Chapter 43

43

Heather checked her watch. She had forty-five minutes to get Frankie to her appointment. They'd had a cancellation, and she'd talked them into giving it to her. She'd grab Ember, make sure her baby was fed, grab Frankie, make sure that one was clean and presentable and fed, and then they'd head over to the north side of town. This therapist was willing to take cash payments and gave a ten percent discount if you prepaid. It was the best deal Heather could find.

What good was health insurance if the things her girls needed weren't ever covered? The TSP really wasn't good for anything for her now.

She'd known that for a long, long time.

She still needed to find a way to pay for allergy tests for Ember. The insurance was balking, saying there wasn't a need yet. Heather was going to have to find time to figure it out. Or speak with Joy. Her sister might know of some resources out there for someone in Heather's situation. In the meantime, Heather had three hundred cash in her pocket. That ring she'd won in a card game years ago, off a married man who had been very impressed with the dress his colleague—Heather—had been wearing had come in handy today. It was going to pay for Frankie's first consultation, two appointments after that, and the remaining thirty to forty dollars was going toward topping off the flour and sugar supplies in the kitchen.

Someone called her name.

Heather turned. Then relaxed when she saw the woman coming from the driveway. "Powell, something I can help you with?"

"I was wondering if you had a moment or two to discuss something? I spoke with Zoey this morning. I'm her attorney, by the way. And I am kind of here in that capacity. A little. Technically. I am also here as her friend. And Cara's."

Heather tensed. The last thing she wanted to do was deal with the other side today . "What about?"

"Cara said some things in Masterson that don't match up with what Zoey has said. And I really want to clarify."

Heather fought snarling instinctively. She had known Cara working at Barratt, Barratt, I do have high hopes. He constantly needs put in his place, you know."

"I'd believe that."

The front door opened. Bonnie was there. Heather waved at her. "I'm going to walk with Powell for a moment, Mom. We're talking about her moron brother Mackie. Is Frankie about ready?"

"She's eating her lunch. Her nap ran over. She should be finished soon." Bonnie had Nalla on her hip now. She stepped back inside when someone—it sounded like Milan—called for her. There were about to be preschoolers everywhere. Summer worked with the younger kids every afternoon on "school." Especially since Nalla and Nicholas and Frankie had been pulled out after Eastman's attack.

"What kind of discrepancies? I have twenty minutes max. Then, I have to get Frankie to speech therapy. I can't miss that appointment. They charge a forty-dollar no-show fee."

"Zo's investigation found paperwork showing your father had over sixteen million in life insurance, the property you lived in was fully paid for, no liens against it anywhere, and his own net worth was over twenty-two million in liquid assets alone. Plus, there was a lot more. Yet Cara told me there was no money."

"That stupid missing money? That's what this is about? Here's the deal, Powell, my father had money. Lots of it. We were sure of it. We lived like we did. Yet when we went to find the paperwork and accounts to prove it, nothing. The attorneys involved told us there was nothing. That he'd lied. My father never lied. I've never believed it, could never prove it. But no, despite what the Garlic seems to think, Bonnie does not have piles of millions sitting in her thong drawer. The rest of us, either, although little Cashie can be kind of sneaky. That's the one we really need to watch for trouble, you know."

A black SUV drove by. Heather watched it. It was that one she had seen before. Cashlyn's little sedan was right behind it. She waved at her niece. "Things are going to get busy here. Let's…take a short walk."

She didn't want her family to overhear. Just in case.

Heather looked at the man sitting on Alex's porch, watching them. "See you still have your shadow."

"I promised Gunnar and my parents I wouldn't go anywhere without him. He's good at what he does, is a theology student at FCU, and secretly writes romance novels when he thinks I'm not looking." Powell looked at her and blinked. She had an intense way of looking at someone. Heather had noticed it before. "I bought a property four over from this road. Take a walk with me? I just want to help, Heather. I promise."