Page 5 of Real Forever
Now he worked on the oil rigs in northern Alberta on a rotating schedule—flying out to work for four weeks at a time, home for ten days. Those days when he was home were awful. Dave would drink all week and criticize Lauren for everything. The house, the food, her appearance, everything. He’d always sort of been a jerk, but after Maisie was born, his behavior escalated. Dave had been threatening to force Lauren and Maisie to move to Alberta for months. He was jealous as hell, accusing Lauren of screwing around on him when he was gone, which was ridiculous. Lauren’s entire life revolved around Maisie and Dave, and everyone in town knew it. Madison was positive the reason he wanted to move was to make sure Lauren had no one but him. Lauren didn’t see it though. She made excuses—tried to say he wanted them closer so he could see them more often. Bullshit.
If Dave found out, it would be the ammunition he’d been waiting for to force Lauren to move. Madison could feel the fear rising in her throat when she considered it. Lauren and Maisie were the only family Madison had left, and losing them would destroy her. The idea of not having them there with her… of being alone… she had to shake her head to stop herself from letting the thought take root. It was too much to even consider.
If her dad was here, he’d know what to do. He’d fix it.Fuck. Not fucking helpful, Mads.This whole thing was stressful enough. The last thing she needed was to fall into a big grief spiral. No. She needed to be calm and clear-headed to help Lauren get out of this. Because she couldn’t lose them. It wasn’t an option.
She hoped this debt person would be the answer. Lauren had called him a “licensed insolvency trustee,” and Madison had no fucking idea what that meant. She grabbed her phone from the coffee table and typed the phrase into the browser search bar. The first result explained:
“Licensed insolvency trustees are federally regulated professionals who provide advice and services to individuals and businesses with debt problems. They help people make informed choices on how to deal with their financial difficulties.”
Okay. That doesn’t help much.She read on.
“Licensed insolvency trustees are authorized to administer government-regulated proceedings which allow you to be discharged from your debt, such as consumer proposals and bankruptcies. For individuals who are in significant financial difficulty, these options may be the best solution.”
Bankruptcy? Shit.Madison took a deep breath. If Lauren had to claim bankruptcy, she would become even more dependent on Dave than she already was. Madison hated the satisfaction she knew he’d get from it. He would hold it over her fucking head forever. He’d been jealous and belittling of her initial success with NorAsana, and Madison knew he would take any opportunity to throw Lauren’s failure in her face.
Madison swallowed hard. She knew she didn’t have the strength to lose someone again. She was barely keeping her shit together as it was. If she lost Lauren and Maisie, she’d fall off the edge. Just like their mother.
Madison couldn’t allow that to happen. She decided she had to get Lauren out of this mess. No matter what it took.
* * *
Lauren chewedher fingernails while they stood in line at The Silver Creek Grind.
“Jesus Christ, will you calm down?” Madison exclaimed.
“I’m sorry. I can’t help it,” Lauren replied, pulling her hand away from her face and folding her arms across her chest.
The coffee shop was busy, but Madison had insisted they stop before Lauren’s appointment. She always picked up an extra-large caramel macchiato when they came to Silver Creek. The best you could get in Snowbrook was a cheap cup of whatever Agatha had brewing, and god knows how long it might have been sitting in the pot for.
There were still several people ahead of them and Lauren kept glancing between the line, the large, faux-vintage iron clock on the wall, and her phone.
“We have to be there in less than fifteen minutes, Mads.”
Madison rolled her eyes. “Lauren, can you please peek out the window right there?”
Lauren glared at her sister, one annoyed eyebrow raised.
“Look out the window and tell me what it says on the door? That door right, directly across the street, like twenty steps from here?”
Lauren still said nothing.
“It says Jake Murphy, Licensed Insolvency Trustee. Now can you please remind me, who are we meeting with today? I can’t seem to remember his name. Jack? Jim? Johnathan?”
“Haha, Madison. Hilarious. I get your point.”
“We are literally right across the fucking street, Lauren. We aren’t going to be late, okay? I promise.”
The line moved up, and the sisters shuffled forward. Lauren continued to dart her eyes around the shop. Suddenly, she grabbed Madison’s arm and ducked her head in front of her. “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck.”
“What’s wrong?” Madison asked, scanning the shop to see what Lauren was so upset about.
“Tammy’s here.” She peeked over Madison’s shoulder. “Oh my god, no. I cannot see her. I cannot let her see me. Oh my god, Mads. You’ve got to get me out of here.”
Madison tried to follow Lauren’s line of sight. “Tammy, like NorAsana Tammy? Like the big head boss lady or whatever?”
“Yes,” Lauren replied in a panic.
“Where?” Madison peeked around.
