Take A Chance With Me (With Me in Seattle 18)
I can’t reply. I can only cling to her and cry into her shoulder. She leads me to one of the booths, and Ma and I get cozy, snuggled up together. She strokes my hair and whispers soothing words until my sobs subside into soft whimpers.
“I never cry like this,” I manage.
“That might be why you needed it,” she replies and wipes my face with a napkin. “There, now, tell me what has you in such a state.”
“I’m mad.”
“About what, exactly?”
“Your eldest son is a pain in my ass, that’s what.”
Her hand pauses in my hair and then keeps moving again. “And what did Kane do?”
Why do I feel like I’m five again and tattling on my brother?
I sit up and reach for more napkins to wipe at my face and blow my nose. “You know I did my best to move on after Joey died. After everything that I learned about him, and how horrible he was. And just when I thought that everything had calmed down, and I was through the worst of it, something happens to smack me right in the face. It’s like he’s dead, but he just won’t die, you know?”
Ma narrows her eyes and nods slowly, continuing to brush her fingers through my long, red hair.
“What did the no-good bastard do now?”
“Which one, Kane or Joey?”
Her lips twitch. “Either one.”
“Kane called me this morning and asked if I could come over for coffee. The jerk made it sound as if we could just enjoy a quiet morning together. And we don’t do that very often anymore, so I jumped at the chance. But he tricked me.”
Ma raises her eyebrows. “It’s a trick, is it?”
“There was another man there. A private investigator. Apparently, Kane hired the guy shortly after Joey died to uncover all the things we weren’t finding on our own. Even though I told him not to do that. And the guy said that he found an account in the Caymans that Joey owned, and I’m the beneficiary.”
“How much money is it?”
“Half a million.”
If she were wearing pearls, she’d be clutching them in her pretty hands. “Mary Margaret.”
“There’s a safety deposit box, too. So the key I have probably goes to that.”
“And where’s the problem?”
I stare at her incredulously. “They did this against my wishes, Ma. And Cameron knew! He showed up, and he already knew what was going on. I’m sleeping with him, and he betrayed me.”
“You’re sleeping with Cameron, are you?”
I wince. “I said that out loud, huh? It doesn’t matter. I don’t want any of this. I don’t want the money or the box or anything else.”
“Seems to me you could use the money,” Ma says. “Whether you use it for yourself or donate to a cause.”
The door to the pub opens, and Kane walks in.
“I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Too bad,” he says and slides into the booth opposite us. He blinks at Ma. “How in the world did you get here?”
“By plane, just this morning. My sweet Cameron came to get us and kept our secret. And it’s happy I am to see you, but I’m going to let you talk with your sister for now.”
She kisses my cheek and then scoots out of the booth and joins everyone at the bar. She says something to Da, who then looks my way and gives me a wink.
“I’m really, really mad at you,” I inform Kane. My eldest brother reaches for my hand, and I don’t pull away. Of all my siblings, I’m closest to Kane, and that’s saying a lot because we’re all tight.
“I know, and I’m sorry that you are,” he says, measuring his words. “But I’m not sorry that I hired Bill. You deserve to know everything that Joey did, and if he left some money for you, well, you’re entitled to that, as well.”
“But I don’t want it,” I repeat. “Kane, I’ve worked damn hard to leave that part of my life behind, and you keep cutting me off at the knees every single time you undermine me like this. I know that you think you’re doing what’s best, but only I know what’s best for me. I’m not a little girl anymore.”
“I just want you to consider going down to the islands to check it out. If you don’t want the money, donate it,” he insists, echoing Ma’s thoughts, “but don’t let it just sit down there, making that bank richer. It might bring you some closure.”
I take a deep breath. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. You’re not hearing me. I’m going to go home, clean up, and rest before work tonight. Just give me some space, okay?”
“Mary Margaret, I love you. You know that.”
“I know it. But, sometimes, you love me too hard.”
I get out of the booth. Before I leave, I lean over to kiss Kane’s cheek. I may be mad at him, but I love the big jerk.