imagine the close relationship between them that they had somehow missed. It was too painful.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Oh yes," he grinned, "she was so enamored with you. I still haven't seen anything quite like it."
Emily wanted desperately for his words to resonate with her in some way, but the lingering shadow of betrayal hung heavy over her head, tainting every emotion that she had.
She quickly changed the subject.
"So, Mister Seville, what brings you here today?"
"Ah yes!"
The old man lowered his leg back down and leaned toward her.
"Your folks had the foresight to prepare for this kind of thing."
The way that he said the last word was so cool and calculated that it made Emily cringe inside. A thing? Like, a pair of shoes or something? Was this the same guy that was just talking about them bringing home their new baby and waxing poetic about how great they were?
"What do you mean?"
"Everything is being left to you, Emily."
She sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. After everything that had happened, she hadn't considered the future. Most of her time was spent just trying to get to tomorrow, let alone the day after that. But when Mr. Seville delivered the news, it felt like a sack of bricks hitting her right in the gut.
Reality was setting in and Emily wasn't ready to carry the burden.
The willowy attorney continued, "They didn't have much cash. All of it was tied up here."
She wasn't sure what he was getting at.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it means that you have two options. You can stay here and continue to run the Chickweed the way that your parents did, or you can liquidate and move on with your life."
"You mean sell this place?"
He nodded.
"I don't think…"
Emily didn't have words for what he was suggesting. She looked around the living room and felt the hot tears start to well back up. The fireplace that they were sitting next to was where she had taken her first steps. In the kitchen, where Barbara was waiting patiently, Emily could recall warm, countless memories shared between her and her family. Out back, hidden in the shadow of a fallen spruce, was where she first kissed a boy when she was just twelve.
The heavy memory of all of those things rushed back at once. It made Emily feel, for just a second, like she was drowning in melancholy.
When she finally spoke up, it took everything she had to keep herself together.
"This place is my heart," she stated simply.
"I know," Martin said. "I can prepare the paperwork for either scenario and you can choose which set you sign. You are also more than welcome to find someone else to handle this, Emily."
"No, no," she waved her hand. "I wouldn't want anyone else to do it."
A smile cracked the old man's wrinkled cheeks.
"Thank you, Miss Harper."
He started to pack his things back into the already crowded briefcase at a snail's pace. By the time that he was able to snap the lid shut, Emily could hear that both Gary and Tex had made their way into the kitchen.
They were engaged in a heated debate about the merits of fly-fishing.
Once he was finally packed up, Martin pulled himself out of the couch with a grunt and started toward the door with Emily close behind him.
"I will mail you the papers in the next couple of weeks. All that you have to do is sign and send them back to me. I will take care of everything else."
Emily pulled the door open with one hand and placed the other on the frail old man's shoulder.
"Thank you, Mister Seville."
He was already almost through the doorway but turned around to face her one more time. The sagging skin around his eyes had turned a shade of red that matched the red berry stains on Emily's fingers perfectly. From the corners, little beads of wetness threatened to spill over.
"I truly am sorry for the way that this happened, Emily. They didn't deserve this." He hesitated, allowing a solitary drop of salty water to fall into his tie, before continuing, "You didn't deserve this."
Emily lowered her
"Are you sure about that?"
"Oh yes," he grinned, "she was so enamored with you. I still haven't seen anything quite like it."
Emily wanted desperately for his words to resonate with her in some way, but the lingering shadow of betrayal hung heavy over her head, tainting every emotion that she had.
She quickly changed the subject.
"So, Mister Seville, what brings you here today?"
"Ah yes!"
The old man lowered his leg back down and leaned toward her.
"Your folks had the foresight to prepare for this kind of thing."
The way that he said the last word was so cool and calculated that it made Emily cringe inside. A thing? Like, a pair of shoes or something? Was this the same guy that was just talking about them bringing home their new baby and waxing poetic about how great they were?
"What do you mean?"
"Everything is being left to you, Emily."
She sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. After everything that had happened, she hadn't considered the future. Most of her time was spent just trying to get to tomorrow, let alone the day after that. But when Mr. Seville delivered the news, it felt like a sack of bricks hitting her right in the gut.
Reality was setting in and Emily wasn't ready to carry the burden.
The willowy attorney continued, "They didn't have much cash. All of it was tied up here."
She wasn't sure what he was getting at.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it means that you have two options. You can stay here and continue to run the Chickweed the way that your parents did, or you can liquidate and move on with your life."
"You mean sell this place?"
He nodded.
"I don't think…"
Emily didn't have words for what he was suggesting. She looked around the living room and felt the hot tears start to well back up. The fireplace that they were sitting next to was where she had taken her first steps. In the kitchen, where Barbara was waiting patiently, Emily could recall warm, countless memories shared between her and her family. Out back, hidden in the shadow of a fallen spruce, was where she first kissed a boy when she was just twelve.
The heavy memory of all of those things rushed back at once. It made Emily feel, for just a second, like she was drowning in melancholy.
When she finally spoke up, it took everything she had to keep herself together.
"This place is my heart," she stated simply.
"I know," Martin said. "I can prepare the paperwork for either scenario and you can choose which set you sign. You are also more than welcome to find someone else to handle this, Emily."
"No, no," she waved her hand. "I wouldn't want anyone else to do it."
A smile cracked the old man's wrinkled cheeks.
"Thank you, Miss Harper."
He started to pack his things back into the already crowded briefcase at a snail's pace. By the time that he was able to snap the lid shut, Emily could hear that both Gary and Tex had made their way into the kitchen.
They were engaged in a heated debate about the merits of fly-fishing.
Once he was finally packed up, Martin pulled himself out of the couch with a grunt and started toward the door with Emily close behind him.
"I will mail you the papers in the next couple of weeks. All that you have to do is sign and send them back to me. I will take care of everything else."
Emily pulled the door open with one hand and placed the other on the frail old man's shoulder.
"Thank you, Mister Seville."
He was already almost through the doorway but turned around to face her one more time. The sagging skin around his eyes had turned a shade of red that matched the red berry stains on Emily's fingers perfectly. From the corners, little beads of wetness threatened to spill over.
"I truly am sorry for the way that this happened, Emily. They didn't deserve this." He hesitated, allowing a solitary drop of salty water to fall into his tie, before continuing, "You didn't deserve this."
Emily lowered her
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