Page 94 of In Her Own Way
Victoria shrugged.
The front door opened, and Erin’s fiancé, Robby, came in bearing to-go bags.
“What do I owe you?” Victoria asked, standing up.
“Our gift to you,” Robby said.
Victoria scoffed, seemed uncomfortable for a moment, and finally said, “Thank you.”
“And speaking about ‘owing,’” Erin said. “You will not argue with me, Vic.”
“No, you will not,” Robby re-emphasized.
Jessica was on high alert. What was happening? A quick glance at Victoria told her she didn’t know what was going on, either.
Erin handed Victoria a piece of paper. It looked like a check. “This is just the start, Vic. You’ll get one of these every month for at least a year, probably more, if I have my way. It’s not nearly enough.”
“What is this?” Victoria held the check away from her as if it were a dirty diaper.
“Think of it as severance pay,” Erin said. “But it’s from my brothers and my father.” Victoria started to say something,Jessica wasn’t sure what, but Erin cut her off. “I worked hard to get you this.”
“I don’t want hush money or stolen money,” Victoria said quietly.
“Actually, it’s not,” Erin said. “You were off in Denton Heights doing your thing and your Dad, well, we know what happened there, but when Grandma Addison passed, neither of you saw a dime from her estate, right?”
Victoria looked confused. “I guess not.”
Erin pointed to the check. “There it is. Part of it, anyway. My family—” Erin’s words were choked off when she started crying. Robby put his arm around her, consoling her.
Jessica reached over and held Victoria’s hand, the one not holding the check.
Erin cleared her throat, shook herself out of her emotion, and said, “My family takes advantage of people. Your father. You. And now me. My mother, for all her faults, was positively livid when she heard what her not-so-precious sons did to you.”
“And to you, Erin,” Robby reminded her.
“Yes.” Erin looked up at him, her lips pressed tightly together. “And to me.”
Erin gave a brief summary of the family meeting they’d had, where it had been heatedly decided that, in exchange for the inheritance money going where it should have gone in the first place, Erin would agree not to press charges against her brothers or father. And she would ask Victoria not to press charges, either.
“I don’t want to see any of them go to prison,” Victoria said softly. “Your brothers wouldn’t survive it.”
An uncomfortable silence followed. Jessica was certain they were all thinking about Victoria’s father still serving his sentence in Illinois. Victoria stood up and said, “I’ll take this then and look forward to more.” She tucked the check in her pocket.
“And,” Erin continued. “You’re getting all that workout equipment. Eddie bought it all as a prop for Kimo to lure you in. Once you’re settled and have an address, I’ll make sure it gets delivered there. At my family’s expense, of course.”
Victoria wasn’t sure she wanted the equipment because it might trigger bad memories, but she simply nodded. She said they had to get going, and tearful hugs were given all around.
“Come visit us in Denver,” Robby said as they headed out the apartment door.
“We’d love that,” Jessica said and hugged him briefly.
Erin hugged Jessica next and said, “Welcome to the family. Such as it is. You’re lovely and just what she needs.”
“Thank you, Erin,” Jessica said, almost tearing up.
Once down in the pickup, Victoria closed her eyes, exhaled loudly, and said, “Let’s buy a house.” She started the engine, checked her side mirror, and pulled onto the main road. “No apartment. You deserve a house.”
A house? Whoa. This was moving way too fast, wasn’t it? “How much was that check for, babe?”
