Chapter Nine
Chloe
The next few days passed in a blur as people I had never met before drifted in and out of the house; several of them bringing us tons of food we would never eat as they gave their condolences. Danny was still struggling with it all, but he put on a brave face as he greeted every guest with the polite and collected disposition of his status within the community. I, on the other hand, hid in my room like a six-year-old as much as possible until everyone left for the night.
Jordan drifted between Danny and I, trying to make sure we were both alright. He was obviously hurting as well; he had practically grown up here with Danny, and Jennifer was like a second mom to him, but he pushed it back to make sure we were taken care of. My mom stayed here most of the time, but she kept her distance from me. I could tell she was hurting, but I knew better than try to comfort her.
I had finally pulled myself together enough to call Drake the day after she passed away. My voice shook as I explained what had happened, but I managed to keep myself from completely falling apart. Drake had immediately offered to come back, saying that the tour could wait if I needed him. I refused, explaining that Jordan was helping me and that there was no need for him to cancel shows and cause the band to lose money. He hadn’t been happy with it, but he finally agreed.
Kadi surprised me by showing up the next day like she said she would. She had been back every day since then and was doing her best to help Danny. He seemed to truly appreciate her being there, and I was thankful that she had stuck around. She had even come with Jordan a couple of times when he would check on me in my room. I felt like maybe we had misjudged her intentions, she seemed to be trying her hardest to help all of us.
The day of the actual funeral was the hardest by far. In my daze, I hadn’t even thought about what to wear and I quickly realized I had nothing that was suitable for a funeral, so Jordan and I ran to the local shopping plaza to find a dress and a pair of heels. I finally found a plain black dress and a pair of shoes in the third store we went in. I paid quickly as Jordan rushed us out of the store and back home, trying to make sure that we wouldn’t be late.
We made it back just minutes before the limo arrived at the house. I rode next to Jordan on the way to the funeral home while Kadi sat with Danny and tried to comfort him. My mother came with us as well, but she sat on the opposite side of the limo from the rest of us. When we arrived, they gave us a few minutes to say our final goodbyes before they started letting the mourners in.
This was the first time I had seen my aunt since she passed, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew everyone said that once someone was gone, they didn’t look anything like how they did in life. As I followed Jordan to stand in front of her casket, I realized they were right.
This thin pale woman was not my aunt and I refused to remember her like this; I would picture her the way she was that summer so long ago. Her hair shining in the sunlight, her eyes sparkling with mischief, her skin glowing and tanned from the hours she spent in the sun; that’s how I wanted to remember her.
I felt my breaths grow shallow and I ran to the nearest exit to avoid the panic attack that seemed to be drawing near. I flung the doors open and breathed in the fresh air, a welcome reprieve from the stale flowery air inside. My body started to relax as I stood there, and I could finally breathe again.
I jumped when warm hands wrapped around both of my shoulders.
“You alright Chloe Bear?” Jordan asked.
“Yeah, I just had to get out of there for a minute.”
“I can understand that, I know this is rough on you,” he said as he massaged my shoulders.
“It is, but it’s harder on you and Danny. I appreciate you watching out for me, but you need to mourn too. You’ve barely said anything since it happened,” I said as I turned to face him.
His hands dropped to his sides as he turned to look across the street. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me. I deal with things in my own way.”
“By suffering in silence? I don’t think so Jordan, you need to talk about it. You know I’m here if you need me.”
“I know that Chloe and I appreciate it, I really do, but I don’t talk about stuff like this,” he said.
I reached up and cupped his cheek. “Well, if you change your mind come find me.”
He pulled away, looking uncomfortable, and I dropped my hand to my side.
“We’d better get back inside before someone comes looking for us,” he said as he cleared his throat.
I nodded as he took my hand and led me back inside.
The funeral services were beautiful. So many people showed up that there weren’t enough chairs for everyone and several people were forced to stand in the back of the room. It brought tears to my eyes as person after person asked to speak about my aunt. She had touched so many lives during her time on this Earth and I felt a sense of pride just being related to such an outstanding woman.
After the services were over, we followed in the limo directly behind the hearse to the cemetery. Danny finally lost it when they lowered her casket and Jordan had to help him back to the car. Most people held a banquet in honor of the deceased, but Danny had requested that no events be scheduled for her. I knew it was because he was reaching the end of his rope stress wise and I respected that. I had never seen the point in throwing a party over someone dying anyway.
