Before We Knew Read online

  It turns out that not only was our house paid off, which we knew, but there were several accounts opened up in both our names for expenses, school, and our future. What mom never told us is that she invested what was left of daddy’s life insurance policy and made some smart choices which paid off. Mr. Doyle worked closely with mom, along with a financial advisor who guided mom on the best ways to build her portfolio.

  Leah was speechless after we were handed all the financial reports. Mom’s investments were worth over two million dollars. I was stunned into silence along with my sister, who needed a glass of water after reading everything.

  Leah was named the executor of the estate, along with Mr. Doyle, who would oversee the trust mom had set up for us. I knew I would be awarded scholarships for my educational achievements, and what I didn’t get, I would just get loans for. But I found out that I didn’t need to worry about any of that, because my tuition was completely paid for and sitting in a trust that would be paid out by Mr. Doyle all the years I’m in college. If I decided to move forward with graduate school, it would also be taken care of.

  After we took a beat to compose ourselves, Mr. Doyle explained our mother’s intentions. “I know this is a lot to process for you girls, but it’s what your mother wanted. After Phil passed away, your mother came to see me and was adamant about securing your futures. Yes, your father was a great provider and made sure his family was taken care of, but your mom knew that if she didn’t make any attempts to grow what your father left, it would only last for so long. I knew some trusted financial advisors that I have worked with for a number of years, and any client I ever recommended to them always benefitted in the end from sound advice. I knew your parents for over fifteen years, so I would have never just let your mother go in blind to any investment without making sure she was protected. Your mother turned out to be quite savvy when it came to stocks as well. She bought in low and sold high, making big returns.”

  “Forgive us both for feeling dumbstruck, but you do know that our mom worked two jobs for a long time after our father died just to provide? If she was sitting on all this money, why did she do that? And I didn’t go to college, because I knew I had to work and help out so Hallie here could go. I’m so confused, Mr. Doyle,” said Leah.

  “Leah, this didn’t happen overnight for your mom. It’s been building since your father died, and a lot of it was just luck on her side. Her choice to work more was her own. You’ve never had to live outside the comforts of the home you were raised in. Rent, food, bills, cost of living is very high these days, and it’s even harder on a twenty-one-year-old. I’m sorry if that sounds harsh, but it’s the truth.”

  “No, it’s okay. I guess I’m just trying to process all of this new information.”

  “It’s a lot to take in, but that’s why you have me to help you girls out. And let me be clear: Jo Beth’s investments have been placed in several trusts for different times in your lives. You both will be on a living budget, receiving allowances each month. Now, Leah, because you are the executor, you will receive monies for the house and its expenses. The house right now is valued close to $850,000 if you were to sell it today. It’s paid off, which is a good thing, and is relatively in sound shape. If you should decide to sell the house, after all is said and done with real estate, taxes, etc., it will be split 50/50 between you and Hallie. The home is in both of your names, and it is truly up to you on how you would like to proceed.”

  “We want to stay,” we both said together.

  “As I suspected, and that is totally fine. Hallie, you will attend UNC in the fall and live on campus, am I correct?”

  “Yes, sir, it was the plan.”

  “Perfect. Now, Leah, you also have an account for school if you choose to use it. If you decide that college is no longer in your future, then the trust goes back into another account that will continue to grow and be disbursed to you at a later date.”

  “Mr. Doyle, I would love to go back to school, but since losing our mom, it’s the furthest thing from my mind.”

  “Yes, that’s understandable. If you would like to go to begin at a community college and then transfer after a couple of years to a state school, I can arrange that for you. You have time, Leah, and once you make a decision, all you have to do is give me a call, and I will take it from there. You each have been given a folder with everything we have discussed here today. Again, take some time to go over it. If you have any questions, call me, and I will help you as best as I can.”

  We both broke down once we got into Leah’s car and must have sat there close to an hour until Leah composed herself well enough to drive. She had been carrying around a heavy burden for so long now, trying to step into the role as mom did so effortlessly and make it all better. I never said a word because I didn’t want to upset the only family I had left. The night before mom’s accident was the last time we argued. I also began seeing a therapist. I had an overwhelming sense of guilt, because if mom had not stopped at the store for me, then she would have come directly home and not gotten into the car accident that ended her life.

  The therapist told me that I could not think like that and no one has that amount of control over someone else’s destiny. The truth of the matter is that some woman decided to have a few drinks too many and got behind the wheel, resulting in killing our beloved mother and changing our lives forever.

  When Leah found out, she broke every dish we had in our house, and the mess sat there in the middle of the kitchen for three days. She was numb. Then the numbness turned to anger, and she wanted justice for our dead mother.

  The driver was charged with a DUI and vehicular manslaughter. It was later argued down to a misdemeanor, and the driver never faced any jail time but paid a fine. A fine? Seriously? For taking a human life? Leah wanted to kill this woman for hurting our mother, but for some reason or another, the court papers were sealed, and we never even got the name of the person who was at fault.

