Chapter 4 - Wedding MorningAt 7:03 Saturday morning, Trevor called me.
I was awake.
I had been awake since five.
"Cancel the showing."
No hello.
No please.
"Good morning to you too."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
"Claire, people are already here."
"Your showing is at ten."
"My groomsmen are here. The florist is here. Alyssa's getting ready upstairs."
"Then everyone has three hours."
"You cannot bring strangers through the house on my wedding day."
Again.
My wedding day.
My home.
My guests.
My rules.
Everything became Trevor's eventually.
"Actually, I can."
"I'll lock the doors."
"Then you'll be interfering with the lawful sale of property you occupy with my permission."
"You'll call the police on your own brother?"
"I didn't say that."
"But you would."
I considered it.
"If necessary."
He made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a curse.
Then he said, "Mom was right about you."
That hurt less than he expected.
"What did Mom say?"
"That you've always resented me."
I went silent.
Trevor continued because silence made him brave.
"Because Dad was closer to me."
There it was.
A lie so cruel I knew immediately where it came from.
Dad hadn't been closer to Trevor.
Dad had simply died when Trevor was younger.
I had more years with him.
Trevor had fewer.
For years I'd been careful never to mention that because I knew the absence hurt him.
Now he was turning my compassion into a weapon.
"I'm sorry you believe that," I said.
"Just cancel the showing."
"No."
He hung up.
At 9:45, I drove toward Hawthorne Ridge.
Not because I wanted to witness the chaos.
Because Sarah had asked me to attend.
She didn't trust Trevor to behave.
When the house came into view, I almost didn't recognize it.
White flowers covered the entrance.
Garlands hung from the balcony.
A massive tent occupied half the rear lawn.
Luxury cars lined the road.
Men in navy suits hurried across the property carrying boxes.
Women in robes moved behind upstairs windows.
And planted directly beside the driveway was Sarah's sign.
FOR SALE.
Trevor had wrapped white fabric around it.
I laughed so hard I had to pull over.
At 9:58, Sarah arrived in a black SUV with a married couple named Richard and Beth Lawson.
The prospective buyers.
Trevor appeared before we'd reached the front door.
He wore tuxedo pants, a white shirt, and no jacket.
His face was red.
"Absolutely not."
Sarah said calmly, "Trevor, this showing was scheduled."
"Leave."
Richard looked at me.
"Is there a problem?"
I smiled.
"Family logistics."
Trevor pointed at me.
"You."
"Me."
"Come inside."
"No."
"Claire!"
A group of guests near the driveway had begun watching.
Among them was an older silver-haired man I recognized from photographs as Alyssa's father, Howard Morgan.
He approached.
"What's going on?"
Trevor stiffened.
"Nothing."
Howard looked at Sarah.
"You with the real-estate company?"
Sarah nodded.
Howard's jaw tightened.
"You scheduled a house showing today?"
"I didn't," Trevor said quickly.
Everyone looked at me.
"I did."
Howard stared at me.
We had never formally met.
Interesting, considering he'd been invited to a wedding at my property.
"And you are?" he asked.
Before I could answer, Trevor said, "My sister."
Howard's expression changed.
"The sister?"
Apparently he'd heard of me now.
"Claire Hayes."
He shook my hand.
Howard looked at Trevor.
"You told me she wasn't involved with this house."
"I'm not involved in the wedding."
I couldn't resist.
Howard almost smiled.
Trevor did not.
The buyers were allowed inside after several tense minutes.
Beth Lawson loved the foyer.
She loved the staircase.
She loved the kitchen.
She loved the sunroom.
Unfortunately, the bridal party occupied three bedrooms, so we skipped those.
Then came the master suite.
Alyssa was inside.
The door opened before Sarah knocked.
She stood there in a silk robe while two hairstylists worked behind her.
When she saw me, her entire face hardened.
"You have got to be kidding me."
Beth blinked.
"I'm sorry. We can skip—"
"No," Alyssa snapped. "You can leave."
Sarah stepped forward.
"We'll only need a moment."
"This is my bridal suite."
I looked at the room.
"My bedroom, technically."
Alyssa's eyes flashed.
"Get out."
"Happy wedding day."
Her mother rose from a chair.
"Claire, isn't it?"
"Yes."
She approached with surprising calm.
"I'm Margaret."
"Nice to meet you."
"Under memorable circumstances."
That almost made me smile.
Then she looked at the buyers.
"Would you give us five minutes?"
Beth and Richard agreed.
Once the hallway cleared, Margaret closed the door.
Alyssa rounded on me immediately.
"What kind of person does this?"
"The kind who owns the house."
"Stop saying that!"
"Why? Does ownership offend you?"
"It's my wedding day!"
"And?"
Alyssa looked stunned.
"Do you hear yourself?"
"Perfectly."
Margaret lifted a hand.
"Alyssa."
"No, Mom. She's been trying to destroy this wedding all week because she's bitter."
Margaret looked at me.
"Is that true?"
"No."
"Then why today?"
"Because your future son-in-law has ignored every attempt to arrange access."
Trevor appeared behind me.
"You gave me four days!"
"I didn't know you were getting married until nine days ago."
Margaret's face changed.
Slowly.
She looked at Alyssa.
"You told me Claire couldn't attend because of a work trip."
Silence.
Oh.
That was new.
I turned to Alyssa.
"A work trip?"
Margaret frowned.
"You said she was in California."
Alyssa's face went pale.
Trevor stepped in.
"That isn't important."
"It seems important," Margaret said.
Then Howard entered the hallway.
"What's going on now?"
Margaret looked at him.
"They lied about why Claire wasn't coming."
Trevor closed his eyes.
Suddenly, I understood.
Alyssa's parents hadn't supported excluding me.
They hadn't even known.
Alyssa had told her family I was unavailable.
Trevor had told people he was an only child.
Different lies for different audiences.
The wedding hadn't even started, and their version of reality was coming apart.
Howard looked at his daughter.
"Why isn't she invited?"
Alyssa started crying.
Not delicate tears.
Angry ones.
"Because she judges us!"
I stared at her.
"When?"
"Every time you're around!"
"Give me one example."
"You barely visit."
"You've invited me twice in two years."
"You make Trevor feel inadequate."
"How?"
"By existing!" she shouted.
Everyone froze.
Alyssa seemed shocked by her own words.
Then she covered her face.
And in that moment I understood more than I wanted to.
This wasn't about anything I'd done.
I was evidence.
Evidence that Trevor's lifestyle wasn't his.
Evidence that the impressive house belonged to his sister.
Evidence that I had built the financial stability he wanted people to think he'd built.
Removing me made their story easier.
Margaret stared at her daughter.
"Oh, honey."
But there was disappointment in her voice.
Not sympathy.
Alyssa turned away.
I said quietly, "We can finish the showing without this room."
I left.
Forty minutes later, Richard Lawson stood beside the pool.
"It's exactly what we're looking for."
Sarah smiled.
"Would you like to make an offer?"
Richard looked at Beth.
She nodded.
"Eight seventy."
My eyebrows lifted.
Twenty-one thousand above asking.
Cash.
Thirty-day close.
Sarah looked at me.
Trevor was standing twenty feet away.
He'd heard every word.
May you like
And for the first time since this began, he didn't look angry.
He looked afraid.
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