Chapter Three
Three weeks later…
“I’m sorry, Jan, but for a moment I thought you said that my checking account was overdrawn.” Zoey closed her eyes instead of staring at her ceiling, as she spoke with Jan Kostecki at Community Bank.
The indrawn breath was measured, as though Jan was expecting Zoey to blow up, or worse yet cry, and Zoey knew instantly that she had heard her correctly. “Yes, Miss Carson. First thing this morning, a check came in for eleven hundred and eighty dollars and I was unable to clear it for the gentleman because you are overdrawn by thirty-four dollars. With the overdraft charge of twenty dollars, that will make you negative fifty-four dollars.”
“Jan, I can do the math, but I can’t figure out where the money went. I have over five thousand dollars in there. It’s money I’ve been holding onto from my last set of student loans. I planned to use it to help me get going in this new house.” Zoey was trying to hold onto the thin string of calm that she had left. Somehow every penny she had pinched was mysteriously gone. And that gentleman that Jan was talking about was Mr. Finch who was going to be Zoey’s new landlord.
“I’m sorry, Miss Carson, but it seems there is some confusion. You had three separate withdraws for fifteen hundred dollars over the last three weeks that used up the bulk of your funds.” Jan was speaking, but Zoey was no longer listening. Three weeks was exactly the length of time that her mother had been in town, and in her apartment.
Somehow Eve had managed to steal Zoey’s money right out from under her nose, and do it without ever letting on that something was amiss. “Jan, my name is Zoey, not Miss Carson. You’ve known me my whole life, please don’t talk to me like I’m just a random customer. Now, can you tell me how those funds were withdrawn?”
“Oh, well uh, the first was a check cashed at the Merc, and…oh wait, yes all three were cashed there. Three checks in the same amount cashed at the Mercantile’s guest service desk, but dear, don’t you remember writing them?” Jan sounded perplexed, and Zoey snorted as she let out a sharp laugh.
“No, I certainly do not remember writing them, because I didn’t do it. Someone forged those checks, Jan, and I have a pretty good idea who.” Zoey rolled over and sat up on the edge of her bed. Her mom hadn’t returned home last night, but that wasn’t a big shocker. It was most likely that Eve had found someone to shack up with for the night and was too drunk to get herself home.
“Oh my, I’m so sorry, Miss Car—I mean Zoey. If it’s fraudulent you need to go see the Sherriff as soon as possible and report it. I doubt the Merc has security cameras, but perhaps they will know more based on the signatures on the checks.”
Jan continued to patter on for a few moments about fraud, and the differences in how electronic and paper issues were handled by the bank, but Zoey wasn’t listening. She was staring at the bare corner where her mother’s suitcase had sat since she arrived. Eve had lit out. As usual, she had come just long enough to take what she wanted and left Zoey to clean up the mess.
“Jan, um, I need to go, but thank you for calling me. I will be in later to talk with Donny and see if I can get a loan. I am supposed to start my new job today, so I need to finish getting ready and get to work. I will call Sherriff Montgomery as soon as possible to make a report.”
She waited two full seconds after hanging up with Jan before she was dialing her mother’s cell phone number. For just over three weeks, Eve had been living in her home, eating her food, taking forty-five minute showers, and enjoying her hospitality rent free, only to disappear without notice. Zoey couldn’t decide if she was more angry about the stolen money, or the lack of a goodbye. Eve’s voicemail picked up and she had to force herself to hang up without leaving a message. She wanted to be sure to say everything she needed to in person, not on an answering system.
Zoey managed to put her phone down before her eyes filled with tears, but she fought to keep them in. She couldn’t let her mother have that. It was her own fault for allowing a junkie into her home, and giving her free reign amongst her things. So much for her perfect apartment, and all of the plans that had seemed to fall together so smoothly. Mr. Finch had already told her there was competition for the house, that’s why she had written the check for the whole security deposit and first month’s rent a week ahead of time. He was even going to let her move in over the weekend so she would have more time to clear out her old place before her deadline.
She swallowed hard as she picked up the phone again, and made the quick call to Mr. Finch to explain what had happened. As always he was kind but resolute about the fact he couldn’t hold the house for her, he had bills to pay after all. Zoey could feel her dreams drifting away on the fog of cigarette smoke her mother had left behind in her apartment. She was starting her new job at ten a.m. today, and she would officially be homeless in seven days. Not only were the walls crumbling around her, but she could feel the floor of her world caving in too.
It wasn’t enough that her dear old mother arrive on her doorstep out of the blue. No, she had to steal everything Zoey had, including her happiness.
