Chapter Eleven
“You have an hour to get your shit together and leave.” Lily stared her mother down, hands on hips and ready to fight.
Sadie groaned inwardly, her hands over her face. Her sister had been out of town on business the past week and had called to check in on her while she was away. Sadie had told Lily about their mother’s visit and how Jackie was driving her crazy. Lily hadn’t said much except to hang in there. What Sadie didn’t anticipate was Lily storming over to her house the minute she got back into town like an avenging angel full of piss and vinegar. Had she known, Sadie might not have mentioned their mother’s visit during their phone conversation.
Jackie continued to lounge on the couch just as cool as she pleased, taking a leisurely sip on the lemonade Sadie had made fresh that morning. She winced a bit and glared at Sadie, completely ignoring Lily’s tirade. “This lemonade is too sour, girl. Are you trying to kill me sooner than my time?”
Something in Lily seemed to snap as she charged toward her mother. Sadie threw herself in front of her sister and held on tight. “No. Please don’t.”
Lily struggled against Sadie for a moment but finally relented. “Are you kidding me? How can you stand there and take her abuse? Hasn’t this woman done enough damage as it is already? Look at you? Your hands are shaking and you’re a nervous wreck. You moved down here to get away from her! I’ll be damned if I let her undo all the damage she did to you.”
Tears burned the backs of Sadie’s eyes. The week had been an absolute nightmare. Every night she went to bed in tears and no matter how hard she tried she could do nothing right in her mother’s eyes. She was too slow, not a good enough cook, too fat, and not too bright. It chipped away at her self-esteem, but in the end, she had to remind herself, Jackie was her mother.
“Jackie can be rough at times, but she’s still our mother. And if you don’t have any respect for her, that’s your choice, but at least respect me and don’t attack her in my home.”
Lily shot a narrowed eye glare in their mother’s direction and then back to Sadie. She grabbed her younger sister’s hand and dragged her toward the kitchen.
“Get me another glass of lemonade while you’re in there, Sadie and make sure you put enough sugar in it this time.”
“That’s it,” Lily snapped letting go of Sadie’s hand and charging back toward the living room.
Sadie wrapped her arm around her sister’s waist and held on for dear life because if she didn’t, there’d be bloodshed and she had light colored carpets. “Please don’t do this, Lily. She’s only doing this to push your buttons. Don’t let her.”
Lily struggled against Sadie for another moment before relenting. “Ok, you can let me go. I won’t strangle the heifer. But I swear to God if she makes one more comment, the wench is dead.”
Sadie shot her mother a pleading look and received a smirk from Jackie. “Don’t worry about me, Chrissy, I won’t say a word.”
Sadie cringed on the inside over the use of a childhood nickname she couldn’t stand. Her mother sometimes used it to remind her of the awful first name she’d been given. She ignored her mother’s attempt to goad Lily some more and pushed her into the kitchen. When she was sure her sister wouldn’t run back to the living room and commit matricide, she let go. “This isn’t the way you know? She says those things because she knows it gets to you. You can’t threaten violence every time she says something out of pocket.”
Lily crossed her hands over her chest and pursed her lips. Oh, yes the hell I can. I can’t believe that bitch has been here for a week. I bet she knew I’d be on vacation. Did you talk to her by any chance before I left?”
Sadie lowered her head avoided eye contact with her sometimes too perceptive sister. “We might have. But how was I supposed to know she was fishing to find a time to visit me? Her showing up was just as big a surprise to me as it is to you.”
“How can you put up with it? Look at you, your hands are shaking. I bet your nerves are shot with her around.”
“A little, but she won’t be here much longer.”
“Do you actually believe this cock and bull story that she’s dying?”
“Yes and no. Mom’s got cancer. She even gave me the number to her doctor to prove it. I spoke to him and before you ask, yes, I checked online to make sure he was legit. He says she has stage one colon cancer. She’ll need surgery but the chances of survival are high. Yes, she’s playing it up to be more than it actually is, but she’s still sick. She’s been trying to convince me to come back home.”