  Mr. Doyle urged Leah to move on with her life and not obsess over the accident. It wasn’t healthy for us, and once he said it would deeply hurt our mother if she knew this was how we were living our lives, hell-bent on revenge, it would disappoint her a great deal. Leah fought against the memory of our mom and the choice to move forward. In the end, she chose the latter, but deep inside, it cost my sister a great deal.

  So, here I am, sitting under a tree, writing in a journal and waiting for my next class to begin. Journal writing, planners, all a big thing nowadays, and my therapist recommended that I should begin writing my feelings down as a way of coping. Um, no thank you, doc, is what I first thought, and then I did it. I hate to tell her that she was right, so I’m keeping that thought to myself.

  Leah is doing better. She’s attending classes at Wake Tech and is even trying to date. She said she doesn’t have a lot of time for that right now, but she’s not blind either and keeps her eyes open to possibilities. Oh, and she says I’m the dramatic one. She’s working part-time at the swim academy and teaches swim classes on the weekend. She loves lifeguarding and is certified as an instructor.

  Back in August, we took one last trip to the Outer Banks for a girl’s weekend. We hosted a bonfire party on the beach and invited our closest friends. It wasn’t too big but just enough to relax and have a good time. Out of our group, I was the only one that decided on UNC. All my friends chose out-of-state schools, so I was here on my own starting over. I chose not to join a sorority, and I think Leah was disappointed, but I wasn’t into it and kind of wanted to be the lone college student for a while until I got comfortable enough to put myself out there.

  I finished up today’s entry and tucked my journal back into my backpack for another day. My alert sounded off on my cell phone that it was time to get moving or I would be late for Math.

  I had to make a sprint for it, because the building my class was housed in was not in a convenient location. I could use a lift from one of the golf carts that I saw around the campus, but I didn’t think camp
us security would be all too happy with me if I swiped one of their rides.

  I was just about to reach the door when I crashed into a hard body that sent me backward on my ass. My bag went flying, and the contents were scattered all over the floor.

  “Ouch! That one hurt. Are you okay?” a voice from above asked me. Once I got my bearings, I looked up to see who was hovering over me with his hand outreached. “Here, let me help you. I’m sorry. I guess looking down to your phone is never a good thing.” He smiled as I took his hand, but I wasn’t impressed since the door was ajar and half our class was now staring at us.

  “It’s fine. Accidents happen,” I said and then picked up my things and surveyed the hallway for anything I might have missed. I never liked to be embarrassed, and I’m sure my face was three shades of red about now.

  “Look, I’m really sorry. Let me make it up to you. How about we grab a latte after class?”

  “Apology accepted, but no thank you to the latte.”

  “Come on, why not? I promise not to knock you down again.”

  And for the first time since we crashed into each other, I realized he was speaking with a British accent. Um, I may reconsider that latte.

  I was just about to accept his invitation when our professor interrupted us. He cleared his throat and said, “If you two are quite finished with your interlude, I would like to begin today’s discussion.”

  I was mortified when the tall giant next to me just flashed his baby blues at our teacher and stepped aside so I could enter first. Great, put me on display so everyone can get a good laugh, but other than a few curious glances, all was fine. I hurried to take my seat, and low and behold, the blue-eyed Brit took the empty seat beside me.

  This is going to be a long afternoon, I silently thought as he shot me a wink and opened his book to take notes. After the class was over, I packed up my bag and then made my way back to my dorm. My companion bolted for the door as soon as class was over. So much for the coffee.

  2

  When you least expect it

  I chatted with a few girls I had met from my study group. All of them were pretty cool to hang around with. I was invited to my first frat party this weekend, and not wanting to sound like a prude, I said I would think about it, a casual answer that would probably end up being a no. I didn’t think I was ready, not when I was still mourning my mom and coming to terms with everything. Leah would disagree with my plan, but we agreed that she had her life and I had mine here at school.

  I was just reaching my building when I spotted him. He was sitting on the steps and holding what looked like a Starbucks cup. How did he know where I lived? I cautiously approached, and then there he goes with that smile again. He handed me the cup, and going on instinct, I accepted it as if he was the barista who just made my coffee.

  “As promised. I hope I got it right,” he winked.

  I smelled the flavor, which was caramel mocha, my favorite. “Okay, this is getting weird here. This is my go-to flavor. How did you know where I lived?”

  “Easy. I asked one of the girls I saw you talking to. It wasn’t hard to get them to talk.”

  “Oh, really? So you bribed them?”

  “Oh, yes, with everything I had in my pocket.”

  I laughed at his easy demeanor, and I took a seat beside him, changing all my earlier thoughts of him.

  “So, other than monetary bribery, what else did you have to give up to get my address?”

  He hesitated at first and tapped his chin before answering, all the while smiling, which literally made me weak in the knees. Damn, he is cute.

  “What would you say to accompany me to the Delta Kappa Fraternity party on Friday?”

  “I would say I need a little more info before I say yes,” I said to him while I thought to myself, an hour ago it would have been a firm no, but I’m quickly reconsidering my loner status.

