The Bequest

"Well, that's wonderful," I say.

But in reality, it kind of pisses me off. I mean, I don't want to stay here any longer than I must, and I don't really care whether it gets sold to fund alien research. But I hate the idea that Abby's family will inherit the entire thing. It's probably my mom's fault. If she hadn't put me in all those stupid beauty pageants as a kid, I wouldn't have such a stubbornly competitive streak.

"What would we have to do?" Emery asks. "If we want to help?"

"Uncle Jed appointed three men to supervise, and at least two out of three have to agree that we've assisted with each of the specified ranch activities," Abby says. "They're his friends, or at least people he trusted." "Presumably," I say.

"Well, I don't know any of them, obviously, but I asked Kevin and Jeff about them."

"I know them all," Kevin says. "This is a pretty small area, so most everybody knows everybody else."

"Are they nice? Are they good people?" I'm not sure why I'm asking. There's no chance we'll actually stick around to complete any of the assignment that insane old man set for us.

"The first guy's named Steve Archer. He's a horse trainer who broke most of the horses out in the barn." Kevin tosses his head, sending his shaggy hair rippling.

"Who's the second?" Maren's paying a little too much attention.

Probably because, even though he's got to be twenty-something, Kevin's relatively good-looking in a country kind of way. "Eddy Dutton, the local vet. Everyone loves Eddy. And then the last one is Jed's best friend, Vernon Ellingson." "Who's that, again?" Abby asks. "He's the one I don't remember."

"You don't remember him because he had a stroke," a man I assume is Jeff says from a ways off. His voice is rougher than Kevin's, and he's not nearly as handsome. I like him much better.

"Wait, if he had a stroke, then-"

Jeff spits. "Mr. Swift told me his son Patrick would be filling in." He doesn't look very impressed, or maybe I'm misreading him. It's hard to tell what someone's thinking when they're busy wiping their mouth on the sleeve of their shirt. "And Patrick?" Ethan asks. "You've said something about everyone. Is he not cool?"

Jeff laughs.

Kevin smirks. "I doubt you'd call Patrick cool, no. And I hear he wants to buy Birch Creek."

Whoa. That's a plot twist.

"It hardly seems fair if one of the people deciding whether we've complied with the terms is self interested," Abby says.

"Nice, Mom." Ethan grins. "Slide right into lawyer mode and get that sucker kicked out."

She rolls her eyes. "Good try, but you already know it's not going to matter."

Ethan's brow furrows. "Oh, come on. You swore you'd at least consider it-try to make sure we meet all the requirements for the summer. That was the deal."

"I did agree to come," Abby says, "but I didn't agree that I'd spend a single second contesting will terms or arguing with the people appointed to run things." Ethan jogs up the steps and slides a key into the lock. "If this guy ends up being a real pain, and you don't-"

Maren dashes past him and through the door, but then she screams.

"What's wrong?" I drop my luggage and leap toward the door.

"It's just Roscoe," Ethan says. "He doesn't know Maren yet, and he didn't like her racing in like that."

Abby walks past me, clearly not worried about the dog. "Come on in, Amanda. We'll reconfigure and find you and your girls somewhere to stay this week." Reconfigure? "Wait, you guys are staying here, in the same house as us?"

She pauses in the doorway. "Of course we are there isn't anywhere else. The guest house is occupied." She tosses her head at the two guys still standing on the porch outside. "I just went and had a few extra keys made at the local hardware store, which is why Ethan has one."

"And we got a lot more food." Whitney's grin is huge as she carries grocery bags into the kitchen and sets them on the table. Once she gets close, Roscoe quiets down. "Now that we know the fridge works, it's safe to stock up." I ditch my suitcases and follow Whitney inside.

"How big is this place, exactly?" Maren's still standing a few feet from the doorway, her eyes fixed on the black and white dog that's lying under the kitchen table.

"Really, don't worry about him," Ethan says. "He's had a hard run, with his master dying, but he's all growl and no bite."

"I'm less worried about us not having enough space and more concerned about the lack of WiFi," Abby says. "But don't worry. I already put in a call." "Or three." Ethan coughs.

"Or three," Abby agrees, "to the only local provider-Union Wireless."

