I sniffle.
“Yep, no. She’s all yours to comfort.”
Nadine aggressively sighs. “Come here, Nova. I can’t move.”
On my knees, I shuffle towards the bed so she can wrap herarms around me. I cry hard and long, gasping for air, wetting her shirt with snot and tears. Rosa offers a pitiful pat on the back, then laughs at whatever face Nadine’s making.
When the noises pass, Nadine presses her cold fingers against my swollen eyes.
“After finding out about Rivera’s Roses,” she starts telling me. “I remembered the look of panic when you were told to pay thousands. So, I’ve been working withTatayon a way to get you out of it.”
I sniffle a bit more. She wipes more tears away.
“You mentioned going to Mr. Cartwright’s funeral and I couldn’t get that out of my head. Why did Ms. Cartwright point fingers at you? Sure, not a lot of people went to the library. But our neighbours have overdue books too. Katelyn from the street over—the one with five kids—has over three hundred overdue books and that’s all from the past five years, but Ms. Cartwright didn’t sue them. There had to be a reason.”
“Was there?” I wipe my nose with the sleeve of my shirt. Rosa makes aneughsound in the back.
Nadine nods, solemnly. “Mr. Cartwright left a will. According to his lawyer, he was going to submit it before he died.”
“He liked handwriting his notes,” I’m trying to make sense of this. Mr. Cartwright loved me, he never would have approved Ms. Cartwright’s choices.
“He did,” a slow, bright smile curves the bottom part of her face. “Tatayfound it. Don’t ask him how, but we submitted it to his lawyer for verification.” She blows out a long breath. “If it turns out to be his handwriting, Nova…” She grabs my arms. “Mr. Cartwright left the library toyou.”
I have to replay Nadine’s words. It doesn’t sink in until the fifth time.
“Why me?” I ask, still.
“There was only one person who loved books more than him,” Rosa notes.
Me.
“No one knew about his will. Ms. Cartwright thought she’d easily win the lawsuit and get rid of you.”
“Would this mean…” I swallow hard. “I don’t have to pay?”
Nadine laughs. A full, belly laugh. “Yes, Nova. It means that the whole library is yours. I doubt people are their own debt collectors.”
Mr. Cartwright and I have always had a great friendship. One that stems from our love for stories, but I never knew it went this deep. If the will comes back authentic and he left the library to me—my throat tightens with unshed tears.
I’ve always been seen.
“Okay enough of this serious talk,” Rosa pulls out an envelope from beneath her and throws it at me. “Dean asked me to give this to you and I need to know what it is.”
I blink a couple of times. “He?—”
“Yes, oh my god. Just open it.”
I’m on automatic when I tear open the envelope.
“What is this?” I try to read the words, but there’s a lot of legal terms. The only thing I understand isOHIPwritten at the top.
Rosa takes the paper from me and reads it.
Then she gasps. “Excuse me while I go jump off a cliff.”
“What is it?” I ask, impatiently when Nadine takes the paper from her. She gasps too.
“Can someone tell me?” I whine, trying to get the paper.