When we arrived back at the house, Kadi and Jordan made sure Danny got to his room while I changed back into comfortable clothes. As soon as I had my dress off, I threw it in the garbage can. I know it seems childish, but I never wanted to look at it again; all it would do was remind me of this day.
My mother hadn’t come back with us after the services and I hoped that she would stay away, at least for a few more hours. I didn’t have it in me to put up with her and I knew Danny wouldn’t be able to watch out for me. That left Jordan to play babysitter again and I didn’t want to put any more stress on him; he had enough to deal with today.
I spent the rest of the day sitting by the pool with Jordan and Kadi as Jordan shared stories about Aunt Jen from his childhood. I laughed as he told story after story about him and Danny getting in trouble for anything from playing simple pranks to coming home drunk one night and Aunt Jen grounding both of them. Danny appeared a couple of hours later and started tell his own stories. He was still hurting, but it was good to see him smile at the memories of his childhood.
I told everyone goodnight and made my way up to my room. The day had been tiring and Aunt Jen’s lawyer would be here tomorrow to discuss her will. I needed all the sleep I could get for that fiasco, because my mother would be there and she would find out exactly what my aunt had left her; nothing. I debated on buying full body armor to wear to the reading tomorrow; I would probably need it by the time she got done with me.
It was late, but I decided to try calling Drake. I knew he was probably still working and sure enough, I was sent straight to his voicemail. I left him a message letting him know that everything had gone ok and I would talk to him tomorrow so he wouldn’t worry about me. This was the first day that we hadn’t talked at all. It worried me, but I pushed it aside. It was only one day, not a week, and we were both busy.
I closed my eyes and imagined Drake with me, bringing me the warmth and comfort I desperately needed after today. Just the thought brought a smile to my face.
I woke the next morning to Jordan gently shaking me.
“Whatdayawant?” I mumbled, trying to pull the covers back over my head as he ripped them off.
He laughed as he grabbed them again and pulled them to the bottom of the bed. “Wake up sunshine. Lunch is ready and that lawyer guy will be here in an hour.”
“Ugh, what time is it?” I asked.
“Just after one, so get your butt up and get dressed.”
I sat up on one elbow and glared at him. “You know, I could have been naked under the covers, might want to think about that next time.”
“Do you usually make a habit of sleeping naked?” He asked with a smirk.
“Only when Drake’s around,” I said as I stuck my tongue out at him.
“Well a guy can dream anyway; now get up before I make you get up,” he said as he walked to my bedroom door, “If you’re not downstairs in twenty, I’ll be back for you. Naked or not.”
He closed the door as I stood up and crossed the room to my dresser. I had no idea what you were supposed to wear to a reading, so I settled on a simple knee-length skirt and one of the few dressy shirts I had thought to bring with me. I applied a small amount of make-up and managed to pull my hair into a semi-neat bun to keep it out of my face.
Despite the purple streaks that I had running through my hair, I felt like I looked presentable enough. Not that it mattered anyway; my aunt’s lawyer wouldn’t care what I looked like as long as I was there so he could do his job.
Just as I was about to walk out the door, my phone rang. I smiled when I saw Drake’s face pop up on the screen.
“Hello?”
“Hey baby, I was just calling to see how everything was going. I got your message last night, but it was too late to call you,” he said.
“It’s alright, I know you’re busy. We’re all hanging in there. Danny is pretty messed up, but he’s trying to keep it together.”
“Yeah, I figure. Let him know I’m thinking about him.”
“I will. Where are you guys at now?” I asked. He had given me his schedule before he left, but in all the chaos, I had no idea where I had put it at.
“We’re back in West Virginia at the moment, down in Huntington. Once we finish up here, we have a show in Fairmont, and then it’s on to Pennsylvania.”
“It sucks having you so far away, I miss you.”
“I know babe, me too. Hopefully you will be with me soon,” he hinted.
“I’m probably going to stick around here for another week and then I’ll meet you, unless something happens. We’re doing the reading today, I’m sure that’s going to end well.”
“Stick close to Jordan and Danny; she won’t mess with you while they are around. If something happens, call me. I’ll be there in a matter of hours to take you away.”
I sighed. “I know you would, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ll stick close to them until I leave.”
“Just be careful babe, I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I will. I’d better get downstairs before Jordan comes back up here after me. I’ll call you later.”
“Alright, but just one more thing?” He asked as I started to hang up.
“What?”
“You know, I haven’t had any more pictures from you since the one you sent the day I left. I’m feeling a little neglected over here. Think you can help me out?”
