3

Garret looked at her as she thought about what he said. The look of confusion that was there was heartbreaking. She had no idea that her aunt had been bleeding her estate dry. She didn’t even know there was an estate. She had been led to believe she was a penniless orphan.

Sara shook her head for a second and then looked to the woman in the front. “She isn’t worth it right now,” Sara said as she turned back to the small group. She could see her cousins off in the corner, tittering to themselves about all the people that were there. They looked like smaller versions of her aunt. Sara sighed with the thought that they were probably the same, and she decided against going to them.

She was being watched closely. The people that were completely around her were watching how she handled things now. Sara had learned in the real world that people loved to watch the train wrecks around them. She smiled and knew this was supposed to be one of those train wrecks. It wasn’t going to be, though. She held her head up high, and people would take their lead from her. She was here to support these four people. Not anyone else. The people would see that and see that she was not here for her aunt.

“When is the service and funeral?” Sara asked softly.

“There won’t be any,” Sam said softly. “That witch can’t afford to bury our father since there was no money. This is all he gets.”

“Not on my watch,” Sara said as she could see red for the first time since the day she left this place.

“What?” Garret asked. “Right now, we just want his ashes more than everything else. She has denied us even that.”

“Bloody hell,” Sara said as she looked towards the woman. “Hold on.”

“What are you going to do?” garret asked as he looked at her.

“Make a scene,” Sara said with a smile.

“what?” He asked as he looked at her.

“What are you now?” Sara asked as she looked at him. He had always wanted to go into law, but she wasn’t sure if he had or not.

“A lawyer.” He replied with a grin.

“As my legal consul, I have to ask, is it okay for me to confront her here in a public manner?” Sara asked, and he looked at her.

“So you are my client now?” he asked.

“Gar, just answer the question,” Sara said.

“if you were my client, I would recommend you not do that. However, since I am just given advice, you don’t have to take it. I will get you off any charges regardless.” Garret said, “Family special.”

“How about getting whatever is left of my estate as well?” Sara asked.

“it should have been transferred to you when you turned eighteen.” Garret said, “Either they did a crappy job of trying to find you, or they didn’t even try.”

“I am going with the second,” Sara said. “Look, I know we have to discuss terms, but we were always straightforward with each other. I will give you one-third of whatever the state is worth if you get it for me. I don’t care if it is a dollar.”

“So you are rich now?” Garret laughed.

“Not hardly, but I do well,” Sara said. “I just want to blast her out of the water. Now onto your father’s ashes.”

The smile she leveled onto the people around her was frightening to them. They all knew they had never seen it before. She straightened her back and walked to the door where her aunt was standing on the other side. She was saying this or that to whoever was there. The person looked behind her to Sara, who looked both angry and calm at the same time, and they moved off to the side quickly. Though they didn’t leave the area.

Her aunt Joyce had sensed the change of the people around her, and she turned to look behind her to see Sara there with Garret at her back. The other step-children were there as well. She hmphed as she looked at them and went to turn around.

“Aunt Joyce, I do believe we have a few things to discuss,” Sara said clearly and loud enough that everyone on the porch could hear.

“I have nothing to say to you.” She said as she turned completely away from Sara.

“But I do have a few things to say to you,” Sara said as the people around her went quiet very quickly. There was nothing but the sound of the wind around them. The house had gone deadly silent as well. It seemed everyone wanted to hear what was said. “First off, since everything is money to you, I will pay for the service for my uncle. Second, you will produce all the documents that describe my parent's will and their estate. Third, you will release the ashes to his children.”

“Don’t think you can make demands of me.” Joyce spat out.

“But I think I can more than anyone else.” Sara said, “You see, I was never told about an estate for my parents. You used all the money for yourself and decided to never let me know about it.”

“You needed things I couldn’t give you, so yes, I used some of the money to provide you with it,” Joyce said as she looked around to the other people who were witnessing the show.

“I lived in the barn for over a year,” Sara said. “I bought and cooked my own food. I didn’t get clothes but once every two years and they were most things you got from the second-hand store. Though your daughters got new things all the time. They had gourmet meals, and everything their little heart desires. You fought everyone to keep me, but you only wanted the money. Since you didn’t use it in the way, it was deemed for. Which in case you are wondering what that was, it was me and my care. I will be filing a lawsuit to get it back.”

“You can’t!” she yelled as she took a step closer and went to raise her hand towards the woman who didn’t even flinch a muscle. However, Garret, who was six feet three inches in the back of Sara, stood tall and ready to move if the woman touched Sara. She looked to Garret and sneered.

“Actually, I do believe I can,” Sara said with a smile. “Now onto the ashes. You will return them to the family, meaning his children. They deserve that. They had to put up with you for all these years.”

“You can’t order me around. I just lost my husband.” Joyce was playing the grieving widow though it seemed no one around her was entirely convinced.

“Actually, I can. What you didn’t know, Aunt Joyce is the person who is going to buy the land out from under you is me.” Sara said. “Though I never wanted to come here again. I promise you this. I will get this land, and I will be the one to kick you off of it. I will also do it all with a smile.”