“Bugs,” I corrected. “Ask me how I know.”
“Oh, no,” she groaned.
“Not sure if she screamed louder or I did.”
“You’re afraid of bugs?”
“Not normally. When you see a big-ass beetle in your girl’s hair about two inches from your nose, it’s a different story.”
“Oh, gross.”
“Very.”
“She never fucked you again, did she?”
“She did not,” I answered, making her laugh. “She found a guy whose parents didn’t give a shit if he brought girls home.”
“I was always jealous of those kids,” she said with a sigh. “My parents wouldnever.”
“Bernice wouldn’t either,” I replied.
“Was she strict?”
“In some ways.”
We spent the rest of the ride talking about the things we’d gotten away with and the things we hadn’t, and for the first time in years, I talked about Bernice. I’d mentioned her in passing a few times to Lou and Myla, but it had always been in a way that didn’t invite further discussion. With Harper, the stories seemed easy to access and easier to say out loud. Maybe it was because we were on our way to deal with my past, and that’s what had broken the dam, or maybe it was just Harper. Talking with her was simple. She didn’t push. If I ended a story without finishing it, she just moved on to the next thing.
I found street parking easily outside the Concord and Ford law offices and immediately wondered where in the hell Bernice had found the money to pay for what looked like a thriving law firm. The street was clean, and the businesses around the office were all upscale. It wasn’t the law firm operating out of an old house that I’d imagined.
“I can just wait here,” Harp said, glancing out the window.
“No,” I replied, getting out before she could argue.
There was no way I was leaving her out on the street when we had no idea who’d fucked with her car. It didn’t matter that we were two hours away from home.
I locked the truck up and grabbed her hand as I headed for the front door. Inside was a small empty lobby. The receptionist probably had the day off. Within seconds of being inside, a small man with thick-framed glasses walked out from one of the offices.
“Mr. Banks?” the man asked, reaching for my hand before I’d even answered. “Lewis Concord. I’m glad to finally meet you.”
He looked at Harper.
“Harper White,” she said, extending her hand to shake his. “I’m with the big guy.”
“Nice to meet you, Ms. White,” he said with a smile. “If you’ll follow me—”
“Oh, I’m just going to hang out here,” Harper said quickly, gesturing to a chair. “You guys go ahead.”
“I’ll be out in a minute,” I told her quietly. Part of me wanted to ask her to come with me, things were getting a little too fucking real—but I knew I needed to deal with it on my own. Just knowing that she’d be waiting for me as soon as I’d finished was enough.
I followed the little lawyer into his office and sat down while he closed us in.
“I’ll just jump right in, shall I?” he asked as he rounded the desk. He sat down and opened a file folder. “Ms. Macintosh left you the bulk of her estate—”
“What estate?” I asked in disbelief. “She barely had enough to go to the movies at the end of the month.”
Concord smiled. “Yes, she lived very frugally. However, that was by design. Ms. Macintosh paid substantial amounts into her retirement accounts over the years, planning for the future.”
“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered. Every memory of finances I had was one filled with coupon clipping and searching for deals. We’d never had much extra, but she’d always made sure I had what I needed. If there was something expensive I wanted, Bernice used to put a little away here and there, getting a few dollars back when we were grocery shopping or mentioning that she’d found some cash in her jeans while she was doing laundry. She’d put the cash into a mason jar in the cupboard above the stove, and once we’d had enough, we’d go get whatever pair of shoes or video game I’d been jonesing for. It never took very long to save up, but I’d always been really grateful that she’d helped me save for what I wanted.