"That's smart," Jeff says from the porch. "Now you'll be at the top of their list when they come to Manila."

If you're loving the book, nel5s.com is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! "Wait." Abby pivots and steps back onto the porch. "Come to Manila?"

Jeff frowns. "Right."

"What does that mean?"

It's like watching a trainwreck happen.

Kevin scratches his head. "I think they'll be here in July. Or is it August? And when they come, they'll probably do you first or second, since you're calling them now."

"Do me?" Abby's tone is the aural equivalent of someone holding a trash bag away from her body with two fingers. "They'll...do what for me? Install the broadband they advertise...in July or August?" Her hand is shaking a bit, and her face looks flushed.

"They usually come twice a year," Kevin says from behind Jeff. "So you're lucky it's so close." He actually looks delighted.

Meanwhile, Abby's coming unglued. Her face falls. Her lips are moving without any sound being created.

"That's a long time to go without internet," I say. "You sure you'll be staying here all summer?"

"I..." Abby closes her eyes and runs her hand over her face. "I need internet every single day. It's the only way I can work remotely."

"Mom, we'll figure something out, I promise. Don't freak out." Ethan's jogged out and come back, his arms full of groceries and his eyes genuinely concerned. Maybe he's not as selfish as I remembered.

"This is your fault," Abby spits out, before she turns and ducks back out.

Her other three kids, including little Gabe, all trudge from the trunk of her minivan, where they're loading up with bags of stuff, to the kitchen. I usually have most everything delivered to our place on the East Side, but if I had to haul groceries in, I wonder whether either of my girls would lift a finger without being shouted at first.

"Can I help you with your bags?" Ethan asks on his way back out. "Aunt Amanda?" "Right," I say. "Sure."

He lugs them both in, his muscles straining, but he never complains. Something about that small gesture makes my eyes mist up. Paul might have been a self-centered jerk, but I do miss having someone to help out with the unwieldy things. It's pathetic that I'm this emotional over something so stupid. I wipe at my eyes when no one's watching.

"There are six bedrooms," Gabe says. "I got the best one, because there's a little passageway that connects my closet to Ethan's." He looks like he really means it. "Oh, well, that is cool."

"Can your girls share a room?" Abby asks. "If so, I can put Whitney and Izzy together. You can have the Master, and I'll take whichever room your girls don't want." "I am definitely not sharing with Emery," Maren says. "She talks in her sleep."

Abby looks at me like I'm supposed to be doing or saying something.

"I do," Emery says. "I'm sorry."

"Oh." Abby's mouth dangles open stupidly.

"I think if there are six rooms, three and three is an even split."

"There are two bathrooms," Gabe says. "And a kitchen, and a living room, and another family room that's full of books. But there's not a very big pantry." "Two bathrooms?" I exhale slowly.

"They're big ones," Ethan says.

"I suppose we'll each take a bathroom?" I can't keep the pained note out of my voice.

"If that's what you want," Abby says.

"It's what's fair," I say. It's not my fault she decided to have four kids. We shouldn't be inconvenienced because of her decisions.

"Oh no! Do I have to share with Ethan?" Gabe moans. "But there's only one bed in there."

"I'm not super excited either, little guy, but maybe the girls will take that room."

"Mine has bunk beds," Gabe says.

"And a terrible view," Ethan says. "Any chance you guys want the nice, big bed in mine?" He clasps his hands in front of him like he's praying.

"Whitney kicks," Izzy says.

"Kids," Abby says.

"Fine," Izzy says. "But I want an extra pillow as a buffer."

They grumble a bit as they put the groceries away, but just like that, they all go along with it. Because Abby said the word 'kids' in a reproving tone. I need some of her super special mom potion or whatever has her kids being so nice to each other and so compliant with her.

Abby and her kids vacate faster than I thought possible, and I'm putting my clothes away when I realize what a fast one she pulled. Since I took the Master bedroom, that means that every single time my kids need to use the bathroom, they'll be traipsing through my room to do it. This is exactly the reason I've always struggled to deal with her. She acts all friendly and kind to your face, but somehow, she always seems to get the better deal while I always get the shaft.