**
One week later
Rolling over, I rub my temples as a loud banging noise ensues. It takes me a moment to realize that the pounding isn’t inside my head. Someone is knocking on the door.
“Open up, Audrey or I am using my key,” I hear Gertie shout from the hall.
Ugh. What does she want?
I shuffle to the door, stepping over all the random crap in the floor. Old takeout containers. Wine bottles. Dirty clothes. “Whatta ya want?” I croak.
The handle jiggles. I hear keys rattling.
God. “Fine.” I undo the lock and let the door fall open.
“Good god,” she mutters as she pushes her way to the living room.
I arch a brow. “What are you doing here?”
“Came to check in on you. Nattie says you’ve not been leaving the apartment.”
“Why do you care?”
“Audrey, honey. Joey wouldn’t want this for you. He’d want you to live your life and maybe take a bath and wash the sheets.” She stares past me to the bare mattress in the bedroom.
I plop down in an arm chair. “Who are you, my mother?” I snort with a roll of my eyes.
“No and thank God for that, but my Joe JR loved you and that makes you a part of my family whether either of us like it or not. So, get up and get in the shower. I’m going to start picking up.” Her top lip curls as she bends down to pick up a beer bottle.
“I don’t want to. And I don’t need you cleaning up after me.” I fold my arms across my chest, wishing she’d leave.
“Listen, young lady, and listen good. You are going to march your ass in there and wash it. If I have to strip you down and shove you in I will. But this is still my son’s home and business. I’ll be damned if you’re going to ruin it.” She wags her finger at me and I am partly in shock and partly impressed that she is cursing at me. I never thought she had it in her.
“Chop. Chop.” She claps her hands and I wince as my headache returns.
**
I don’t get why I need to be here. Joey and I weren’t married. I wasn’t even aware that he had a Will. Gertie found a copy of the documents in the safe in the bedroom closet when she came over to light a fire under my ass. God the woman drives me mad. Always calling me. Always asking how I’m doing. I don’t know why she bothers. Why can’t she leave me to wallow until I shrivel into nothing and fade away.
“Mr. Reyes will see you know,” the secretary tells Gertie.
We all raise from our seats. Natalie, Gertie, Big Joe, and me. We are minus, Nate, Joey’s brother. He is still serving his tour of duty. I’ve never met him, but I have seen some photographs. He’s Natalie’s twin but he resembles Joey more.
I follow the family into the meeting room and take a seat toward the other end of the table.
“Come on, Audrey. This involves you.” Gertie bosses me. The woman hates me. I don’t know why she is pretending today.
The attorney goes over the basic stuff, explaining legal jargon that I ignore for the most part. Things don’t get interesting until he reads the Will.
Turns out Joey left everything to me. His apartment. His hare of the bar. He updated everything six months before he passed away. The family is arguing about buying me out as though I am not even sitting here. As though Joey didn’t entrust me to see his dream through.
Everyone is talking at once. “Audrey can’t manage a bar. She should sell her share to Nate and Nat. If she wants to live in the apartment she should start paying rent…”
They are so invested in screaming at one another that they don’t even notice when I slip out the door and hail a cab to drive me home.
I’ve not been inside the bar since that day. The day of the accident. The day I lost Joey.
Standing outside of the building I have called home for two years I can’t believe I’m now a part owner. My smile is a bittersweet one. Joey loved me enough to leave me his baby. He really did want to marry me and build a future together.