"Yes, well, I'm doing this on my own, too," I said. "Is there anything else you need, Lincoln?"
My brother was silent on the other end as I held my breath, hoping that he wasn't waiting to drop another bomb. After what felt like an eternity, but couldn't have been more than 30 seconds, I took a deep breath and said, "No? Well, then I've got a lot of work to do, so I'm going to let you go."
Lincoln said nothing before hanging up the phone. The smashing sound on the other end let me know that while this battle might have been won, the war was far from over.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Leah
"Wait, what?" I said into the phone. "This can't be happening!"
"I'm sorry, Leah," Patrick said. "You didn't pay the insurance policy, so the only way we're going to be able to deal with the house is to sell it."
"No, Patrick! We can't sell the house!" I protested. The investigators had been out to assess the damage, and they determined that a lit cigarette had fallen out of the ashtray and burned through the rug beneath the sofa, causing the fire. We'd been lucky that Mama had gone up to her room and lay down on the bed instead of falling asleep on the couch like she usually did during the day. But the damages were more than what we could afford to fix, and the house had been rendered uninhabitable by the fire.
"Leah, there's no other way," Patrick sighed. "I'm sorry. There's no money to repair the place, and Mama needs care. If we sell the house, we can afford to put her in a long-term care facility and get you and Riley an apartment."
"Why are you doing this?" I asked.
"Let's get something straight, Leah," he said sternly. "I'm not doing anything. You didn't pay the insurance policy. That's all on you. I'm doing the best I can with what I have, and it's not much. So stop talking to me like I'm the enemy."
"Don't lecture me, Patrick!" I shot back. "I'm the one who stayed. Dammit!"
"So, we're back to this again, are we?" he said. "Look, I'm not going to have this conversation with you, Leah. I did what I had to do. I'm sorry you resent me for it but, after Molly disappeared, I had to get out."
"I know. I know. You took care of yourself and left me to hold it all together," I said bitterly. "Well, good for you, Patrick. I'm glad you've been saved, or whatever it is that you've done. The rest of us still live in this world, and we need a place to stay! I want to fix the house and move back in."
"Tell me exactly how you think you're going to do that, Leah," Patrick prompted. "How are you going to pay for the repairs and take care of Mama? She needs help, Leah. She's an alcoholic, and she's become a danger to herself and those around her. What if Riley had been home? Have you thought about that, Leah?"
"Of course, I have!" I shouted into the phone. "If Riley had been home, she would have stopped the fire."
"Do you hear yourself, Leah?" Patrick asked gently. "You're expecting a twelve-year-old to take care of her alcoholic grandmother. It's not reasonable—or healthy."
"What else do you want me to do?" I asked as the tears began to flow down my cheeks. "I'm doing the best I can, Patrick. I'm trying to hold it all together. I can't do this anymore. For God's sake, I'm 28 years old. I'm parenting a twelve-year-old, motherless child while I care for our mother and work a full-time job! I never asked for any of this! When do I get to have a life, Patrick? When does my life not involve cleaning up everyone else's mess?"
"Sell the house, Leah," Patrick said without further comment.
"Screw you, Patrick," I said before disconnecting. I put my head in my hands and sobbed silently as I absorbed the fact that I was truly alone in the world. If we didn't have a house to return to, where were we going to go? I cried until I felt there were no more tears. I wiped my eyes, took a deep breath, and looked up to see Riley standing silently in the doorway watching me with wide eyes.
"Riley, I wanted . . ." I began. She shook her head sadly before turning and running down the hall away from me.
"Riley!" I shouted as I shot out from behind my desk to follow her. "Riley, come back, and let's talk about this!"
But she was gone.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jack
"Mr. Yates, you've got a visitor," Norma said through the intercom. "Would you like me to send her in?"
"What the hell?" I muttered as I picked up the phone and dialed Norma's extension. "I don't remember scheduling a meeting this morning, Norma. What is this about? And since when did you start calling me Mr. Yates?"
"I believe this is a last-minute addition to your schedule, darlin'," Norma drawled more heavily than necessary to underscore her irritation with me. "You want me to send her in to chat with you?"
"Fine, send her in," I said in an exasperated tone as I threw up my hands and waited for my new priority to walk through the door. A few seconds later, the door opened, and Riley walked through. She looked at me from under her lashes, then turned and looked back at Norma who was standing guard, holding the door. Norma shot me a look that told me I'd be dead if I screwed this up, and only when I nodded that the message had been clearly received did she shut the door quietly.
"Riley, hey, c'mon in and have a seat," I said motioning to the chairs across from my desk. "Can I get you something to drink?"