“Yes, absolutely, thank you.” I clutched my coffee, my one anchor to consciousness. Praise be to caffeine. “Is that the reason that you asked me here at eight this morning? To share a coffee with me?”
“Yes... Well, partly...” Edward dug through his desk and pulled out a stack of paperwork. “How are you liking Westhaven, now that you’ve spent a little time here?”
What’s with the chit chat? What is it he’s not saying?
“Everyone seems very nice here,” I told him, taking a sip of coffee to fuel the brain power I needed to go into more detail. “I’m used to the town’s overall ‘vibe.’ It doesn’t feel too big or too small.” Although I wouldn’t call it ‘just right’...
“That’s good to hear,” he said with a nod. “I take it you’ve met Keegan and Brann, yes?”
I cross my legs and lean to the side of my chair. “Keegan and Brann have been very welcoming.” Especially Keegan.
“That’s also good to hear,” Edward said, shuffling a few of the papers around. Why is he stalling? “So, that means you’ve met the full set of Edna’s wards, then.”
“Yes, that’s right: Orin, Weylyn, Brann, and Keegan.” I didn’t say what I was thinking, which was that there’s knowing, and there’s knowing. And how badly I longed to get to know every one of them top to bottom.
“So... Well, I’m delighted Westhaven and the boys have been treating you well. On that note,” Edward slid some of the papers and a pen over to me. “Have you decided whether you’d like to stay in Westhaven, per the terms of your inheritance?”
Is that what he’s chasing me all around the rosemary bush about? Sure, I still felt a tug of pause over spending a year away from home, but it wasn’t like I’d be missing much in the States. Not to mention, I figured even if I blew this off and went home, a certain trio of spookies would find me and kill me anyway. “Yes. I’d like to stay in Westhaven. There’s still so much I want to see and do here.” Like fuck my way through Edna’s hunky quartet.
“Brilliant,” he said with a smile. “Now, I’ll need your signature. Just a formality. Hard evidence that you’ve chosen to stay. Sign here, here, and...” As he spoke, Edward tapped the numerous spaces where I had to sign or initial. At this point, I figured a contract couldn’t be more binding than my situation already was. So I didn’t even hesitate.
Then Edward mentioned something new. “By the way, isn’t your 24th birthday coming up?”
“Huh?” Now that I thought about it, I’d somehow managed to completely forget my own birthday in the wake of all the madness. “Oh, yeah, you’re right! Can’t believe I forgot my own birthday.”
“That starts tolling the one-year timer before you can truly receive your inheritance.”
I thought over the ramifications of a year in my current predicament. It stressed me out all of a sudden. Then, Edward continued, “I’ll be frank. I didn’t call you here this early in the morning just to get you to sign papers.”
That made my heart skip a beat, but on the outside, I tried to keep my cool. “Okay, then why am I here so early?”
“Actually, I was afraid you were still unsure about staying. I was ready to try talking you into remaining here,” he said. “I’m glad that you found your reasons to stay on your own.”
“That’s...” What do I even call that? Is that ‘nice’? Is he looking out for me? Or looking for an out?He seemed to have good motives. Certainly purer motives than I had for staying busy during my time here.
“I wanted to make sure you’d be safe with Edna’s lads, and that the money she left you wouldn’t go to waste.”
“Oh, I know the boys will take good care of me.”
He gave a noncommittal shrug. “Sometimes, strange things happen. Frankly, I was worried when I came to visit you earlier, only to find that you were indisposed.”
‘Indisposed’. Right... I guess puking, shivering, shaking, and having my ass dipped in a tub full of ice, then lying unconscious for three days would count as ‘indisposed’. That’s one way to put it. “Well, I appreciate your concern.” I meant those words and hoped they didn’t come off as sarcastic. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I might not be able to do quite as much as those who knew Edna best, but I’m still trying to help where I can.” He took the papers back and moved to the other side of the desk.
“Do you need anything else?”
“No, I think we are done here.”
I stood, picked up my coffee, smiled, and gave a quick wave to Edward as I walked out of his office. “Keira, Happy early Birthday!” he yelled from his office. “I have a feeling it will be a birthday you will never forget.”
“Thanks, Eddie.” I yelled back.
◆◆◆
As I walked out of Easy Ed’s building, I checked the time. I’d only been in there an hour. Orin and Weylyn were my ride, but I knew they had some work to finish in town, which would take two hours. I decided to walk around and get a better feel for my new home for the next year.
I made my way in and out of the shops, drinking in the sights and the smells that each store had to offer; the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker. Yes, it turned out there was a fucking candlestick maker, probably the last one on earth. It was early enough that there were not many people out. That made it the perfect time to shop. I left the local
