"He was one of a kind," I finally say with a little smile.
"He was,” he says and looks down at his paper. “Now for the nitty-gritty stuff."
I look at him, not sure I understand. “Obviously, he left you everything that he has." I nod at him. “But his finances …" He grabs a stack of envelopes all held together by a blue rubber band. My eyes focus on that stack of papers. “His finances were not great."
"What do you mean?" I ask, confused. My grandfather always made sure everything was paid in full. It was his Southern pride that he was never late with anything. He would starve before he was late paying a bill.
"The farm had been declining in the past couple of years,” he says. “He had trouble keeping up with the repairs." He takes a deep breath. “And then add the medical bills that came with him being sick."
"What are you saying?" I ask, my heart beating so fast now it’s getting harder and harder to breathe.
"The house was going into foreclosure,” he says. “It’s obviously been stalled now since he passed away. They will give you the appropriate thirty days to make sure you put his affairs in order."
"Foreclosure,” I say, not sure I heard him right over the pounding of my heart. I don’t listen to the rest of what he says. When he turns and gets up, he walks around his desk and hands me the stack of envelopes.
"I will be with you every single step of the way,” he says. “If you have any questions or concerns, all you have to do is call me."
I get up now, my legs a little shaky. “Thank you,” I say, holding the stack of bills that now feel like they weigh a ton. "I’ll let you know if I have any questions."
He walks me out, and I spot Sofia, who jumps up from the floor where she’s coloring with crayons to come over to me. She stops and then turns back, going to grab the paper. “I made you a picture, Momma." She hands me the picture, and I look down at it. “It’s me, you, and Pops,” she says. I bend to pick her up in my arms.
"It’s beautiful,” I say as I turn and nod at Mr. Devlyn and his secretary, fighting back more tears. When I leave the office, the heat of the sun hits me right away. “Did you have fun?" I ask as I walk with her in my arms.
"I made photocopies of top secret work," she tells me. “Then she gave me crayons."
We stop at the grocery store before heading back home. I pick up enough food so I don’t have to go out again for the next couple of days. I’m going to wait until tomorrow to tackle all these bills. Even if I wanted to do it now, my head is all over the place.
Sofia helps me carry in the groceries and stays by my side as I put away the food. It’s like she knows I need her. I’m grabbing things to make dinner when there is a soft knock on the door. I look over at the door, but my feet stick on the floor like glue.
The knock comes again, and I look over at Sofia, who looks at me and then the door. I grab the rag and walk to the door. My hands shake as I unlock the door and open it just a touch. My body goes tense when I see who is standing there.
"Is that Hazel?" I hear Charlotte say, and then I’m pushed aside as Sofia sticks her face in the little opening. Charlotte gasps, and I open the door fully. She stands there holding two bags in her hands with Billy right beside her. My eyes tear up when I see him.
"Sorry," I say, trying to act as calm and cool as I can, while on the inside, I’m slightly freaking the fuck out. "Please come in,” I say, moving aside and waiting for them to come in.
"We won’t keep you, dear," Charlotte says, and I just smile at her.
"We heard about Kaine," Billy starts to say, and I can see the tears in his eyes. “Toughest son of a bitch I knew." Charlotte goes over to him and smiles at him. “Except for when it came to you two,” he says.
"Thank you,” I say and feel an arm around my leg. “Sofia,” I say to her. “This is Pops’ friend."
"Do you have a tractor, too?" she asks, making everyone laugh.
Billy squats down in front of her. “I do have a tractor," he says, and she smiles at him and looks up at me. “And I also have horses." Her mouth opens. “If you convince your momma to bring you over, I’ll let you ride one." I don’t say anything, and I thank God that neither does Sofia.