They Billed Me For Eighteen Years Of Love And I Sold Every Memory Chapter 02

Tessa’s welcome-home party was booked at the most luxurious hotel the Whitmores owned.

By early morning, Maren had the ballroom buried in white roses.

White was Tessa’s favorite. So Maren had the champagne tablecloths Evelyn loved stripped from every table.

The butler approached, guest list in hand.

“Mrs. Whitmore, where would you like Evelyn seated?”

Maren paused.

The head table had no empty seats.

Maren, Graham, Bennett, Tessa, and Adrian had filled it.

Tessa was sitting in what used to be Evelyn’s seat.

“Just pull up an extra chair at the end.”

Maren recovered quickly, brushing it off like it was nothing.

Tessa shot to her feet.

“Evelyn can have my seat. I’ll take the extra chair.”

With a frown, Bennett pushed her back into her chair.

“Sit.”

“This party’s for you. Why does she get a spot at the head table?”

“She’s coming to apologize. Not to steal the spotlight.”

Maren sighed.

“Tessa, honey, you don’t always have to put her first.”

“We spoiled her for too long. Now she falls apart the second something doesn’t go her way.”

The butler had one more question.

“Should we get Evelyn’s old room ready?”

That was when Maren remembered. Evelyn’s old bedroom was Tessa’s piano room now.

Evelyn’s clothes, her trophies, and her photos had been boxed up and stacked in the basement.

She barely thought about it.

“Put her in the third guest room for now.”

Tessa’s voice was soft.

“Isn’t that room kind of small?”

Bennett scoffed.

“She sold her own memories. You think she’s going to whine about square footage?”

“She’s coming back to learn her place. Not to play princess.”

He dug a key out of his pocket .

It opened the lock on the bike he’d given Evelyn for her sixteenth birthday.

That bike had been rusting in a corner of the garage for ages.

He dropped the key into the gift box on the table.

“Throw this in, too.”

“Remember how she bugged me every single day to teach her to ride? She’ll take one look at this and forget she was ever mad.”

A relieved smile softened Maren’s face.

“You gripe about her all the time, but you still care.”

Bennett leaned back and dropped his eyes, his mind somewhere back in their childhood.

“I helped raise that girl, you know.”

“If she stays in line from here on out, I’m not going to cut her off for real.”

Adrian, meanwhile, was rewriting the terms of his and Evelyn’s engagement.

He pushed next year’s wedding back three years.

Instead of a house downtown, they’d move into a plain apartment the Mercers owned.

He tacked one more condition onto the end.

[I will treat Tessa as my own sister and will never compete with her for anything.]

Maren read it, hesitating.

“Isn’t that a bit much?”

Adrian kept his eyes on the page.

“She’s always had too much. That’s why she can’t stand Tessa.”

“If she’s really changed, she’ll sign without a fuss.”

Tessa stared at the agreement, her eyes tearing up.

“Adrian, you don’t have to do this to Evelyn because of me.”

Adrian’s tone softened.

“Let me handle it.”

“She owes you, and I’m going to make sure you get every bit of it.”

Graham’s assistant walked up mid-conversation with a file.

“Mr. Whitmore, the memory bank says Evelyn’s total is way above anything a typical customer sells.”

“They’re suggesting someone from the family pick up the itemized statement.”

Graham didn’t even open the file.

“Not necessary.”

The assistant blinked.

“Sir, with a number that high, she might have sold something out of the ordinary.”

Bennett laughed from the next seat.

“Like what?”

“Her life’s been a cakewalk. The worst thing that ever happened to her was dropping five points on SAT math.”

Maren shrugged it off.

“Evie’s smart. She probably figured out how to jack up the appraisal.”

“As a kid, she could spin a whole saga out of one movie ticket. I wouldn’t be shocked if she sweet-talked the appraiser.”

Graham shoved the file aside.

“She came up with the money. That means the test worked.”

“Anytime we asked her to do something for this family, she wanted to know why.”

“Look at her now. She finally knows what sacrifice means.”

The assistant bowed his head and left.

Tessa kept her head down, but her lips twitched into a faint smile.

“Dad, one more thing.”

“What happens with the family trust once Evelyn’s back?”

For a moment, nobody spoke.

That trust was supposed to go to Bennett and Evelyn, split evenly between them.

Graham considered it.

“Evie’s still too emotional. You handle it for now.”

“Once she’s really accepted you, we’ll hand it back.”

Tessa waved her hands in a panic.

“I’m not trying to take anything that’s Evelyn’s.”

“I’m only scared she’ll get the wrong idea and blow through it all.”

Maren took her hand.

“I know, sweetie.”

“You’re always looking out for her. Someday she’ll thank you for it.”

The event schedule came through soon after.

Evelyn was slotted to go onstage in the third segment.

The emcee’s script had already written her lines for her.

First, she would thank her parents for meaning well.

Then she would apologize to Tessa.

And last, she’d thank her sister for being so willing to forgive her.

Adrian skimmed the script and gave a satisfied nod.

“After tonight, this is all behind us.”

“Evie needs to figure out who actually has her back.”