Miss Congeniality (36 page)

“Do you need to ask? Red please.” After everything was situated in the living room, food and wine spread out like a buffet, Gwen turned and looked pointedly at Eva.

“Spill it. I know you tried to avoid whatever is bothering you by being secretive, but I am dying to know.”

“I inherited a house.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Gwen continued to stare; sure she hadn’t heard Eva correctly.

“You heard me. I inherited a house from my mom.”

“Your mom?” Gwen asked, confused. “Your biological mom?”

“The one that has been dead for twenty years? Yep.” Eva nodded her head in affirmation. “Only, it turns out that she wasn’t dead before, but she is as of about a month ago. And the real kicker is my dad and stepmother knew the whole time.”

Eva looked at Gwen to gauge her reaction, hoping she wouldn’t see pity, and laughed out loud. Gwen sat there with a shocked expression on her face; lips open with a piece of chicken midway to her mouth.

“Gwen?” Eva snapped her finger in front of her face. Gwen seemed to snap out of it, closing her mouth suddenly as she put the chicken down.

“You mean …?” she started but couldn’t finish.

“Yes,” Eva nodded in affirmation. “My mother wasn’t dead, but she is now. She gave me her house lock, stock, and barrel. And I don’t know what to do.” Eva finished the last sentence on a whisper, frowning down at her food.

“I mean, how often does this happen? What do you do when you find out your mother was alive but wanted her child to believe she was dead?” Eva stared at the same picture of her mother she had all weekend, eyes welling with tears as a few leaked down the side of her face before she angrily wiped them away. “I don’t even know why I’m crying. I’ve been so pissed at her all weekend I can’t see straight. How dare she do this to me? She should have said nothing and just left me with my memories. But no,” she raged, screaming as Gwen could only stare in shock, “she had to give me this damn house that is only two hours away. So my mom lived two hours away but ignored me. And my father…” she spat the word as though she didn’t want to think about him “…allowed her to do so, and told me she was dead. Instead of a mother, I got a house, and I am supposed to pretend like this is normal. It’s not.”

Gwen, who had sat there throughout Eva’s tirade, interrupted before Eva started again. “I was going to say something about this whole fucked-up situation, but first I need wine,” she said and took a gulp of her red wine as she collected her thoughts. “Whew. I needed that after everything you just told me.” Gwen watched Eva, who looked as though she had been pulled apart emotionally, and sighed deeply because she didn’t know where to begin.

“I want you to know there is no way I could ever understand what you’re going through. I know my family is not perfect; we both know I have major Daddy issues, but I couldn’t imagine knowing my father was alive and wanted me to think he was dead.” Eva’s eyes pooled with tears again, but she blinked them back before any could escape. “Having said that,” Gwen continued, “I would like to know some logistics before I offer my opinion. How did you find out about the house?”

“I got a letter in the mail Saturday.” She stood up and brought the letter from the kitchen for Gwen to read. “A law office from Highland Creek wrote to tell me that Elizabeth Matthews died on May thirteenth. She had left me her residence and all of its contents, in addition to a small trust with about a hundred thousand dollars. I called the office and spoke to the paralegal, who told me I am supposed to claim the inheritance at my earliest convenience. I need to go to the office to sign the paperwork and get the keys, but I don’t know if I even want the stuff. What would I do with a house from a woman I don’t know? At this point I don’t want anything to do with her.”

“Hold on. I was serious when I said I couldn’t understand what you’re going through, but aren’t you even a little bit curious?”

Indecision weighed on Eva’s face as she considered her options. “I don’t know,” she put her head in her hands. “I shouldn’t have to make this decision. I know I should go see it, but what if I don’t like what I find out. What if it was me?” She stared at the floor, shoulders slumped, prompting Gwen to pull her in for a hug.

“That’s stupid. You know it couldn’t have been your fault. You were what, two? I think you should go to get some closure. Plus, summer vacation is in less than a week so you have all this time with no plans. It won’t hurt you to see the house, and then you can decide if you want to sell it or keep it; it doesn’t matter. What matters is the fact that your mother reached out to you. Regardless of when she did and under what circumstances, you owe it to yourself to try and find answers. I would kill for my father to reach out to me, and you need the closure,” she explained as she stroked Eva’s honey-blonde hair to comfort her.

“I have to think about it.” Eva pulled out of Gwen’s embrace to start cleaning up dinner. Gwen followed her in the kitchen with dirty dishes and leftover food as they continued talking. “I’m going to take the week, finish out the school year, and consider going down there.”

“That’s all you can do.” Gwen glanced down at her phone as it chimed, grimacing at the device as she saw the text message.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nick. That was him telling me he won’t be back until after nine.” She ran her fingers through her hair in agitation. “He is so driven that I don’t know what to do. I want to support him. I’m his wife and I’m in this forever, but sometimes I am so damn lonely. He works late all the time, and I don’t know how much longer I can take it. If these are the hours he’ll be working when he makes partner, then I don’t want it. Everyone says the money is great and I should be so proud of him, but all I want is my husband.” She shakes her head, clearing her thoughts. “Sorry to vent. We weren’t talking about my marriage, we were talking about you.”

“No problem. I had always thought you didn’t mind when Nick worked so much.”

“Yeah, appearances are deceiving. But enough about me, because my marriage won’t be solved tonight. I want you to think about what I said. You need to go, not for her, for you. You need the closure.” Gwen hugged her hard and headed toward the door.

“Thanks for everything. And don’t worry about your marriage. Nick wants you happy. Just talk to Nick about what’s bothering you. I’m sure you can get him to scale back if he realizes how important it is to you.”

“Thanks.” She smiled. “See you tomorrow. And just remember, four more days!”

“
Mommy, do you like my flower?”

“Yeah, baby, it’s beautiful.” Her mother took the rose from her hand and inhaled deeply with her eyes closed, smiling slightly. “The only thing more beautiful is you…” she poked Eva’s stomach, causing her to giggle “…and you will always be my beautiful girl.”

Eva launched herself into the safety of her mother’s arms. “I love you, Mommy.”

“Love you too, baby.” Elizabeth kissed her on the forehead as she held Eva tightly. “Don’t ever forget, I will always love you.”

Eva jerked up in the bed, a hand on her chest as her heart raced wildly.
Why the hell am I dreaming about you now?
she thought with disgust. Four thirty. The clock eerily glowed green, taunting her as she lay back down and stared at the ceiling.

What to do? What to do?
Part of her would admit that she was curious. How could the mother she remembered abandon her only daughter, the one she claimed to love so much?

“I shouldn’t care,” she said into the empty room, her voice echoing in the dark as she furiously wiped tears as they poured from her eyes. “I shouldn’t,” she declared vehemently, turning on her side, “but I can’t seem to stop.” She stared at the wall until the morning sun shined through her windows, her decision made.

Cover Image used under license from shutterstock.com

Cover Design by E.M. Tippetts Book Designs

Edited By Hot Tree Editing

Without infringing on the copyright of those listed above all rights reserved. This story should not be reproduced, copied, or distributed by any means- electronic, printed, recording, or any other form without the expressed permission from the author. This book is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places, and events are a product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is coincidental.

This ebook was designed and formatted by