I could hear the laughter in his voice as my face turned red. I sent him that picture when I was thinking about all the bar skanks he would be around. I wanted to give him something to remember me by when he was gone.
“I have no idea what picture you’re talking about.” I decided to play dumb just to torture him.
He laughed. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. I’d love to see some more skin.”
Jordan decided to open my door at that moment. “Come on! I’m going to throw you over my shoulder and haul your ass downstairs if you don’t hurry up!” He shouted.
“Hold on a minute, I’m talking to Drake!” I said before turning my attention back to Drake, “I’ll see what I can do, but I’ve really got to go.”
“Fine, call me when you get a chance. I’ll be checking my texts.”
I hung up just as Jordan walked over and threw me over his shoulder. I squealed and kicked as he turned and started carrying me down the stairs and into the dining room.
“Put me down a*shole!” I shouted.
He sat me down in one of the chairs as he laughed. “I told you to hurry up.”
I glared at him as I grabbed a grilled cheese sandwich off the plate in front of me and started eating. “I was hurrying. You didn’t have to manhandle me.”
I noticed Kadi and Danny sitting across the table from us. Kadi gave me a small smile, but Danny looked like he hadn’t slept at all and I instantly felt bad for joking around with Jordan.
“You doing alright Danny?” I asked quietly.
He shrugged his shoulders as he glanced up at me. “Not really, but I’ll survive. I just want to get this day over with.”
I nodded, unsure of what to say.
My mother entered the room and sat down at the opposite end of the table from the rest of us. She looked tired as well, but no one asked her if she was alright; we all knew better than to try talking to her. With her appearance, all conversation ceased and the quiet felt awkward as I finished my sandwich.
The doorbell rang and cut through the silence like a knife. I jumped at the sound as Danny stood and walked to the door to open it. A few minutes later, he walked back into the dining room with a tall dark-haired man following him.
“This is Mr. Evans, my mother’s… I mean my attorney. Kadi, if you don’t mind, can you wait here? The rest of you follow me, we’ll discuss everything in my mother’s office.”
“Of course not, I’ll be by the pool when you guys are done,” Kadi said as Jordan, my mother, and I followed Danny out of the room.
My aunt’s office was located on the third floor, or to be more specific, it took up the entire third floor. The stairs that led up to it were just past my aunt’s room, and I couldn’t help but glance at her closed-door as we walked past. It seemed like if I walked over and opened it, she would still be there. Death was a hard thing for me to process and my mind wasn’t quite ready to realize she would never be in there anymore, that I’d never be able to walk in and visit with her again.
I felt a tear slide down my cheek as we walked up the steps leading to her office.
Jordan noticed and wrapped an arm around me. “It’s alright Chloe Bear, just hang in there for Danny,” he whispered as we entered the office.
Mr. Evans sat behind my aunt’s desk as the rest of us took a seat in the chairs across from him. I ended up in between Danny and Jordan with my mother on Jordan’s other side. I breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t Danny between us. I wasn’t sure he had it in him to fight with her.
“For those of you who don’t know me, I am Jim Evans, Jennifer’s attorney and close personal friend. I am saddened by the news of her death; there are very few people out there as good as she was and she will be missed by many. Before she was too ill to handle her affairs, she left me specific instructions on how she wanted her estate settled. I am here today on her behalf to distribute her assets.”
I fidgeted nervously in my seat as he pulled a folder out of his briefcase and set it on the desk in front of him. Jordan pressed his hand down on my jumping leg and gave me a look as Mr. Evans started pulling documents out of the folder. I smiled apologetically and tried to still my body, but it was useless. I was too hyped up over what my mother would do when she found out what my aunt had done to her.
“Here we go, first is to a Mr. Jordan Wiles. Jennifer has set up an account for you with six hundred thousand dollars in it.”
Jordan’s mouth fell open as he looked over me to Danny. “Did you know about this?”
Danny glanced down at his hands as he spoke. “She might have mentioned it,” he mumbled.
Jordan fell back into his chair looking shocked. “I don’t even know what to say.”
Mr. Evans smiled at him. “No need to say anything. Here is the information on the account, as well as a letter Jennifer left for you,” he handed the papers to Jordan before continuing, “If you have any questions, please let me know and I will be glad to assist you. Next is Chloe Richards; Jennifer has left the same for you, six hundred thousand dollars in an account under your name.”
I took the papers he offered to me with a small smile. It didn’t feel right taking her money, but I had promised her I would. I had no intentions of spending it; I would donate some to different charities I knew of and the rest would sit where it was. Call it my rainy day fund.