  “The girls, namely Marina and Maggie, both like you a great deal but say you spend too much time in your dorm and you are in need of some fun. So, since my middle name is fun, I promised them as payment for their valuable information that I would certainly fulfill that request.”

  “And your definition of fun would be?” I asked him as I finished off my coffee.

  “Not what you are thinking, I promise you.”

  “And what am I thinking, since you seem to know my inner thoughts?”

  “Okay, I’ll bite. You seem a bit closed off, maybe nursing a broken heart from your high school boyfriend. He went to a separate college, and you both felt you needed a clean break and felt this was the best possible solution. You’ll remain friends, but you’re still sad, hence the lonely girl who spends too much time in her dorm room instead of embracing her new life as a college freshman. Am I close?”

  As I sat there listening to the dreamy blue-eyed stranger who stalked my friends and bought me coffee, I realized he has literally changed my sad day to a happy one. How is that even possible in a world that is so huge that all it takes is a stranger to turn your frown upside down? Mom used to tell us all the time that you never know what is waiting for you around the next corner. She encouraged us to take chances and not be so afraid if they don’t work out, because that’s the beauty of a chance: you will always have a second, third, and a fourth to make it right. Is this guy a chance? I guess I am about to find out, because I’m going to say yes to his invitation.

  I responded, “First off, as entertaining as your guess was, you are wrong, but thank you for trying. Yes, I’ve been a bit closed off, but it has nothing to do with an old boyfriend. And since you are a stranger, I’m not ready to tell you my life story.”

  “Fair enough. How about we begin with your name, and we will take from there?”

  “You first.”

  He extended his hand, and when I accepted it, he brought it up to his lips, placed a kiss to my hand, and said, “Hi, my name is Ben Chapel, and it is a pleasure to meet you, my beauty.”

  I giggled a bit too much and replied, “Hi, my name is Hallie Whitman, and it’s been fun sitting here and listening to you talk. I’m a big fan of ‘Love Actually’ and swoon over accents, especially British ones.”

  “Okay, good to know. So, now that we’ve been properly introduced, will you be my date for the party?”

  Without another thought, I said, “Yes, Ben, I would love that.”

  “Brilliant!” he said and was so bold and placed another kiss to my hand.

  3

  The first step of many…I hope

  I held the phone away from my ear as my sister screamed in my ear. “I am so happy for you, Hallie. Okay, what’s he like? Tell me all about him.” She rambled on quicker than I could answer her first question.

  “Leah, slow down. I literally just met him today, and it wasn’t one of my finer moments. I guess it turned out okay, because we are going out on Friday.”

  “Good for you. I’m happy you finally left the dorm room.”

  “Did you hire a private investigator to follow me? I do leave my room to attend my classes and raid the Starbucks at least twice a day.”

  “Don’t be a smartass. You know what I mean.”

  “You know, I can say the same about you. When was the last time you got your feet wet in the dating pool?”

  “Actually, I have, and little sister, I swan-dived into the deep end and surprisingly didn’t drown.”

  “I’m intrigued. Who is the mystery guy?” I inquired.

  “His name is Harry. He finally broke me down, and we have been seeing each other for a while now. Our dates are awesome. He’s a lot of fun and makes the conversations we have so easy with no awkwardness to it, you know?”

  “I think I do. I swear, to talk to Ben today felt like we’ve been friends for years. Is that crazy?”

  “No, far from it. You’re at college, and this is your time to get out there and have fun. Go to parties, meet people, and do everything I didn’t get to do when I was your age.” There was a pregnant pause in the conversation, an
d I knew I heard her sniffle, which is super rare because most of the time she is always so strong with her walls up. I waited for a second before clearing my throat.

  “Leah, are you okay?”

  “I’m sorry, just had a moment. Whoa! That hasn’t happened in a while. I guess it’s always there somewhere tucked away.”

  “Leah, have I ever said thank you for all you have done for me? For our family? I mean, you were the glue that kept us going after mom died. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know what I would have done or if I would have gotten through mom’s accident and everything that followed.”

  “I’m your sister and love you so much. You don’t need to thank me. But it's nice hearing it once in a while, and I promise you I wasn’t looking for it.”

  “I know and am aware that it’s one of the special qualities that make you who you are. You are too proud, and I love you. I know we didn’t always see things the same way growing up, and I’m sorry if I ever took you for granted. Thank you, big sis, for always being there for me.”

  “I thought this was supposed to be a happy catch-up talk? Stop making me cry, or I’m going to drive to your college and kick your ass.”

  “Atta girl! I will call you on Sunday and tell you all about my date with Ben, and I expect Harry details too.”

  After my talk with Leah and meeting Ben, I decided to take her advice and not spend so much time in my dorm and take advantage of my new college life. I saw a foreign film festival with Marina and joined the photography club with Maggie. I had a pretty nice camera that was still in the box, and fall in North Carolina is beautiful.

  I was kind of disappointed that I hadn’t seen Ben again. It’s been three days, and he hasn’t been in class. Did I read something wrong? A little doubt was beginning to creep in, but then that got quickly squashed when I walked up to my building and found Ben sitting on the bench, holding a Starbucks cup with my name on it.