Threads of Steel (Bayou Cove) (14 page)

The conversation had been stilted, but she had expected no less. What she’d done to her best friend wasn’t something that could be forgotten or forgiven without a lot of work.
             

Pulling her knees up to her chest and resting against the pile of pillows, she thought about all she’d missed out in life,
then
bit her lip. Most of the messes she’d gone through in life had been her own fault. Had she thought about some of her actions before jumping into them so fast, maybe she could’ve avoided some of the troubles she’d had to endure along the way.

She closed her eyes and groaned. Before she died, she wanted to correct some of those mistakes. What she’d done to Anna Marie was one of the biggest weights on her shoulders. She’d made the first move by asking her to call. Now that Anna Marie and she had had their first conversation,
Doti
knew it was going to take some work to make her former friend realize how truly sorry she was for breaking up her marriage.

But time was not on her side.
             

With her cancer not responding to the chemo treatments as her doctors thought it would, she knew she was facing the end of her life, but had she really accepted that fact
?
Since the doctors had used the C word, she started going through the steps of putting her life in order, or at least she thought she was. Every day she thought of some unfinished business that loomed over her head.

Would her ailing parents be able to deal with the sale of her house? Should she put it on the market now? She still owed a lot on the house, but if she sold it, her parents would have a little money to help with the care of her daughter, but she knew it wouldn’t be much.

Maybe she should call a real estate agent tomorrow.

Just the thought made her tired.

She thought about Caitlyn, her eleven-year-old daughter
.
How do you leave such a beautiful, innocent child to face the world without her mother?

Doti
curled up on her side and pulled a pillow to her face. It hurt too bad to think about her daughter being alone.

“Mommy?
Are you sick tonight?”

Caitlyn’s voice made her take a deep breath and sit up in bed. She swallowed hard and forced a smile.

“No, baby.
I feel good tonight. Come sit here with me and we’ll watch one of your movies.”

Caitlyn walked up to the bed and hopped up next to her and threw her arms around
Doti’s
neck. “That’ll be fun. I’m glad you’re not sick tonight. I want to stay home. I love Grandma and Grandpa, but I like staying here.”

“I like staying here too. I’m okay tonight so let’s pick out a movie.”

She watched her daughter go through the box of movies. Staying home was an option she had tonight, but she knew that too soon that would not be a choice she could make. When she
was too sick to give her daughter the attention she needed, they slept at her parents’ house, and she knew that too soon she’d be too sick and too weak to keep her daughter here.

Planning for her daughter’s future was her biggest concern, and if she were lucky, she had a plan that would give her peace.

She prayed she had enough time left to put the plan in the works. Surely God wouldn’t take her until she knew her daughter would be taken care of.

CHAPTER
8

Rain came down in sheets. Anna Marie pulled up to the curb a couple houses away from Miss Ellie’s house, stopped the car,
then
sat a few minutes waiting for a slack in the downpour. It never happened, so she decided to make a run for the front porch.

The normally vacant driveway and front curbing of the old Victorian now had several parked cars. She recognized Nancy’s van and hoped the other two were those belonging to the
Lowerys
and not any of Miss Ellie’s family. She cringed at the thought of having to confront them.

Anna Marie knew the dear lady had money stashed away in savings accounts and safety deposit boxes and probably under the bed. Miss Ellie had told her many times that her husband’s pension and her retirement check far exceeded what she needed to live on. Now, her thrift throughout the years would line the pockets of her relatives.

A wave of sadness and guilt swept across Anna Marie’s chest.
She wished she’d been able to spend more time with Miss Ellie during her last few years, but knowing there was nothing she could do about it now, she’d have to live with the guilt. She reached into the back seat and grabbed her umbrella
.

As soon as she opened the door, a gust of wind blew rain against her body before she was able to extend the collapsible umbrella. Holding the umbrella as close to her body as possible, she hurried down the sidewalk and through the gate.

“Anna!” Nancy ran down the sidewalk with an open umbrella that had one side hanging. “Anna, wait for me.”

Anna Marie stepped up on the porch and waited.

“Oh heavens.
This is awful weather.” Nancy stomped up on the porch and shook her umbrella. “I didn’t think I could get out of my yard, and I was so afraid for you on the interstate.”

Anna Marie took the broken umbrella from Nancy. “I did fine. The bad rain didn’t hit until I got into Bayou Cove.” She looked up at Nancy and at her umbrella that had several spokes broken
.
“You’re soaked, girl. What happened to your umbrella?”

“What else?
Kids.”

Anna Marie laughed,
then
the two of them shook the rain from their bodies and stepped into the wide, dimly lit hall. Low talking could be heard from the parlor. Anna Marie took a big breath. “We might as well go see who all is here.”

“I’m nervous,” Nancy said. “I wonder if
Doti
is
here?
”

“Well, we won’t find out standing in the hallway.”

Nancy grabbed her arm. “Tell me you called her.”

Anna Marie nodded. “I called her the day after receiving the letter about the will.”

Nancy pursed her lips and frowned. “I can’t believe you haven’t told me that.” Her voice was a whisper, but the stern tone came through.

“I wanted to, Nancy, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about her, and still don’t. I guess I didn’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay, I’ll accept that.”

“Anyway,” Anna Marie said in a soft voice, “
Doti
apologized for what she’d done to my marriage and said she wanted to talk again some times after we saw the lawyers. I agreed. The
conversation was short and stilted. I guess it was mostly my fault. I couldn’t bring myself to be a hypocrite with a mushy acceptance. I did agree to talk with her on one of my trips back to Bayou Cove.”