Thirty minutes later, Zoey had made a verbal report with the Sherriff’s office and agreed to stop by there after work to sign her statement. The deputy on duty was pleasant enough as he explained that she may or may not get the funds back from the bank, and that if they were able to determine there was enough evidence to charge her mother with the crime, they would still have to track her down to arrest her. Unfortunately, it still wouldn’t bring back the money she had taken. Zoey knew that every penny was probably long gone or would be within days, and she wouldn’t show her face for a very long time if she was smart.
Slowly blending concealer over the red circles of stress that ringed her wide blue eyes, she debated calling Rachel. There was no way that she wanted to move in with the Brooks family, but she really had no other option at this point. Living with a newborn baby, her career successful-newlywed best friend, and her four smoking hot husbands was yet another slap in her face, but at least it wasn’t living out of her car. Rachel was still on family medical leave from having Juliet, but now she was juggling taking care of Sawyer after his knee surgery and handling the baby. A houseguest was probably the last thing she needed.
Picking up her phone again as she shook her hair out of the headband that had been keeping it out of her newly made up face, she placed the phone call to Rachel.
“Hey, Zoey! What’s up?”
Rachel’s voice triggered the monsoon of tears that she had been fighting, and before she could do anything to stop it, she was sobbing out the whole shitty story. She knew that no matter what, her best friend wouldn’t judge her for her mother’s bad behavior. If anyone understood what it was like to have a parent hurt them, it was Rachel.
“That fu-cking bitch! Who does she think she is? When I get my hands on her—"
Zoey barked out a laugh, “Good luck with that, she’s long gone. I’m not sure if she took her stuff out yesterday while I was gone, or if she snuck in last night and got it, but she packed up and bolted.”
“Sweet Jesus. Is there no decency in her at all? I’m so sorry, Zoey. I can’t even imagine...what are you going to do?”
“I talked to the Sherriff’s office, and they weren’t very optimistic about me getting my money back. Even if I do, it will be awhile. Who knows where she is by now. I have seven days to figure out where I’m going to live, pack up my whole apartment, and move. Plus, I’m starting my new job in an hour, and now I have to do my makeup again. Goddamn her!”
“Oh no! The eviction! Oh shit, Zoey, I completely forgot you were on a time crunch!”
“Yeah, just another thing to add to the growing shit pile. Rach, I know it’s a lot to ask, but can I take you up on your offer of the guest room for a couple of weeks?” Zoey held her breath when Rachel hesitated. She felt the room start to spin and she sank to the floor of her bathroom with her eyes clenched shut.
“Zoey, my mom just got here yesterday and she’s in the guest room. She came down for a couple of weeks to help me take care of Jules while Sawyer is down from his surgery. I’m so sorry, if I had known…”
Zoey knew Rachel hadn’t planned it on purpose, but it sucked anyways. Rachel was Zoey’s plan B, and now that Plan A and Plan B were gone, she was royally screwed.
“That’s it then, I’ll be crashing in my car for a little bit. I might need to borrow your driveway to park in. I mean, I can’t imagine the school board will like it much if I’m parked in the parking lot every night, and I have no idea what kind of office I will have, so I can’t plan on sleeping there—”
“Stop it, Zoey! Right now!” Rachel broke through the panic that was growing in her chest, and Zoey inhaled deeply trying to calm her racing heart. “There is another option you know? I know it’s not ideal, but what if you rent Tanner’s apartment just for a couple of weeks and if you want to move here when Mom leaves, the offer is still open.”
Like a flash in her brain she could see Tanner sprawled out in the Brooks family living room asking her if she wanted to rent Dalton’s old apartment over the garage. Beautiful, dark, sexy Tanner. Could she live under the same roof with him and not make a fool out of herself? He had been kind enough to offer, and she was really desperate, but it seemed like the worst possible scenario for her heart.
“I don’t know.”
“Zoey, you don’t have a choice. You can’t live in your car and start a respectable career.”
Rachel was right, and at that moment Zoey hated her for it. Her brain was at war with her heart and as always logic won out. “I’ll call him when I get a break, but Rachel, it’s only until your mom leaves, okay?”
“You got it. The moment mom heads back to Oklahoma I’ll have the guys help move you in. Now, clean yourself up, and get your ass to your new job! You are going to rock it and those kids will love you.”
Her enthusiasm made Zoey smile for the first time all morning, and she forced herself to her feet after saying her goodbyes. Rachel was right. She was starting the road to the rest of her life today one way or another, and this was just a little hurdle she had to cross before it smoothed out again.
Two or three weeks in Dalton’s old apartment wouldn’t kill her, and besides, Tanner was a rancher. He was in the saddle from sunup to sundown, so really as long as she made sure she was tucked safely behind closed doors before sunset, she wouldn’t even have to deal with him. It would all work out perfectly in the end. She was going to make sure of it.