“Next up is for Ms. Andrea Richards,” he said as my breath stilled. This was the moment I had been dreading.
He pulled an envelope out of the file and handed it to her. “Jennifer requested that I give you this.”
She gave him a questioning look as she took the envelope and opened it.
Mr. Evans didn’t waste any time moving on. “And finally, Danny. Your mother has left you her remaining assets as well as complete control over her stocks and any businesses that she owns. When you are ready, just give me a call and I will explain everything to you. Until then, I will watch over everything for you. I understand that you need time to grieve.”
Before Danny could reply, my mother was out of her chair trying to pounce on me. “You stupid little bitch! You did this, didn’t you? You’ll pay, I f*cking swear you will!” She screamed as Jordan grabbed her and pulled her away from me.
I flinched as she threw the envelope at me. “You just wait Chloe, you’ve done nothing but f*ck up my life since you were born! I’ll get you back.”
She jerked free from Jordan’s grasp and stormed out the door. I could hear her screaming my name and a string of profanities as she went.
Mr. Evans was staring at me with a look of shock on his face. It would have been comical if the situation hadn’t been so dire.
Danny cleared his throat and we all turned to him. “Thank you for your help Jim, I’ll be in contact with you soon. But right now I think you should probably go before Andrea does something stupid.”
He nodded as he pushed papers back into his briefcase and stood. “Yes, I’ll just be going now,” he glanced at the door my mother had just left through before settling his eyes back on me, “If you have any… trouble, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’ll help you anyway I can.”
We all thanked him as he left the room. I fell back into my chair and started looking through the papers my mother had thrown at me. There were several brochures for rehab clinics in the area that dealt with alcohol and drug addiction, along with a handwritten letter addressed to my mom. I unfolded it slowly and started reading.
My Dearest Andrea,
I know I will be gone by the time you read this, but I had to make one final attempt to reach out to you. I love you so much little sister, and I can’t stand to watch as you self-destruct from the inside. I have enclosed several brochures with this letter for rehabilitation clinics in this area and I beg of you to consider going to one. I have already spoke with my lawyer, and if you are willing, he will make sure that your treatment is paid for.
I’ve watched you waste your life for years and I can’t stand to do it any longer. It pains me to do this, but I have no choice. You will receive nothing from my estate until you check into one of these programs and complete it in full. For the year following your completion, you will be required to take a drug test weekly. Again, contact Jim and he will set everything up for you. If you manage to pass all of the tests, there is an account containing ten thousand dollars that will be placed in your name. I’m sorry that I led you on, but I cannot stand the thought of you taking any money I give you and using it on drugs.
Please do not blame Chloe for any of this; she had no idea of my plans for you. I know that will be your first thought, but please don’t. You have put that poor girl through enough already. Just let her go her own way until you get your act together, and if after you want to make amends with her, do it. She needs a mother Andrea, and you are the only one who can give her that.
Again, I’m sorry that it came to this, but just know I do this out of love for you.
Love Always,
Jennifer
I wiped a tear from my eye as I finished reading my aunt’s final plea for my mother to get help.
I looked up at Danny as he laid a hand on my shoulder. “You ok?”
“Yeah I will be, I just hope she listens to your mom,” I said as I handed the letter to him.
He read it quickly before placing it and the brochures back in the envelope. “I’m going to make sure this gets to her room, hopefully she will take my mom’s advice and get straightened up. Until she does, I don’t want you out of Jordan’s or my sight.”
“Damn straight, she’s freaking nuts,” Jordan growled.
I smiled as I stood up and walked out the door behind them. “Thanks guys.”
We were quiet as we went down the stairs and back onto the second floor. Danny stopped at my mom’s room and left the letter on her dresser before continuing onto his own room.
“I’ll catch up with you guys in a bit, I just want to be alone for a little while.”
“You sure man? I hate for you to be alone right now.” Jordan asked.
“Yeah, I’m sure. You guys go hang out or whatever, I’ll find you later,” Danny said as he closed the door in our faces.
I glanced up at Jordan as we walked to my room. “What do you want to do? Since you have to babysit me, I’ll let you pick.”
“Kadi said she was going to be by the pool and I still don’t trust her. Let’s go down there to keep an eye on her until Danny decides to come out.”
“Sounds good to me, just let me change and I’ll meet you down there,” I said as I started to close my door.
Jordan caught it and smiled. “I’m not leaving you alone that long; I’ll wait out here until you’re ready.”