“Well, then here you are, and I guess we’ll see if she’s in there.”

Anna Marie took a fortifying breath. Her heels clicked on the hardwood as she stepped into the parlor. Two distinguished men in black suits and white shirts stood near the fireplace in the parlor. They turned and nodded as Nancy and Anna Marie walked in.

This room was usually closed off from the rest of the house, but Anna Marie recognized the same couch from her high school years. Upholstered in dark, red velvet, it sat in front of a huge stone fireplace and brought back a flood of memories when she,
Doti
and Nancy had spent time here. They always tried to act grown-up as Miss Ellie served them tea and cookies. Obviously the couch hadn’t been used much over the years, since the velvet was as plush as it was back then.

She looked around the room, her gaze stopping at a straight upright chair sitting near the fireplace occupied by none other than
Doti
. Just as Nancy had described her from the doctor’s office, she looked ill. Her skin had a pallor that comes with a long illness, and Anna Marie was sure she was wearing a short-wig.

She and Nancy stood by the door, neither of them speaking.

“Come in ladies. I’m Xavier Lowery and this is my brother Charles.” They both walked over and shook hands. “I’m so glad you two could make it today. Miss Ellie was very specific about how she wanted this done.”

Anna Marie couldn’t take her eyes off
Doti
, who raised her hand slightly. “Anna Marie. Nancy.”

Nancy went over and hugged her, blabbering about how great she looked. Anna Marie simply nodded to her. For all the years since the incident with
Doti
and Ronnie, Anna Marie had suppressed the hurt from
Doti’s
betrayal. Now she would have to deal with it.

“Ladies, if you’ll take a seat, we’ll get right to this gist of the issue here.”

His words gave her a small reprieve.

After she and Nancy took their seats, he continued.

“Our law office has been named as executor for Eloise Harrington’s estate, better known to everyone who knew and loved her as Miss Ellie.”

Those words brought an emotional lump to Anna Marie’s throat as she fought back the deluge of tears that threatened to fall.

“You can see the full will when we finish or it can be viewed at the courthouse at another time. Miss Ellie wanted this part to be done first before the content became public. Her family will be notified today about things left to them.”

Anna Marie looked at Nancy, her eyes huge.

Charles Lowery took over. “Most of what she left to the family has been spelled out carefully and specifically. She didn’t know she’d lose her life in an accident, but she didn’t leave anything to chance. The lady knew exactly what she wanted done when she was gone. You’ll see that all money in her savings accounts and bonds went in equal proportions to her sister and to her brother. The nieces and nephews got a few items from the house.”

Anna Marie caught glimpses at
Doti
and Nancy. Neither said a word, but both of them twitched or pursed their lips as Mr. Lowery made it clear that they would not get any money. Her heart went out to them knowing both
Doti
and Nancy could’ve used a little windfall.

Mr. Lowery flipped through his papers and pulled out a sheet. “This will was signed and
witnessed three years ago. Miss Ellie asked that this be in full view of anyone looking at her will and for me to read it aloud to you three ladies.

He cleared his throat and began
.
My dear family and friends, I’ve thought long and hard about what to leave to whom, and I am quite pleased with the results of months of work and reworking the list.

I realize that some of you will not be pleased how I remember you, but I might say now that I wasn’t always pleased with those who never ventured to come see an old lady except to ask to borrow money. My Joseph left me well off from inheritances from his own family so I never had to worry about my future. He always had my love and my thanks, but he couldn’t give me companionship after his death. I had to find that in my beloved students.

Now, to this lovely home which some of you visited ever so seldom throughout the years and some who, I’m afraid, never stepped through the door, but over the years there were three young ladies who never forgot me.
Ever.

Anna Marie,
Doti
, and Nancy looked at each other.

These young ladies I took under my wing in high school many, many years ago, and they in turn took me under theirs when the need arose. For that reason, I leave my home and the property, jointly to Miss Anna Marie
LaFaire
, Mrs. Nancy Bernard, and Miss
Doti
Daniels.

Girls, you can do as you wish with your gift. If you need the money, sell it and divide the proceeds. Use it as a vacation home or however best fits your needs. All three of you must agree on the decision. I ask one thing though. I want the three of you to remember the friendship that held you together for so many tough years. It wasn’t easy for you growing up, but the bond that you formed was as tough as steel. But steel is not permanent, as you well know. Find that bond again. Please. Make an old lady happy.

Mr. Lowery cleared his throat, the only sound in the room. The three of them sat unmoving, staring at Mr. Lowery who finally smiled at them. “Ladies, our office is here to help you any way we can. Do you have any questions?”

Anna Marie brushed away tears that flooded her eyes. “I think we’re all in a bit of shock.”

“I understand, but over the years, I worked closely with Miss Ellie. She loved you ladies. Having your friendship broken was hard for her, but now you’re the proud owners of this lovely Victorian. I hope you can work out the details of how it will be used. There is some legal work still to be done for the transfer of the house, but theoretically it’s yours. I’m giving the keys to you so you can meet here, walk through the house as you make decisions, and reminisce. Just give me your word that nothing will be removed from the premises until the rest of the document is fulfilled.”

“Mr. Lowery, I have a question.” Anna Marie wasn’t sure how to ask, but it had to be done. “Miss Ellie had no idea how she was going to die. You do know that it was my father who ran over her. Do you think she still would want me to be part of this gift?”