She shook her head and backed up so he could get by, but he followed her until he had her pressed against the wall. Then he kissed her.
'That's the way to start a new day. Kissing a beautiful woman,' he said, and went back into the living room.
She looked at herself in the mirror and was appalled. Time to bring out the makeup, she decided, and start acting like a woman. He'd called her beautiful? She thought then that Theo needed to wear his glasses all the time.
In a half hour, she was as good as she was going to get. She wished she'd packed a skirt, but she hadn't, and her only choices were a pair of navy shorts or jeans. Since it was hot, she opted for the shorts. There wasn't any choice for tops. She'd packed
a pale yellow blouse with a little too much spandex.
Barefoot, she padded down the hallway with her makeup bag and put it on the dresser in the bedroom. Theo came in to get his glasses. He was talking on the phone as he walked. He gave her a quick once-over, his gaze lingering on her legs, and she
heard him ask the person on the other end to repeat what he had just said.
'I got it. Yeah, her dad got the certified letter about an hour ago. No, Michelle doesn't know. I'll let Jake tell her.'
'Who was that?' she asked.
'Ben. He's still waiting for the crime scene report.'
'What is it you want Daddy to tell me?'
'Good news,' he promised.
'Were there people here earlier? I thought I heard the door opening and closing and lots of strange voices.'
'A couple of your dad's friends brought over the food from your house. There are four pies on the kitchen table,' he added
with a grin.
'But no cards, right?'
'Mike, I want to talk to you,' her father called.
'I'm coming, Daddy.'
She and Theo walked into the living room together. She saw the photo album on the table and whispered, 'Uh-oh. Daddy's melancholy.'
'He looks happy to me.'
'He's melancholy. He only gets the family album out when he's feeling blue.'
John Paul was sprawled out on the sofa. His hands were stacked on his chest and his eyes were closed. Jake was sitting
at a big round oak table in the country kitchen, which opened to the living room.
'Now aren't you sorry you didn't go to the funeral?' he asked his son.
John Paul didn't open his eyes when he answered. 'No.'
'You should be,' Jake said. 'Your cousin wasn't the sourpuss you thought she was.'
'I never said she was a sourpuss. I said-'
His father quickly stopped him. 'I remember what you said, but I don't want you repeating it in front of company. Besides,
I know you've got to be feeling contrite now.'
John Paul didn't have anything to say about that, unless a grunt qualified as a response.
'Your cousin was mindful of family after all. Mike, come and sit at the table. I've got something important to tell you. Theo,
you sit down too. I want you to see some pictures.'
Theo pulled out a chair for Michelle, then sat beside her. Jake took hold of Michelle's hand and looked her in the eyes.
'Brace yourself, sugar. This is gonna be a shock.'
'Who died?'
Her father blinked. 'No one died. It's your cousin Catherine Bodine.'
'The dead one,' John Paul called out.
'Of course she's dead. We've only got one cousin in the family on your mama's side.' Jake shook his head.
'What about her?' Michelle asked.
'She left us money. A heap of money,' he stressed, raising his eyebrows.
Michelle didn't believe him. 'Oh, Daddy, that's got to be a mistake. You're telling me Catherine left us money? No, she wouldn't.'
'I just told you she did,' her father countered. 'I know it's hard to believe, and it's a shock, just like I warned you it would be, but it's true. She left us money.'
'Why would she leave us anything? She hated us.'
'Don't talk like that,' he chided. Pulling his handkerchief from his pocket, he wiped his eyes. 'Your cousin was a wonderful woman.'
'That's called rewriting history,' John Paul muttered.
Still the doubting Thomas, Michelle shook her head. 'There has to be a mistake.'
'No, sugar, there isn't any mistake. Aren't you curious to know how much money she gave us?'
'Sure,' she said, wondering what kind of joke Catherine had played. From what she'd heard about her cousin from her brothers, the woman had a cruel streak'.
'Your dear cousin left each one of us one hundred thousand dollars.''
Michelle's mouth dropped open. 'One hundred…'
'Thousand dollars,' her father finished for her. 'I just got off the phone with Remy. I called your brother to tell him about his cousin's generosity, and his reaction was just like yours and John Paul's. I raised three cynical children.'
Michelle was having a difficult time processing the shocking news. 'Catherine Bodine… gave… one hundred…'
John Paul laughed. 'You're sputtering, little sister.'
'You hush now, John Paul,' his father ordered. In a softer voice, he said to Michelle, 'You see, sugar? Catherine didn't hate us. She just didn't have much use for us is all. She was… different, and we were a reminder of hard times.'
Michelle suddenly realized Theo wouldn't have any idea who they were talking about. 'My cousin was around seven or eight
when her mother married a very wealthy man named Bodine. They moved to New Orleans and pretty much severed ties with
us. I never met Catherine,' she admitted, 'or spoke to her on the phone. I can't believe she would leave us anything.'
'Catherine's mother was my wife's sister,' Jake explained. 'Her name was June, but we all called her Junie. She wasn't married when she found herself in the family way. Back then, having a child out of wedlock caused quite a stir, but folks forgot about it as time passed. Her father never forgot or forgave her, though. He tossed her out on her ear is what he did. Now, Ellie and I were newly married, so Junie moved in with us. When the baby came, the two of them stayed on. It was crowded, but we all made do,' he added. 'Then Junie met that rich fella, got married, and moved away. Junie passed on when Catherine was eleven. I wasn't going to let that child forget she had family in Bowen who loved her, so I made it a point to call her up at least once a month and visit with her. She never had much to say, though, and I did a lot of bragging about my three so she'd know her cousins. Catherine was real impressed when she found out Mike was going to be a doctor. She was proud of you, sugar. She just never said so.'
'Catherine didn't even invite you to her wedding,' Michelle reminded her father. 'And I know that must have hurt your feelings.'
'No, it didn't. Besides, it was a tiny affair in the courthouse. She told me so herself.'
