Sisters by Choice (Blackberry Island #4)(26)

Heather sighed. “She needed the money for a down payment on a car. Hers was totaled in the accident.”

“Let me guess. She didn’t have any savings of her own.”

Heather thought of the thousand dollars her mother had claimed to have but didn’t touch and knew there was nothing she could say.

“Was her car actually totaled?” her grandmother asked.

“Yes. I spoke to the insurance company myself. They sent her a check.”

“So she had that money and your money. She must hardly have a car payment at all. Is she still on disability?”

“You know, Grandma, you could call her and ask yourself.”

“Yes, I could, but I’d rather talk to you. I know I’ll get a straight answer.”

“I think she’s coming off disability. She’s going to be working for Sophie. Answering phones.”

“We’ll see how long it takes her to screw that up. Was she even injured in the accident?” Her grandmother exhaled sharply. “Never mind. That’s not a fair question to ask you and I can guess the truth myself. Even if she was injured, she milked it. We both know that. I swear, I can’t explain that girl. I know I’m partially responsible, but for the life of me I can’t figure out what I did wrong. At least you turned out spectacularly.”

Despite the topic, Heather smiled. “Thanks, Grandma. I think you’re pretty great, too.”

“You might now, but that’s about to change. I’m sorry to do this, Heather, but I don’t feel as if I have a choice.”

Heather had no idea what she was going to say but she felt a cold knot form in her stomach. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be happy news.

“I’m selling the house.”

The single sentence didn’t make sense at first. Selling the...

“The house where we live?” she asked, wondering if she sounded as stunned as she felt. “This house?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, my dear, but I have to do it.”

No! Heather managed to keep the scream inside. Sell the house? Sell it? What would happen after that? Where would they go? Heather had lived here all her life. Amber had, as well. They’d both grown up here. It was home.

More than that, Heather thought, trying to keep breathing. It was their safety net. They stayed here relatively rent-free. They had to pay insurance and taxes and all the utilities. There wasn’t much upkeep because Amber didn’t believe in fixing anything, but even with that, they were paying much less than market value. Or rather Heather was. Amber sometimes paid for food, and she took care of her own gas and car maintenance, but otherwise all the expenses fell to Heather.

Without the house, they had nowhere to live.

“Grandma, why?”

“I’m not getting any younger and I want the money from the house. It is mine, after all. Not that your mother will see it that way, I’m sure. Amber is thirty-eight years old and she’s never once taken responsibility for any of her actions, let alone taken care of herself. She’s always been coddled. I don’t know how she does it—twisting everything so it’s always someone else’s fault. She’s a professional victim and I won’t be a part of that anymore. She did it with me, she did it with your stepfather. He was a good man, but the second they got married, she quit her job and planted herself on her ass and refused to do anything. No wonder he left her. Now you’re stuck. The house is mine and I want to sell it.”

Her voice softened. “I’m sorry to do this to you, Heather. You’re a good girl and I love you very much. I worry about you being trapped. You need to grow a spine and get out of there. You have savings. Just go.”

“Had savings,” Heather whispered, wondering how she was going to manage this. Finding a new place to live would be a nightmare. Living on the island was cheaper than living in Seattle, but still. Rent was going to be way more than what they paid here.

“Right. The car. If you don’t get out of there, she’s going to suck the life out of you. She’ll use you until her dying day. She’s my daughter and I probably shouldn’t talk like that but we both know it’s true. So I’m selling the house. A real estate agent will be in touch with you to explain the process. I’m going to have to pay to fix up the place a little. You won’t have to move out until we close escrow, but I want you to know it’s coming.”

Heather fought against tears as she nodded. “I understand.” Her grandmother wasn’t wrong to want what was hers, but still—what a mess for them.

“I’m going to call your mother now so you don’t have to be the one to tell her. That way I’ll be the bad guy instead of you. I hope you’ll come to see why I have to do this. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Bye, Grandma.”

Heather hung up and set her phone on the desk. Terror gripped her so tightly she couldn’t breathe. They were going to lose the house. They had nowhere else to go. She was going to have to rent an apartment, which meant a lease in her name. No way Amber would take on the responsibility. She would be legally tied to the rental and to the island and her mother, very possibly forever.

  Kristine finished paying the last of the bills. After recording the transaction numbers in the checkbook, she closed the banking program, then opened Excel. She’d been unable to let go of the idea of renting the old bakery space. It would be perfect for her and she was fairly sure she could get herself up and running well before tourist season started.