things over the years, and money was tight often.”
Wait? What? “Are you saying you spent my money?”
She glared at me. “It wasn’t your money. It was my father’s. He’d have wanted me to use it if I needed it. He didn’t even know you.”
She had spent my college money. I sat there and repeated that over and over in my head. If this was a nightmare, I’d really like to wake up now. Thank you very much.
“You need to stop living off my mother and get a real job. Make money and find your own two feet. Mom has coddled you. You’ve had it too easy with her, and you were spoiled and selfish and made stupid decisions that lost a little girl her life.”
If she had taken a knife from the kitchen and shoved it through my chest, it wouldn’t have hurt any worse right now. Being accused of Quinn’s death was the most painful thing I’d ever face. Especially from my mother. I’d have never touched a drink or taken one smoke if I’d known Quinn was upstairs.
“That’s not fair,” I managed to choke out through the tightness in my throat. Making it hard to breathe.
“Tell that to Quinn and Poppy’s parents. To that town. Tell them it’s not fair, Willa. What isn’t fair is that since you came into this world you’ve been a problem. Just like your father. Useless.”
She stood up and again placed her hand on her stomach, as if protecting herself.
“I’m just glad I’m not like you,” I said as she walked toward the door.
“You never were,” she spit. “You even look like him.”
Anger was slowly replacing my pain, and I stood up with my gaze locked on hers. “Good. Guess I got lucky then,” I retorted.
She jerked her head back like I’d slapped her. “Don’t you dare talk to me in such a way. I’m going to tell Mother to pack you up and send you on your way. Figure out what the real world is like. It’s time you grew up, Willa.”
“The only person leaving this house will be you.” Nonna’s voice filled the room in a loud commanding tone, and I had never been happier to hear anything in my life.
“Momma,” my mother began, but Nonna held up her hand to stop her.
“Get out of my house with that evil heart and mouth of yours. That girl don’t deserve this from you. Go spew your venom elsewhere. If you come back, I’ll call the cops. You hear me? Leave!” Nonna pointed to the door, just in case my mother wasn’t sure on the exit.
She opened her mouth to speak again, and Nonna shook her head. “I’ve heard enough.”
“I’m pregnant! I came to tell you!” she yelled.
“I can see that. And you want money from me to support that baby. I know that, too. Leave my house now!”
My mother balled her hands into fists and stormed out of the house. Nonna slammed the door behind her. I watched as she touched the door with one hand and took a deep breath. That had to be hard on her. Nonna loved my mother. She wasn’t a mother like mine was. She was loving. She wanted the best.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner,” Nonna finally said as she turned around to face me. “That girl is mean. Always has been. Can’t for the life of me figure out where her meanness comes from. Her daddy was a good man.”
“She used all my college money,” I told her. That was the one thing that was said I couldn’t shake loose. It affected everything.
Nonna nodded. “I know. I checked on it over the years and saw she was taking some a little at a time. I began to do the same. I ended up saving about seven thousand of it. I added it to my savings account that has the rest of your grandfather’s life insurance money in it, and that is more than enough to get you through college. You’ll need a job of course to pay for your food and extras, but the classes will be paid for and the dorm.”
“She doesn’t know you took some?” I asked, still in a daze going from being told I had no college money to being told I had enough for all of my college.
“Your mother isn’t smart with money. She can’t afford a new baby, yet she’s driving around in a flashy foreign car. I figured I needed to take care of your future, because