“So you can wait on her hand and foot again? Didn’t you already have enough of that? Let the bitch suffer.”
“Lily, please don’t say things like that. No one deserves to go through what she’s dealing with. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”
Lily narrowed her eyes. “Neither would I, but I most certainly would wish it on her. And you are not going back to DC to be an unpaid servant to that woman.”
Sadie kept quiet while her sister ranted. Since Sadie could remember, she’d searched for the good in the woman she called mother. There had to be something about her otherwise, why would Daddy have married her? She was only five when he’d died, but he was so loving and gentle. Surely a man like him wouldn’t have been with someone like her mother if there wasn’t at least a little good in her.
“You’re not considering it are you?” Lily stared at her with a narrowed gaze. “Rhys wouldn’t allow that to happen.”
“Probably not. But I don’t know, things have been kind of weird for us lately. Don’t get me wrong. I love him and I’m sure he loves me, but he’s going through some things with his daughter. I’ve tried to be there for him as much as I can, but things are a bit strained.”
“That doesn’t mean he’ll let you move away from him. It’s pretty obvious he’s smitten, and whatever is going on you two will work it out.”
“You really think so?”
“I know you will, sis. But back to Cruella out there. I don’t know why you put yourself through this? Every time she snaps her fingers, you jump. You’ve got to stop trying to please her. It’s not going to happen. Rose, Daisy and I figured that out a long time ago. Look at how she treated poor Thorne. I wish to God he didn’t have to spend his last days with that creature.”
“He didn’t suffer in the end though. He died peacefully in his sleep.”
“I know, hon. But this cancer thing, it’s tragic, but it’s not your responsibility to take care of her. That’s what she wants. She’s like a succubus, she’ll drain the life out of you if you let her. Come home with me tonight to at least get away from her. I’d sleep much better tonight knowing that you’re not being made to feel uncomfortable in your own home.”
“I can’t just leave Mom here like that.”
“Yes, you can. You have two options. You can go upstairs and get an overnight bag or I can go out there and whoop her ass. Take your pick.”
Sadie knew Lily would do it too. “Okay,” she sighed. “Let me go upstairs and pack. Please don’t do anything you’ll regret while I’m gone. Better yet, I think you should come with me.”
* * *
Rhys missed Sadie like crazy, missed holding her, inhaling her scent, missed just having her near. Ever since his confrontation with Lacey, things had been a bit stressful between them. With Sadie’s mother in town, he didn’t get to see her as much as he wanted although he realized that would probably be just fine with Jackie Flowers. Though she didn’t come right out and say it, he could tell she didn’t care for him although he’d tried his hardest to charm the woman. All she seemed to do was complain even though he’d taken her and Sadie out to one of the nicest restaurants in the area and spared no expense. Rhys wasn’t sure if she didn’t like white men or if it was just him, but besides his ex-wife, he’d never met a more disagreeable woman in his life. How a harpy like that could produce someone as sweet and sensitive as his Sadie was beyond him.
Sadie wasn’t picking up her cell phone so he called her home number. It was answered on the third ring.
“Hello?” It wasn’t Sadie. Rhys recognized the voice as her mother’s.
He felt like a schoolboy asking permission to speak to his girlfriend on a school night. “Hello, Mrs. Flowers. May I speak to Sadie, please?”
“She ain’t here.”
“Do you know when she’ll be back?”
“Nope.”
“Could you leave her a message that I called.”
“I could, but you’re wasting your time.”
“Pardon me?”
“Sadie will end up with her ex-boyfriend. She always does. They always break up and make up. You know how it is.”
He froze. What the hell was this woman talking about? Sadie’s ex? From his understanding, her ex had married his child’s mother. “That’s odd, you wouldn’t happen to be talking about the one who got married behind her back?”
Jackie snorted. “As if a little thing like that would stop them from getting back together. Those two are like peanut butter and jelly. You mark my word, she’ll be back with him. Anyway, he’s no longer with that tramp he married. Guess he realized what Sadie soon will—they belong together.”
