Page 38 of Playoff (Toronto Blaze #4)

Enough!

Jess

The next morning my phone dragged me into consciousness.

I hadn’t been able to get to sleep till late for a second night.

After Justin finding me with Alek, trying to work out logistics for everything, meeting with the funeral director and messaging with my friends, my control finally snapped and I’d cried.

I wasn’t sure how many of my tears were for Grandma, and how many for the rest of the mess I was in.

I’d been saying goodbye to her at every visit, but there was still a gap in my heart now that she was completely gone.

My sinuses were clogged up and my eyes and nose puffy and red. My body felt like I’d gone several rounds at a gym and my brain was frazzled. I slapped my hand around until I found the phone and croaked a hello.

It was Katie. I’d messaged all the PAC members, but Katie knew about Alek so it wasn’t surprising that she wanted more than an everything is fine text.

“Are you okay? No, I know you’re not, but did I wake you? I tried to wait till it was a reasonable time.”

I waved my hand, though she couldn’t see it. “I didn’t sleep well.”

“Understandable. How are you holding up?”

“I won’t know till I get some coffee.”

“Do you want me to call back when you’re more awake?”

“No, it’s good.” With no Justin or Alek to talk to, hearing from someone who cared helped.

“First, our condolences about your grandmother. Were you close?”

Huh . I guess I hadn’t talked to the PAC about her. But I had to Alek. “Yeah, we were. She mostly raised us. But she’d been in a home with dementia for the last couple of years so we knew it was coming.”

Katie made a comforting sound. “That’s terrible.”

“It is.” It was a horrible disease.

“What can we do? Would it help if we came out for the service? Josh has free time and air miles.” As well as a multimillion-dollar salary. Even on IR, he’d be bringing in a lot of money.

Now Justin was on IR as well.

“Thanks, but probably better not. Family drama is expected, and it might make things awkward.” Mom and Dad were going to be hurt and upset.

“We can handle awkward if it helps. Or I could come on my own.”

I closed my eyes and sniffed. “Thank you, I appreciate the offer. But I don’t know what’s going to happen, so I think it’s better not to have too many people around. I’ll call you after.”

“I’ll answer, I swear it. Now, can I ask?”

I sighed. “About Justin?”

“And the attack on Alek. Was that about, you know…”

“Probably. Justin found out the night before.”

She gasped. “Oh, no! What happened? What did he say?”

“We have phone locators for each other—we set it up a while ago. When I’m staying out with a guy, I have it on so Justin doesn’t worry.

I forgot to turn it off, and Justin came to Fitch’s condo when he got the news about Grandma since that was where my phone was.

I hadn’t picked up messages because I was… you know.”

Kate made a sound between a comforting mmhmm and a giggle.

“I’d had an argument with Alek and was heading to the door partly dressed, and Justin showed up.” I frowned. Maybe Fitch gave him a key? “Alek was behind me in just his boxers—it was obvious what was going on. Justin told me Grandma had died and left. I haven’t seen or heard from him since.”

“Oh, Jess. Sounds like you need someone. Let me book a ticket.”

It was a generous offer. Katie would come and do whatever she could, I knew that, and I loved her for it.

I just didn’t want to have to explain my parents.

And since revealing Grandma’s will would undoubtedly start more drama than anyone should be exposed to, I’d rather do this on my own.

Then, if Justin didn’t show and they wanted to know why… No, privacy would be best.

“I appreciate that Katie, I really do, but Justin is just the tip of the family stuff that’s going to be happening. I honestly think I’ll get through this better on my own.”

She offered to fly out and avoid all the gatherings to just be on hand for me, but she was near the end of her semester. She had exams, to take and give, and Ducky needed her too. I finally convinced her, promising to call as often as I needed to.

I felt better after talking to her. My body still felt like shit—the red eyes, lack of sleep, time difference, and anxiety about Justin, Alek, and my parents all making my stomach roil and my weaker self want to stay curled up in bed.

But even if Justin wouldn’t speak to me, I had support people. I could do this.

I dragged myself into the shower to try to improve how I looked. I was meeting my parents at Grandma’s house. My messages to Justin with the times for that and the service had gone unanswered. I had to prepare to face this alone.

Having Katie here would have added extra stress, but Alek… No, Alek wasn’t an option. We weren’t like that, and the Blaze were playing in a few hours. If I thought the will was going to cause havoc, having Alek with me? Fireworks.

I put on dress pants and a shirt with a blazer.

They were clothes I wore to work, so were armor of a kind.

I did my best to cover up the worst of my tears with makeup.

I had brought a raincoat since this was the Pacific Northwest, and put my laptop and printed copies of Grandma’s will in my briefcase.

Food didn’t appeal, but I had a large cup of coffee at the hotel restaurant and headed out to meet them.

