Chapter 1 The Ghost of Us

Sloane

My umbrella clutched in my hand, standing over the coffin as I watch them lower my grandmother into the ground.

She shouldn’t have gone. Not now. Yes, she was old, just a little close to ninety, but I still believed she would stick around a bit longer, long enough to see how successful I would be as a hotel consultant, or to see me get married, or to have her grandchild. I think to myself as I clean the tears off my eyes.

I lift my head and look around. Just about everyone I’d expect to be here was here. There’s Aunt Claire, Uncle Richard, Cousin Melissa, even Cade. I don’t get why he would even be here, but I don’t have or want to have anything to do with him; not after he threw our relationship under the bus just to please is uncompromising father. To hell with them both.

My thoughts are interrupted when both Richard and Claire walk towards me.

“I’m so sorry, Sloane.”, Claire says, reaching out for a hug. I don’t exactly return it like she does, but I try my best.

“Thanks”, I reply.

“Your grandmother would be proud of the woman that you’ve grown up to become,” Richard said. He squeezed my shoulders, his hands heavy and warm through my thin coat. “I know I am.”

Richard had always been like a second dad to me. I didn’t get along with him at first, but growing up, he was just as good a support as any, making himself available when I would need someone. “Thanks, Uncle. That... that means a lot. I just wish she could have seen one of my projects to the finish.”

Richard sighed, releasing white breath in the cold air. "She saw enough, Sloane. She knew you were a fighter."

A fighter. That was exactly what she used to call me when I was a kid.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Melissa stiffen.  I’m not at all surprised she didn’t share condolences like Richard and Claire. She’d always disliked me, and I’m sure it’s because she just believed it was unfair to her how grandma treated me compared to her.

“Melissa, come over here, won’t you?”, Claire calls out, beckoning to Melissa.

Melissa walks over, not much eagerly. I can tell she probably doesn’t even want to be here. Heck, her makeup doesn’t even look like there had been any tear smudges from crying.

“My condolences, Sloane.”, she says. I can feel she didn’t mean it, but I can only ignore it because of grandma

“Thank you, Melissa”, I say, but I’m just neutral.

Melissa didn't look at the coffin. She looked at my shoes. "I'm surprised you chose those heels for a graveyard, Sloane. But then, you always did prioritize the 'consultant look' over practicality. Even today."

I felt my jaw tighten. "Grandma liked these shoes. She bought them for me."

"Of course she did," Melissa murmured, a small, bitter smile playing on her lips. "She always knew exactly get you spoiled. I suppose we’re all waiting to see just how much she spoiled you when the lawyers eventually sit us down."

“We just lost grandma and you’re here getting hung up on who gets or who’s going to get what? And who are you calling ‘spoiled’?”

“Oh please! Don’t even try to be modest.”

“Alright, that’s enough, you two!” Richard interrupts.

It irks me how immature Melissa can be, even though she’s older than me, even at grandma’s funeral. I walk away from her, from Richard and Claire to the big apple tree over by the family home. I gaze up at the tree from branch down to roots. It’s so nostalgic because I remember how I’d practice climbing on the tree, and trying to get apples even when grandma told me they weren’t ripe yet, but I always went ahead anyways.

Just then, I see a shadow approaching from the ground. I turn around and see Richard.

“Sorry about Melissa. I guess she’s still hung up to some things in the past”

I let out a huge sigh. “It’s fine. And really, I’d rather not get into it with her. Not here, not now. I know grandma would expect better from us if she were here.”

“Yes, you’re right”, he replies.

"You know, Sloane.”, Richard says, walking a little closer. “Cade has been standing over there by the lamp post for twenty minutes. He looks devastated."

"He should be," I snapped. "He’s too late to be showing any kind of emotion."

"He asked me if he could speak with you," Richard continued, ignoring my tone. "Just for a moment. For the sake of the family."

“Fine”, I muttered.

In one minute, Richard is gone, and the next minute Cade is walking towards me.

“Hey Sloane”, he says.

He knows I don’t want to see him, but like everybody else, I have to put my emotions under control.

“Hi”, I say, barely giving him more than a second of a glance, before turning back to stare at the tree.

“I’m so sorry about your grandma. She was a really good person and I know you must really miss her”.

“Thank you”, I say, hoping that’s all he has to say and then chooses to walk away. There’s a moment of silence between us. We both know the atmosphere is now awkward.

“Well you should know that if you ever want someone to talk to ...”

I cut him short because I know where he’s going, and his presence alone for this long has made me uncomfortable enough

“Cade, I’ve not heard anything from you in months. I appreciate the courtesy, but what I’ll appreciate even more, is for you to leave me alone because I really don’t want to see you. I don’t think now is the time for you to try to be caring, because you had your chance with me and you threw it all away.”

“Sloane. You don’t understand...”, his voice firm.

“What’s not to understand? It was your relationship, Cade. Not your father’s, not the company’s, it was yours. And you walked out of it without even trying to take a stand. You walked out on me and everything we built. Walk away, Cade. That’s what you do best.”

“Sloane?”, he walks closer.

“I said walk away!”, I almost screamed, slapping his hand and pushing him away from me. I don’t look at his face again. But I know he stands there for a while. I only hear him walk away.

Not long after Cade leaves, I hear a voice speak from ahead me say. Miss Sloane”, I look up to see it’s the lawyer. “It’s time. We’re going to read your grandmother’s will, and I think you will want to hear what she said.”

I felt the lawyer’s heavy gaze on me, eyes holding with a truth that was about to turn my world into a battlefield before I could even say goodbye.