Rhys bit the inside of his lip to hold back the angry retort. “Well, I would imagine that’s Sadie’s decision. Please tell her I called.” He hung up before the woman could respond.
What the hell was that about? Sadie never mentioned anything about getting a back with her ex. She never mentioned him at all beyond relaying what a jerk he’d been. It didn’t make sense.
As he sat in his office, he stewed over the conversation he’d had with Sadie’s mother and realized, he couldn’t wait for Sadie to get home. He tried her cell phone again.
“Rhys?” Sadie answered.
“Yes, it’s me.”
“So where are you?”
“I’m with Lily. I’m staying the night with her. I needed a break from my mom and my sister rescued me. Does that sound terrible?”
After talking to her mother Rhys couldn’t say he blamed her. “Oh. I just got off the phone with her. You didn’t answer your cell earlier so I called the home number and you weren’t there so I was worried.”
“Oh, I had my phone on silent. I saw you’d called so I was in the process of calling you back.”
“I see.”
“Are you okay? Did my mother say something to upset you?”
“We had an interesting conversation.”
“Oh? What about?”
“She mentioned you getting back with your ex-boyfriend. Of course, she was wrong, right?”
Silence greeted his inquiry, making his heart seize.
“She was wrong, wasn’t she?”
“Of course she was. I don’t know why she’d say that. I mean he’s been in contact with me, but I haven’t returned any of his calls.”
Jealousy of the likes he’d never experienced reared its head. “That’s interesting considering you’ve never mentioned these calls.”
“Because they weren’t worth mentioning. Terrell is my past and you are my present.”
He noticed how she didn’t mention future. Was she hiding something from him, or was he just being paranoid? “I see,” he said tightly. “So your mother was full of shit?”
“My mother has an active imagination.”
“But I didn’t imagine you not telling me about phone calls from your ex.”
She sighed. “Rhys, I don’t know why you can’t just take me at my word, but if you’re going to be like this, I think my mother isn’t the only one I need a break from. I know things are a bit crazy right now with what’s going on with your ex-wife, but that doesn’t give you the right to question my word.”
“You should have told me, Sadie.”
“Okay, I should have told you, but I didn’t. I’m sorry.” Her apology was curt and she sounded more than a little annoyed.
It was then he realized, he needed to step away from this conversation before he said something he regretted. “Okay, Sadie. I’m sorry too. Give me a call when you get back home?”
“Sure.”
He hesitated for a moment but knew he couldn’t disconnect the call without telling her how he felt. “I love you.”
There was a long pause before she answered. “I love you too Rhys. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. You sound tired, get some rest.”
“I will. Goodnight.”
A click sounded in his ear indicating she’d hung up first. What the hell just happened? Even though the call ended with the right words something seemed off. His heart was heavy.
“Get yourself together, man.” He raked his fingers through his hair. It seemed his world was spinning off its access. Carys walked around the house in a state of depression, Lacey had the nerve to call him with demands and now he and Sadie were having problems, not that he intended to let her go.
Rhys walked out of his study and went upstairs to check on Carys. She was sound asleep. He sat on the bed next to her, careful not to wake her up. He couldn’t love her more if she was his biological daughter. He leaned dropped a kiss on her forehead before leaving the room.
There was one problem he could solve. He intended to call his lawyer to draw up papers for Lacey to sign away her parental rights for a large lump sum of money. It would be the second pay off he’d given her, but this one would ensure that she stayed away. She’d get half of the offering now, and the other half when Carys turned eighteen as long as she kept her promise. Knowing Lacey, she wouldn’t pass up the money.
He was on his way to bed when the door rang. Rhys was surprised to see a policeman standing on his doorstep. “Good evening. Is there a problem officer?”
“Are you Rhys Edwards?”
“Yes, sir, I am. What’s the matter?”
“There’s been an accident and we found your information. Would you be able to come down to the morgue? We’ll need you to identify the body.”
His heart plummeted to his feet.