“Miss Brown, I am so sorry for your loss.” He nervously ran his hand over his hair. “This may not be the best time, but I am, or I should say I was your gran’s lawyer.” He tugged a card out of his pocket. “I know this may be the last thing on your mind, but your gran wanted me to meet with you about her will as soon as you got into town.”
His card was an off-white color with simple block lettering. It read, “Terrence Daniels, Law Office” with an address and phone number. “Umm, thank you, Mr. Daniels.” My head swam with all the things happening today.
“I can meet you at my office later today, or we can wait till after the funeral, but it is very important that we meet as soon as possible.” He rubbed his hands down his pants. “I am so sorry to approach you here, but your gran was insistent, and no one could ever tell her no.”
A smile spread across my face at his comment. I laughed and felt joy for the first time since arriving back home. “You are right about that. When Gran decided on something, no one could stop her.” I met his eyes. “I can meet you after the visitation is over today, Mr. Daniels.”
“Oh, please call me Terry.”
“Okay, Terry. I should be done here by, say, four-thirty and could meet you at your office at five. Will that work for you?”
“Of course, Miss Brown. I will see you then. Again, I’m sorry for your loss.” He tipped his head in goodbye.
“Yeah, me too,” I whispered, placing his card in my back pocket and moving further into the room. The refreshment table had been annihilated, with only the occasional crumb gracing the decorative plates. The next hour flew by in a blur of thank yous, hugs, and handshakes as what seemed like the whole town of Lovely had turned out to say goodbye to Gran. Or it might have just been the dynamic refreshment spread provided by the best bakery in town.
With everyone gone, it left me, the flowers, and Gran. I sat in the front row, unable to make myself get any closer than that. I wanted to but couldn’t.
“I’m sorry, Gran.” I dropped my head into my hands. “What am I going to do now? I know I said I didn’t need you anymore, that I could do life on my own.” I choked back a sob. “But I was wrong, Gran. I still need you so much.”
I pressed the heels of my palms against my eyes, trying to stem the flow of tears, hoping that a different type of pain would erase the one taking root in my heart. Gran pretty much raised me. With Mom and Dad working so hard to keep the farm going after my uncles abandoned it, I stayed with Gran most days and nights. With over three hundred head of cattle and five hundred acres of land, it was more than two people could or should have taken care of on their own. Dad hired help occasionally, but his pride wouldn’t allow him to ask for assistance from anyone, ever. They divorced shortly after I went to live with gran though, I think I was about six. Mom suffered from some mental illness and dad couldn’t handle it anymore. He left my mom, the farm, and me. Gran was there for every concert, play, award ceremony, ball game…you name it, she was there. Mom tried her best to make it when she could, and I knew she was working hard so I would have a better life than she did, but it put a distance between us that we had been unable to bridge. I appreciated all she did for me, all the hard work she put in to make sure I was able to take advantage of every opportunity placed in front of me. Gran was my rock, though, my confidant, my best friend.
“Here,” a familiar voice softly greeted, a white handkerchief dangling from long thin fingers in my field of vision. Even with a bit of age, I recognized those fingers. They belonged to one of the few people in high school who never judged anyone. A gal who had followed her dream of becoming a mortician, and the only person I felt comfortable letting handle my gran’s final goodbye.
“Hey, Kendra.” I took the cloth and wiped the wetness from my face. “Thank you for all you’ve done.”
“No thank you needed. I loved your gran like my own.” She wrapped her arm around my shoulders in a half hug. She had barely changed since high school. Still tall, thin, and blonde, but also, still one of the nicest people I had ever met.
“I know. Do you remember when we attempted to make her wacky cake and ended up burning it to a crisp?” I laughed through the tears.
“Oh god, yes. I was scared to death. We had all the windows open, but her Bundt pan was toast. I thought she was going to skin us alive.” Kendra’s laughter lifted my spirits.
“It took three days for the smell to finally go away.” I shook my head and smiled.
Kendra sat reminiscing with me till it turned dark outside. I glanced up as the lights above us dimmed. “I should go.” I stood, stretching and working out the kinks the uncomfortable folding chairs had given me.
“You don’t have to. You are welcome to stay as long as you like.” Kendra grinned.
“I appreciate it, but I am sure you have other things you need to do.” I hugged her. “Thank you again.”
“You are welcome.” She squeezed me hard. “But I’m not letting a friend be alone tonight. I have no pressing matters.” She stepped back, still holding my shoulders, until I met her eyes. “Let’s go get dinner and maybe a couple drinks, leave the stress of the day behind. Then you my friend need to go home and get a good night’s rest.”
“Yes, mom.” I quipped. “Your plan sounds better than what I had planned. Dinner and drinks it is.”
I glanced at my watch, noticing it was past 6:00 P.M., and it dawned on me that I had missed my meeting with Mr. Daniels. I whipped my phone out of my pocket along with his card and quickly dialed his number. His voicemail picked up.
“Mr. Daniels, this is Genevieve Brown. I am so sorry I missed our meeting. If you can reschedule for tomorrow afternoon, that would be wonderful. Again, I am so sorry!”
After hanging up I grimaced and said, “Let’s go.”
The exterior of the funeral home was freshly whitewashed, but two of the outside lights were burnt out, casting long shadows along the walkway. Black shutters had been added to the windows in an effort to make it homier, but it seemed more deserted to me.
We’d decided to go to hit Otis Campbells for dinner, and as she got into her own car and took off, I got into mine and buckled up, checking the mirror before I even started the car. Otis’s was one of the few places to eat in Lovely. The owners had a real love for the Andy Griffith Show and chose to name their bar/restaurant after one of the well-loved characters. I really didn’t want to go home to Gran’s empty house just yet and was grateful for Kendra’s offer.
2
Brian
I waited till we were both safe in the cab of my truck before laying into my friend. “What the ever-lovin’ hell were you thinkin’, Jason?”
“That I should have taught Genni some manners back in high school.” His egotistical smirk pissed me off even more.
“You and I both know that’s not how this world works. You can’t force dominance or submission on anyone. It must be consensual and hittin’ on a female at a funeral home?? Bad form.” I shook my head, running my hands down my face. “Please tell me you haven’t forgotten everything you learned at the club.”