Not My Mother by Miranda Smith (lightweight ebook reader .txt) 📕

bothered me. Like I told you then, you shouldn’t lose your career because of someone else’s mistakes. This amount should be enough to get the place running again. You could use that, couldn’t you?”

Less than an hour ago, Des was crying about the state of the restaurant. Des could use this as much as I could. But something about taking Amelia’s money, especially when I’ve not been upfront about the DNA test, doesn’t sit well. I don’t want Amelia to feel like she has to buy my friendship or respect.

“Promise me you’ll think about it,” Amelia says, placing her hand over mine. She leans in and kisses my cheek. I smile, appreciating her kindness, still conflicted about how to react.

31 MarionNow

Other than the graffiti incident at The Shack, the past two days have been normal, whatever that means.

I’ve worked my regular shifts, trying to raise Des’ spirits. I’ve taken Carmen’s calls concerning the case. There still aren’t many updates from the hospital because Mom is under sedation. I’m resting on the couch, having just put Ava to bed. The room is dark except for the blue glow of the television.

My phone pings with another text message from Holly Dale:

I’ve been trying to reach you.

No shit, she’s been trying to reach me. If she’s not pestering me with text messages, she’s calling Des at The Shack. I’ve been dodging her, but I can’t avoid her much longer. I dial her number.

“Is this a bad time?” Holly asks when she answers the phone. She knows what the past week has been like; she was at the party when Mom was arrested.

“As good a time as ever,” I say, punctuating my response with a deep exhale.

“It’s a business matter,” she says, her voice artificially nice. “We’re about to send the hotel’s promotional offers out to the printer. I didn’t know if you wanted us to include The Shack, like we did last year.”

“I can’t think why you wouldn’t. We’ve partnered with your hotel for the last several years.”

Holly is fishing for an excuse to exclude us. If Mom’s case continues to garner the attention it has in the past week, any association between the hotel and the restaurant would be bad press. They’re not the only local business that will reconsider their partnership with us, but Holly is the most irritating. I’m not willing to give her an easy out. If she wants to cut ties, she’s going to have to say so.

“I just thought you might have other things on your mind right now.” She pauses. “Maybe this isn’t the best time to be promoting.”

“It’s almost summer. That’s always the best time to start promoting.” I tear open a potato chip bag with my teeth and dig in. My first meal all day. “We’ll keep the same placement we had last year. I’ll send over a check by the end of the week.”

“That’s, well…” Holly pauses again, trying to process her reaction at lightning speed. “That’s fine, Marion. I’ll put you down.”

An easy forfeit, which isn’t very much like Holly. I hope other businesses will continue to work with us, that Mom’s newly tarnished reputation won’t destroy the business I’ve worked so hard to build.

“Everything else okay with you?” she asks.

“Yep.”

“What about your mom?”

This is the real price I pay. In exchange for not losing our advertisement, Holly will demand some fresh gossip.

“I’m not sure if you heard, but she’s in the hospital. We’re hoping she’ll recover soon.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that. I’m sorry about all this.” She sounds sincere. “How’s Ava holding up?”

“Ava is one, Holly. She doesn’t even know what’s happening.”

As I say the words, I’m not sure that’s true. She must sense some of my anxiety, she must sense that her grandmother isn’t around. But even if she has these realizations, they’re fleeting. Even now, she’s sleeping peacefully in her crib. She doesn’t have to deal with the reactions from other people.

“Do you think they’ll take this thing to trial?”

“I don’t know.” At least, I don’t want to think about it. I remember what Amelia said about staying at the Emerald Shores Hotel. Holly must have noticed the other woman at the center of this tragedy. “Don’t you hear enough about the case from your guests?”

“I try not to interfere with their business,” she says, curtly.

Just mine, I think. The line beeps, letting me know there’s another incoming call. I pull the phone away from my face to check the screen. It’s Rick.

“Holly, I have to go.”

“Let me know if you—”

I end the call before she can finish. I’ve been anticipating his call for days, and I’m hoping he’s reaching out to share the results of the DNA test.

“You’re home, right?” he asks after I answer.

I look out the window. In the parking lot, a dark car sits a few spaces away with its headlights on.

“Are you watching me?”

“Carmen wants me to keep an eye on you. And I have your results.”

“Okay. Tell me.”

“I haven’t read them. I’ll leave them in your mailbox. I just didn’t want to leave them for someone else to find.”

Still peering through the window, I watch as Rick exits his car. He walks over to the shared mail station at the center of the complex. He holds up an envelope, waves it for me to see, then slides it in my box.

“Thank you, Rick.”

He returns to his car and drives away. His job is done, and he’s as impartial about the outcome as he was about the task.

Ava’s in her crib. She’ll be fine long enough for me to run across the street. I take the monitor with me, just in case. I jog to the mail station, unlock my box and pull out the lone envelope.

Once inside, I close the door and lock it. The place is silent, like it’s waiting. The past weeks’ turmoil all comes down to this moment. All these pent-up emotions will finally have reason to break free. I’ll know the truth about what my mother did,