Western Waves (Compass 3)

“His record collection? Why on earth would I want that?” Denise complained.

“Well, Kevin stated your first date was at a record store. He said you used to dance to the songs, and the collection would hold value to you.”

“How much are they worth?” she questioned with lowered brows.

“Enough,” Joe commented with a bit of disdain in his mouth.

“He’s really leaving me his New York penthouse?” Rosalina asked, stunned.

“What?! I want that!” Denise yipped.

“I see you still never learned how to shut up,” Grams remarked.

“Oh, go flip some damn tarot cards, Maple.” Denise flipped Grams off, and Grams smirked in reply.

“Yes, Rosalina. He said you loved Broadway shows,” Joe explained.

“I did.” She nodded, tearing up a bit.

Honestly, out of the ex-wives of Kevin, Rosalina was my favorite. She was kindhearted at times but came with a world of personal trauma that made her act out in intense ways. When she was levelheaded, though, she was so gentle. If I had to choose a favorite stepmother out of the bunch, Rosalina would’ve been it. But that wasn’t saying much, truly. The best of three evils.

“That was our first date,” Rosalina said. “The New York Theater.”

“He also left you his season tickets to the ballet, paid off for ten years,” Joe informed her.

“I also got his jewelry.” Rosalina giggled with glee. With a wicked smile, she looked in Denise’s direction. “I suppose this means I was loved more than you.” She then looked toward Catherine. “What did he leave you?”

“Hopefully more than you both. He did, after all, marry me twice,” she remarked.

“Divorced you twice, too,” Denise shot back. “A double loser, if you ask me. Just like how you lost Miss America twice.”

“Screw you, Denise,” Catherine snapped.

“Ladies, ladies. Let’s not get too carried away with comparing. He wrote them as letters to each of you for the simple fact that he didn’t want to have it be a public affair,” Joe stated.

“Speaking of affairs, why does Catherine even get anything? Seeing how she’s the one who ended my marriage,” Denise scolded.

“Oh, please. He was over you before he even married you. It was a given at his holiday party that you were on your way out. You can’t blame me for moving right on in,” Catherine sneered.

“This can’t be real life,” Damian muttered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose as the women all broke out into an argument about who Kevin loved the most. The room was filled with shouting women searching for validation they would never truly get because Kevin was gone.

He’s still gone.

“Will you all just shut the fuck up and let Joe finish reading whatever the fuck it is he needs to read?!” Damian boomed, his voice filling the room and making all the screaming voices come to a sudden halt. Goose bumps prickled against my skin as his deep voice rocketed.

He smoothed out his suit, and Denise’s eyes fell to him. “No, really, who the hell are you?” She turned to Joe. “And if he was going to simply give us letters, why bring us all here tonight? This could’ve been an email. Christ. I hate when people hold physical meetings over subjects that could’ve been sent as an email.”

I couldn’t disagree with Denise on that. We disagreed about pretty much everything else in the world, except for our hatred of unnecessary meetings taking place.

I held my letter in my hands. I couldn’t find the strength to open it yet. I wasn’t ready to read his final words to me. It felt a little too much like goodbye.

“For this part.” Joe started unrolling a piece of paper. “These were Kevin’s last wishes, written in his own words, and he asked me to read them to you.” He cleared his throat and began reading words that changed everything. “If you all are hearing this, then I am on the other side of forever, and I hope none of you meet me here for a long time. I am bringing you all here to carry out my final wishes. To all my ex-wives, hi. How are you? You look great. Have you lost weight?”

The women giggled as if he was truly complimenting them.

Joe continued. “As you all know, I am a firm believer in marriage—so much that I did it four times over. Each one of you gave me something different. Rosalina, you gifted me with your sense of wonderment and adventure. Catherine, your stubborn yet strong personality, and Denise, you gifted me a head of gray hairs.”

I snickered to myself as Denise rolled her eyes, and Joe resumed.

“With all three of you combined, one could say I had the perfect marriage. Which is what I wish for both Damian and Stella.”

“What does that mean?” Damian grumbled.

Joe held up a finger to silence the room. “My final wish is to leave Damian and Stella with the remainder of my wealth, including my stock shares, my bonds, my estate, and over five hundred million dollars that will be split down the middle between you both.”