Tall, Dark & Lonely (Pyte/Sentinel #1)(9)

Madison refused to allow her mother’s presence to alter her plans. She demanded that her mother sign the custody papers. She refused, saying she missed the kids. She loved them. Then she applied for welfare and was refused. Seems the state of New Mexico was no longer willing to give her a free ride. So, Candy inquired about New Hampshire. They were very willing to give her funds only because Candy’s mother was a resident and Candy had been claiming residence there for the past five years. That surprised Madison.

Candy wouldn’t listen to reason. She wanted the kids to come with her. She needed them. She cried, threw tantrums and threatened Madison with keeping the kids away from her. They were her only chance since Candy didn’t want to work.

She pointed out to Madison that she was too delicate for such labor. Madison broke down in the end when her Grandmother accepted. She was anxious to see her three grandchildren. Candy never brought any child to see her and wouldn’t allow any contact. She frequently tried to blackmail her mother with the kids. It never worked. It seemed now Grandma had the upper hand and knew it.

Thank god for that. Two weeks ago the sweet well behaved sister she knew and loved started to disappear. Jill now saw their mother as her best friend, her idol. She liked how Candy didn’t work and flirted with men. Madison discovered her sister making out with a man in his twenties just before they left. Candy gave the man permission. She also turned a blind eye when Jill got drunk with her new buddies. Madison flipped out and chased the man out of the house and threw the drugs out. He punched her for her efforts, blackening her cheek.

This nightmare needed to end soon and her grandmother was about to do it. Grandma put her foot down. She had Candy where she wanted her. Candy bragged that her mother was a desperate lonely old woman and would do anything and everything to see them. They were going to live like royalty Candy told Jill. Joshua hated Candy and let her know it. He was Madison’s little boy as far as everyone else was concerned. Candy didn’t care, Joshua was just a welfare check.

Grandma threatened to inform the authorities of Candy’s lies. She had no choice. Candy was to bring the two little ones to New Hampshire immediately and sign over custody. Madison could come, too. In return they would be given rooms in their Grandmother’s large ancestral home that had been turned into a boarding house when their mother was a girl. It was large, clean and ruled with an iron fist.

Her mother was going to have a difficult time living like a queen, she suspected. A week ago Grandma sent a certified letter laying out her expectations. They were to earn their keep with cleaning and cooking. Grandma laid off her employees with the expectation that they were going to earn their keep. Madison had a feeling it wasn’t because she was cheap and expected slave labor like Candy claimed. She suspected it was her Grandma’s last effort to straighten Candy out and fix the grandkids before it was too late.

Even with her grandmother there Jill was in danger of turning into their mother. Much to Madison’s dismay Jill announced proudly that she was not planning on remaining a virgin. She was planning on losing it as soon as possible. Candy was encouraging it. It would just get in the way of a fun time, Candy said.

The woman was crazy.

For the last week Madison watched her sister like a hawk. The only times she was out of her sight was when she was asleep in the hotel room Jill shared with Candy. It was fine with her since she didn’t want to sleep with either of them anyway. She spent most of the night making sure Jill didn’t leave. Once she was sure her fifteen year old sister’s virtue was safe she went to sleep.

So here she was driving into their new town instead of filing for custody. She didn’t feel like competing with their grandmother on that. It would be better if they worked together. Something told her she was going to need all the help that she could get.

********

“It looks like a mansion!” Joshua announced as he stumbled out of the car.

Candy stepped in front of him with her arms out. Joshua ran past her and into Madison’s arms. He wasn’t stupid. He knew she was trying to use him to look like the perfect mother for Grandma. Of course he probably picked up on the not so subtle clues she dropped about that. If Grandma thought she was a good mother she would leave her alone to take care of the kids. She did not want to clean or cook. That was okay for Madison, but not for her. Candy was meant to make men happy.

Madison looked around. The sun was shining. Birds were chirping. The leaves were a beautiful multicolor and she was freezing her ass off. She was shivering. How could it be this cold if the sun was out? It was freezing!

“This is where we live?” Jill said in the same bitchy tone Candy used. It grated on Madison. She hoped her grandmother worked miracles otherwise she was afraid that she would be beating some sense into her sister soon.

She took one last look at her young sister’s new wardrobe. Everything was too tight and too small. Jill was short for her age and underdeveloped. The clothes made her look like a child prostitute. This miracle better happen fast.

Madison kissed Joshua’s cheek. “Go knock and remember to be polite.”

Joshua nodded. He ran to the door and knocked loudly. A minute later the door opened wide. He walked inside with his head held high. The three women walked in after him.

A tall woman in her late fifties stood in the foyer. She didn’t look anything like Madison imagined she would. She expected a short plump gray-haired grandmother like the one off of that cookie box back home. This woman was strong and capable and had a no nonsense air about her.