didn’t have to put on a show for me, a hug would have sufficed,” she said with a smug smile.
“Cut to the point woman, or get out. It really doesn’t matter to me,” Drake barked out beside me.
I jumped at the sound of his voice and my mother smiled. “What’s the rush? Maybe I want to catch up with my long-lost daughter,” she turned her attention to me, “So tell me Chloe, how have you been? I see you landed a nice guy to take care of you. I wonder how long he’ll stay with you until he gets bored?”
Drake jumped to his feet. “That’s it! Get out of my house and don’t come back. Chloe doesn’t need your bullshit.”
“Calm your horses, I’ll say what I came to say and then I’ll leave.”
“Then just say it and go mom,” I said as I grabbed the back of Drake’s shirt and pulled him back to me. I didn’t want him fighting with her and getting himself in trouble.
“Fine, have it your way. It’s about your Aunt Jennifer, it seems she’s been hiding her failing health from us. She doesn’t have much time left, a couple of weeks max.”
For the first time in my life, I saw my mother look truly upset. I had only spent a short time with my aunt, but she seemed like such a kind person, nothing like my mother, and her illness broke my heart.
“What’s wrong with her?” I asked.
“Cancer. They thought they had it under control, but it’s spread,” she took a moment to clear her throat and compose herself, “Anyway, she doesn’t have much time and she’s asking to see you.”
My eyebrows all but disappeared into my hairline. “Me? But why, I’ve only met her a few times in my life.”
“You’re her only niece, and for some reason she likes you. You and I both know that Jen has more money than she knows what to do with. She’s leaving most of it to Danny of course, but she wants us to have part of it.”
This took me by surprise. Sure, Aunt Jen was a kind soul, but why would she leave me any money? Or my mother? She had to know what kind of person she was. And none of this explained why my mother had come here personally to tell me all of this. There was something going on that she wasn’t telling me.
“I don’t want Aunt Jen’s money. I couldn’t do that to her, let her give my part to Danny or Jordan. They deserve it more than I do.”
“Of course you don’t deserve it, but she’s adamant about it. Since Jordan and Danny couldn’t seem to find you, she sent me to do it. We need to leave soon, time is against us.”
“Why do you even care if I get any of the money? There’s another reason you’re here, so tell me what it is. You’re not selfless enough to help even Aunt Jen.”
Her face distorted in anger. “You listen here you little bitch. You don’t get to talk to me like that, you don’t have a clue about me.”
Drake had settled into the cushion next to me as we spoke, but at her words he was out of his seat and lunged at her.
I grabbed him and pulled him back to me as I glared at her. I was usually a calm person by nature, by she had pushed me to my limit. “No, you listen to me; I can talk to you however the hell I want. Tell me why you’re really here or you can get out and all Aunt Jen will get is a long distance phone call!” I shouted.
Her face paled as she squeezed her hands into fists. “Fine,” she spit out, “You want to know the real reason I came to find you? She won’t give me my share of the money if I don’t bring you to her. I wouldn’t be here dealing with your stupid shit if I didn’t have to be.”
Now this was the mother I knew. All her kindness for Aunt Jen was for her own gain. She wanted the money so she could go run around and do what she wanted.
“You have got to be kidding me. How selfish can you be mother? Berate me all you want, but don’t use your dying sister for your own gain. Get out.” I motioned to the door as I spoke.
I’d had enough of her lies. I knew there was something in this