Page 104 of Something True


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Chapter 41

It was seven in the morning, and I'd just walked into the law firm. I'd slept terribly the night before, and was barely awake, much less ready to take on Derek and his dad.

I was greeted at the front desk by a receptionist who I'd never seen before and then ushered into their nicest conference room. She said, "Mister Mitchell will be with you in a few moments."

"Wait," I said, "WhichMister Mitchell? The father or the son?"

She looked surprised by the question. "The son, of course."

I wasn't sure why she'd be surprised. But then again, I still had no idea why we were meeting at all. I only knew that it was supposedly urgent.

I said, "Did he say what the meeting was about?"

"I'm sorry. I'm just the receptionist." She gave me a smile that looked a little tense. "I'll let him know you're here."

The whole situation was unnerving to say the least. I'd been summoned to this meeting not by Derek, but by his dad, who had called last night and insisted that it was important.

And yet, the guy wasn't even going to be here?

Even as the thought hit me, I reminded myself that probably, this was a good thing. Dealing with the son was bad enough.

I'd been sitting there alone for almost fifteen minutes when my cell phone rang. I pulled it out and took a look.

It was my aunt Vivian – the one I loathed. I had no idea why she'd be calling me so early, but I did know that I'd rather deal with her now than later. Besides, what else was I going to do while waiting for Derek?

When I answered the call, she said in a tightly controlled voice, "I suppose you think you're funny."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me," she snapped. "I know exactly what you want."

"Well, that makes one of us."

"Oh, so youwantme to lose my temper? Is that it? You want a nice big laugh at my expense? Well let me tell you something, missy. I'mnotgoing to give you the satisfaction. But Iwillsay this. I was wearing my favorite dress, and now it's ruined. So, go ahead. Laugh it up. It won't be so funny when you get the bill."

I sighed.Not this again.

I heard my uncle say, "And don't forget my suit."

My aunt hissed back, "Like she'd care about your suit. The little snot doesn't care about anything."

Well, that was nice.Apparently, the little snot was me. To think, all along, I'd been a lot nicer to Aunt Vivian than she ever deserved. I said, "Oh, I care, alright."

My aunt paused. "Pardon?"

"Yeah." My voice rose. "I care about you staying out of my house. So you got a little wet. Big deal. It happens to all of us, right?"

She gave a little gasp. "Wet? It was more than wet! It was disgusting!"

So much for not losing her temper. "Oh come on," I said. "You're blowing this way out of proportion."

"You think so, huh? Well, let me tell you something, you little snot. You might think you're clever now, butyou'repaying for it. And I don't mean for the dry-cleaning."

I almost laughed. "I’m not paying for anything."

"Oh, yes you are. And you know what? I want new shoes, too."

In the background, my uncle said, "Don't forgetmyshoes."