It was a short drive to Grandma’s house. My parents’ car was already there. I pulled up beside them and took a long breath. I had no idea if Justin was even in BC, but he wasn’t here. It was just me.

I’d grabbed the handle to open the door when a car pulled in behind me.

I looked in the rearview mirror and almost burst into tears again when I saw my twin behind the wheel.

We might be fighting, worse than we ever had, but I was so glad to see him.

Not as happy to see the cast on his hand, but this wasn’t the time for that.

Mom and Dad came out on the porch—we all had keys—and greeted us.

“Jess, Justin, we put the heat on and brought coffee and pastries.”

“Thanks.” I shot a glance at Justin but he had sunglasses on and I couldn’t read his expression. I squared my shoulders and entered the house.

It looked like it had the last time I’d been here.

Justin paid someone to clean and check on the place, so it wasn’t dirty or in disrepair.

But still, it had a musty, abandoned feel.

Grandma would have hated it. Until she had to leave, she’d filled the place with the scents of baking, flowers, candles—life.

There were half-melted candles on the table where we sat.

No flowers. Not since she’d been in the care home.

“We were looking around,” my mother said. “There’s a lot to be done before we list it. The kitchen and bathroom need upgrades, and the furniture is all dated. I know someone who does estate auctions and they can deal with what’s here so we can stage it for showings.”

Mom always stepped up to lead. But this was my show—actually, the show that Grandma had set up. “That depends on if it’s sold. Let’s sit down and look at the will.”

Dad shot me a glance. Mom huffed. “She only had one child. I’m not sure why she made you the executor but we’re all family. Are you telling me she left this to be a cat shelter or halfway house?”

I sat down at the place I always sat for meals. Mom took the chair at the head of the table, Dad across from me, and Justin at the foot. I looked at him again, trying to gauge what he was feeling, but he was staring at the tabletop and frowning. I set my briefcase on the table.

Dad asked Justin, “How did you get in a fight with the Denbrowski boy?”

My hands froze on the bag. Justin shrugged. I was glad he wasn’t going to throw me under the bus, but I’d still like to hear him speak. Something to break this tension.

I closed my eyes for a moment and mentally composed myself. Showtime .

I opened my eyes again and pulled out the papers in my briefcase. “I printed out copies.” I slid one over to Mom, and one to Dad. Justin already knew the contents so I didn’t bother giving him one. I folded my hands and waited. The silence grew more and more tense.

“What the hell?” my mother asked. “We get her car and life insurance and you two split the rest?” Her voice was tight, level, but with anger brimming underneath.

“When was this will written? I had no idea she’d made a new one,” Dad said.

“Three years ago.”

My mother interjected. “She wasn’t in her right mind.”

“She’d been told she had the signs of dementia, but she was still legally of sound mind. She wanted to do this before she lost her faculties.”

Mom glared at me. “You talked her into this.”

I straightened my shoulders. “No, I tried to change her mind. I didn’t want the conflict.”

“I’m supposed to believe you and your brother get everything and you still tried to change her mind?”

I braced myself.

Mom put on her martyred expression. “You have blamed me ever since we lost our money. You twisted everything, turned your brother against us, and now even your father’s mother.”

She was the one who’d decided to trust the Denbrowskis and their too-good-to-be-true results, but I wasn’t getting into that. “The last page is the explanation she provided.” She’d hoped that would calm my parents down, but we’d both known that wasn’t likely.

Mom flicked the papers with a finger. “She wants you two to make it a home again. Like that’s going to happen. Justin is tied to whatever team he plays for, and you’re his camp follower. What are the odds you’ll be back in BC?”

That hurt. I’d insisted on paying my way, determined that Justin would know I wasn’t taking advantage of him.

But Mom made assumptions that I was. I had his POA for finances.

We set that up so that he didn’t have to face our parents’ constant requests for more money, but it meant I was the bad one in their eyes.

Maybe I had been, in non-financial ways.

“Things can change.” My voice was quiet. “Grandma knew you would want to sell everything. And not only did she want us to keep some things, she didn’t trust you’d use the money wisely.”

As expected, my mother blew up. She complained that Grandma had blamed her when they’d lost their money and needed her help, and that I’d wormed my way into her trust so that I could get everything. It was what I’d expected—Mom wasn’t used to not getting her own way—but it still hurt.

“Enough!” Justin’s raised voice cut through the kitchen.

We turned in shock. Justin never yelled. Never talked back. Never got in fights either. But now he’d spoken loudly enough to stop my mother mid-rant.

“Jessica has never schemed. All she’s done is protect me.

And I’ve let her. But that’s enough . If you can’t speak civilly, just go.

And don’t count on any more money from me.

It’s time this whole fucking family got over what happened.

We lost our money. But you still have a home and you still have food.

That’s more than many people have. So let it go . ”