had she not left him. What do I have to do to get rid of this bar? I don't want it. I don't want anything to do with him."
I was done with all of this. I needed to make an appointment with my therapist as soon as possible.
"I’ll see what I can do to get the ball moving, but something like this is going to take time. I highly recommend you at least visit the property. There is a studio apartment located on the top floor that comes with the place. Your father lived there."
"Oh my God, Charlie, your own apartment. You have got to check it out." Elle's excitement was pissing me off.
I buried my face in my hands and tried to make enough sense out of everything to make some kind of decision. Obviously I had some kind of legal obligation that I needed to see through, but I was certain that I wanted no part of whatever my biological father had his hands in. "Just do what you have to do to get my name off of things."
The lawyer scratched his head and looked confused again. "Well, there is one last thing you need to know before I move further."
"What's that?"
"John Thomas may not be your brother, but Ryan McNally is and right now he is without both of his parents."
I stood up and looked right at the guy. "What are you talking about? A child? Where is his mother? What am I supposed to do about it?"
He held his arms up again and started to laugh. "Forgive me, I just never thought that today was going to be going like this. I just assumed you knew your father, or at least something about him. You see, your father liked helping people. Around five years ago, he helped out a woman when her husband was beating her. He thought of it like he was repenting for his past sins against your mother. I know you probably don't care, but he fell in love with her and they had a child. Unfortunately, she went back to her old ways and the state awarded your father full custody. In the meantime, his biological mother was sent back to jail on drug charges. The child lost the only parent he's ever had."
I cut him off. "I'm sorry, but are you trying to make me feel bad or something?" Maybe I was being rude, but this was just not getting any better. Not only did they want to ruin my life with a rundown bar, but I was supposed to take responsibility for a small child too? No, I don't think so...
"Ma'am with all due respect, this child is going to be sent into the same foster system that you were in. I know it isn't always the best of conditions."
I stood up and grabbed Elle's arm. "Thank you for having me here today. In light of everything I've learned today, I will be in touch regarding the property."
I pulled my friend out of that office before she could stop me. By the time we made it to the car, I collapsed against the steering wheel and started bawling my eyes out.
"If you're going to throw up, at least open the door, so you don't make me sick." I grabbed my purse and slapped Elle in the arm.
"Unbelievable! My whole life just got turned upside down. Can you please just not joke for ten seconds?"
"Sorry, but I don't see the problem. You just inherited a freaking tavern with a studio apartment. Do you have any idea how amazing that is? I mean, I would give my left nut for that shit."
I cocked my eyebrow. "You don't even have a left nut."
"Well if I did, I would give it up." She corrected.
I got out of the car and started pacing around the lot. This was a clusterfuck!
Elle hopped out and leaned against the car. "Charlie, are you really going to be okay with knowing that you have a real blood relative out there and you did nothing to protect them from living the same kind of shitty childhood that you had to?"
I leaned against the car and threw my hands in the air. "What am I supposed to do? I don't know the first thing about taking care of a kid or running a bar."
"Maybe not, but you know what not to do and that's a good start. Look, I can't tell you what to do but, you're
I was done with all of this. I needed to make an appointment with my therapist as soon as possible.
"I’ll see what I can do to get the ball moving, but something like this is going to take time. I highly recommend you at least visit the property. There is a studio apartment located on the top floor that comes with the place. Your father lived there."
"Oh my God, Charlie, your own apartment. You have got to check it out." Elle's excitement was pissing me off.
I buried my face in my hands and tried to make enough sense out of everything to make some kind of decision. Obviously I had some kind of legal obligation that I needed to see through, but I was certain that I wanted no part of whatever my biological father had his hands in. "Just do what you have to do to get my name off of things."
The lawyer scratched his head and looked confused again. "Well, there is one last thing you need to know before I move further."
"What's that?"
"John Thomas may not be your brother, but Ryan McNally is and right now he is without both of his parents."
I stood up and looked right at the guy. "What are you talking about? A child? Where is his mother? What am I supposed to do about it?"
He held his arms up again and started to laugh. "Forgive me, I just never thought that today was going to be going like this. I just assumed you knew your father, or at least something about him. You see, your father liked helping people. Around five years ago, he helped out a woman when her husband was beating her. He thought of it like he was repenting for his past sins against your mother. I know you probably don't care, but he fell in love with her and they had a child. Unfortunately, she went back to her old ways and the state awarded your father full custody. In the meantime, his biological mother was sent back to jail on drug charges. The child lost the only parent he's ever had."
I cut him off. "I'm sorry, but are you trying to make me feel bad or something?" Maybe I was being rude, but this was just not getting any better. Not only did they want to ruin my life with a rundown bar, but I was supposed to take responsibility for a small child too? No, I don't think so...
"Ma'am with all due respect, this child is going to be sent into the same foster system that you were in. I know it isn't always the best of conditions."
I stood up and grabbed Elle's arm. "Thank you for having me here today. In light of everything I've learned today, I will be in touch regarding the property."
I pulled my friend out of that office before she could stop me. By the time we made it to the car, I collapsed against the steering wheel and started bawling my eyes out.
"If you're going to throw up, at least open the door, so you don't make me sick." I grabbed my purse and slapped Elle in the arm.
"Unbelievable! My whole life just got turned upside down. Can you please just not joke for ten seconds?"
"Sorry, but I don't see the problem. You just inherited a freaking tavern with a studio apartment. Do you have any idea how amazing that is? I mean, I would give my left nut for that shit."
I cocked my eyebrow. "You don't even have a left nut."
"Well if I did, I would give it up." She corrected.
I got out of the car and started pacing around the lot. This was a clusterfuck!
Elle hopped out and leaned against the car. "Charlie, are you really going to be okay with knowing that you have a real blood relative out there and you did nothing to protect them from living the same kind of shitty childhood that you had to?"
I leaned against the car and threw my hands in the air. "What am I supposed to do? I don't know the first thing about taking care of a kid or running a bar."
"Maybe not, but you know what not to do and that's a good start. Look, I can't tell you what to do but, you're
Similar Books
Late in the Season
Felice Picano
Foul Matter
Martha Grimes
Close Contact
Katherine Allred
Daughter of Silk
Linda Lee Chaikin
The Demonica Compendium
Larissa Ione
In Pharaoh's Army
Tobias Wolff
Ignited
Desni Dantone
Padre Salas
Enrique Laso
Hard Bite
Anonymous-9
