time to reach out to her. After the big argument with my mom, I decided to cut out the whole family. Now some of that regret swirled in my gut.
As I stepped out of my bathroom, I froze in place suddenly, hearing someone groaning in my living room. I knew that I hadn't gone to bed with anyone, and had no memories of anyone I'd brought home.
A head jerked up from my sofa, with a mess of hair and smudged makeup staring me down through confused eyes.
"Who's being loud?" Kels whispered, rubbing her temples.
"I am," I answered, looking around for my keys. "I'm... sorry. It's just that I got some really bad news and I need to have a chat with a lawyer."
"Oh." Kels straightened up, shaking her head. "Sorry. What happened?"
"Uh... My aunt died, and she left me something. Or her lawyer needs me to sign something. I'm not sure. Anyways, I’ve got to go. Are you going to stay here for the day?" This wasn’t the first time she slept over after going out late at night or we had a girls’ night in.
Kels shook her head. "I don't know. I think so. Do you have like... lots and lots of bacon?"
"Why?"
"You need bacon to get rid of a hangover."
I shook my head. "No, you just need to take an aspirin and get yourself hydrated again. All that extra grease is just bullshit."
She ran a hand through her hair, fingers getting caught in her knots. "No, it's not, I swear to God. I've been using it since we were in college."
"That's what you call a placebo. You just feel better after eating a shit-ton of bacon."
Kels tilted her head. "I mean... isn't that the point?"
I paused and finally shook my head. "I... I guess. Anyways, I have to go. If you need to leave before I get back, just lock up after yourself, okay?"
"Yeah, sure. You sure you're okay?"
It took a bit of work, but I finally found my keys, tucking them into my purse.
"Yeah. I'll just need to get myself back in the mindset."
"Losing your job, and now your aunt... I mean."
"I know." I nodded, reaching the door and looking back to Kels as she lay back on the couch. "I'll handle it."
The door closed behind me, and I took a deep breath before locking it.
"I always do," I breathed, stepping away from the door and heading toward the elevator.
It was a quick trip into Manhattan to get to the lawyer offices. The firm was not a small one, and it was bustling with activity. The secretary that was told to wait for me was already handling three other meetings.
"I'm sorry," she called over the sound of ringing phones. "This is when everyone's coming back from their lunch breaks, so that's when everyone's calling to talk with people. Let's just get you moving. Mr. Batten's office is just around the corner. He's already in there, so you just knock, and he'll let you in."
A lawyer at a firm like this usually had a secretary, although maybe not the ones dealing with small-time inheritance issues. The fact that he had an office and not a cubicle was also interesting, but I wasn't going to put too much time and thought into it.
I tapped