The Magnolia Sisters (Magnolia Sisters #1) - Michelle Major Page 0,16
kept that from you.”
Avery’s mouth thinned. It was one thing to offer sympathy but quite another to accept it.
“Meredith grew up here. She knew Niall. Her family hated him.” She shook her head, a strand of loose hair falling across her cheek. “I never understood why, but now I get it. Her dad must have known the whole time.”
“He never confronted Niall?”
Carrie shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s complicated and the house at the beach is part of that.”
“How?”
“The property sits on twenty acres of waterfront property. The Ventners owned it for generations.”
“That’s Meredith’s last name,” Avery murmured.
“It had been her father’s family ranch.” Carrie shook her head. “The man she knew as her father. Carl is a former marine. He had some issues with PTSD after the Gulf War. Meredith has two older brothers, and everyone knew things were rough for the family. When her parents divorced, the mom moved to Florida but left the kids with Carl. Dad bought the ranch from Meredith’s grandma before she died. Carl didn’t know about the sale until after it went through. He was livid because he’d expected to inherit. But his mother put the money in a trust for the kids’ college. Meredith’s brothers, who were a few years older, left Magnolia and haven’t returned.”
“So she was raised by a dad who wasn’t really her dad?”
Carrie drew in a breath. “Carl eventually cleaned up his act. He owns a garage and auto parts store in town. Meredith was really into animals. She became a vet tech and works for the local animal hospital. A couple of years ago, she came to my dad—her dad—wanting to lease the property out by the beach for an animal rescue organization.”
“She didn’t know she was asking her biological father to lease her the house that had belonged to the family of the father who raised her?”
“No.” Carrie shook her head. “Looking at it from this side of knowledge, I wonder what Niall was thinking. It’s kind of...”
“Sick and twisted,” Avery supplied.
“Exactly.”
Neither said anything for several moments. They stood in the silence of the kitchen, dust motes dancing across the sunlight that filtered in from the window above the sink. It wasn’t too late, Avery mused. She could still walk away. Even though she had nothing to return to, surely starting over someplace else would be easier than slogging her way through the family drama that was certain to ensue in the wake of Niall’s death.
She’d been furious with her mom for keeping this secret. Now it occurred to her that, for once, Melissa might have acted with Avery’s best interest at heart. Probably unintentional but the result was the same.
Then she noticed a single tear track down Carrie’s smooth cheek. Her sister. Despite everything else, she yearned for a connection. For a family. Carrie and Meredith shared her DNA, and she couldn’t turn her back on that.
“Can I see the rest of the place?” she asked. “Even if you can convince us not to sell, it’s going to take a ton of work to clean out the house.”
Carrie swallowed and flashed a grateful smile. “Sure. The upstairs isn’t quite as bad as down here.”
Not quite, but close. A cloying sense of frustration grew heavier on Avery’s shoulders as Carrie gave her the tour. Furniture, knickknacks and stacks of newspapers were crammed in every room.
“Why did he buy all this stuff?”
“I recognize some pieces from his more recent paintings,” Carrie told her. “I’m guessing he was looking for inspiration in the antiques or reminders of a time in his life that felt happier. We’ll need to get Meredith here, whether she likes it or not. It all belongs to her in theory.”
“And I thought I got the raw end of the deal with the tenants who pay no rent.”
Carrie started down the steps again, but Avery paused at the top. “Is this an attic?” She placed her hand on the antique brass knob of the three-panel door.
“Don’t go up there,” Carrie snapped, the sharp edge of her tone a surprise.