Ферн Майклз - Truth and Justice

Sara sighed. She had months to go till that could happen. Her doctor had warned her of the possibility of a miscarriage. She refused to allow her mind to even contemplate the warning. She would do everything possible, including bed rest if it came to that. She’d simply hire round-the-clock nurses to take care of her. Months of pampering was something she could live with.

Sara slid the paper she was holding into a glossy yellow folder and put it in a small cedar chest in the dining room. She’d purchased the chest to hold what she considered to be the most important documents pertaining to Andy Nolan. It was the only thing she ever took with her when she moved from place to place. It was hers and Andy’s. She giggled when she thought, never leave home without it. Like that would ever happen.

The huge, six-thousand-square-foot house yawned around her. There were echoes everywhere because she hadn’t totally furnished it. The reason for that was that she wasn’t sure how many children she wanted. A house this big cried out for a large family. Andy always said he wanted enough kids to have his own baseball team. He’d laughed like a lunatic then and said that he would have the baseball team and she could have her kids be their cheerleaders. Though she’d laughed right along with him, she didn’t think it was at all funny. Then he put his arm around her shoulder the way a brother would do, and said, “We’ll always be side to side, Sara. Me and you against the world.” There was no mention of where the mother of the baseball team and father of the cheerleader squad would be. She liked the way it all sounded, so she just kept smiling.

Sara looked around. She’d chosen well when she had picked this house. Andy had said he’d looked at it once when he was in town and said it was a perfect house to raise a family. He also said that the reason it wasn’t selling was because it was overpriced. Andy was always frugal and looked for bargains, a trait he had inherited from his mother. Sara, on the other hand, never bothered to ask the price of anything. If it was something that caught her eye or she wanted it, she simply bought it, no questions asked.

Walking from room to room, she tried to imagine what the house would look like furnished from top to bottom. What would it be like with kids running around and sliding down the polished banister on the staircase? Add in a few barking dogs and a couple of cats, maybe a parrot and some hamsters to round out it all. In a word, a family. A family minus a dad. Sad but doable. Definitely doable. As she walked around the rooms, she crossed her fingers behind her back that the insemination would work. If not, she would keep trying until it did work. She didn’t come this far to give up over an initial setback.

Sara walked into the kitchen and sat down at the counter. She longed for a glass of wine, but the doctor had said no drinking or smoking. A glass of ginger ale would have to do.

She noticed that her hand was trembling when she opened the refrigerator. She was antsy, jittery for some reason. Why? Everything was just fine; everything had gone off just the way she’d planned it. She was sitting pretty right now, so why was she feeling like this? She tried to define the feeling to herself so she could get a handle on things. It was as if she were waiting for the other shoe to drop, which was downright silly because the first shoe hadn’t even dropped. So, then, what was it?

There had been no glitches. Her finances, which were beyond robust, were safe and secure. All her assets, of which there were many, were being cared for and had finally been cataloged and filed away. Her money manager was top-notch and worth every penny she paid him. So if all that was in order, what was it that was bothering her? The little widow? Was she going to cause some trouble? Of course she was, that was a given.

Sara eyed the ginger ale in her glass and decided it was flat. Apple juice would have been a better choice and, of course, healthier. If she wanted apple juice, she either had to go to the supermarket or call in an order, and that would mean she needed to make a grocery list.

Sara’s acrylic nails drummed on the countertop. Her life, as she knew it now, was brand-new. No more chasing rich men to add to her assets. She bit down on her lower lip as she contemplated the changes she would have to undergo, along with the fear that Bella would somehow find her and rip everything away from her. All Bella had to do was find Andy’s friend, Paul Montrose, and it would all be over. Maybe. She had to believe everything was as airtight as her lawyer said it was. Of course, she had not bothered to tell him about Andy’s new will and the new POA paper Andy had had Montrose send her.

Possession was nine tenths of the law, and she had possession of the will and the new POA. She hadn’t bothered to file anything. Why would she? She knew she would have to be extra careful going forward. She could not put herself out there for anyone to see. The name of the game now was hunker down and live the life of a recluse.

No one knew she was now legally Sara Nolan except her and her lawyer. Not even her doctors knew, and she planned to keep it that way. At least for now. The name change had been strictly for her own satisfaction. She had taken on a whole new identity after she had left Steven Conover and sent him the phony divorce papers. The deed to this house, the title to the Mercedes in the garage, and her brand-new driver’s license plus three new credit cards were in the name of Nora Lewis. The little bronze plate on her mailbox also carried the name of Nora Lewis. All the utilities were in the name of Nora Lewis and paid ahead for a full year. All she had left to do was establish an account at the supermarket and drugstore, and she would have her new life all set up in a neat box with a big red ribbon on top.

Tears rolled down Sara’s cheeks. All her plans were in place. There had been no glitches that amounted to anything. She was about to start living the life she planned.

Yes, she could live that life, but she wasn’t happy. She wasn’t happy because Andy wasn’t here. Andy would never be here, and if he were, he would want to be with Bella, not her. There was just no way she could ever live with that. Some way, somehow, she needed to eliminate that woman. Now that she had her new life in order, she couldn’t let that little snot ruin it.

Sara knew in her heart that Andy would never want her even if she was holding his baby in her arms. He’d snatch the child from her and give it to Bella. Maybe knowing all of that was the reason she was feeling so tense and jittery.

Maybe it was time to make a new plan. A new plan that erased Bella from her life. Her mood lifted at the thought. She turned on the stereo with a remote that was on the kitchen counter and proceeded to dance around the kitchen to Bon Jovi, Andy’s favorite band.

One new plan coming up!

* * *

Paul Montrose held the door of his rental car until Bella was inside and buckled up. Once he was behind the wheel and the engine was running, he turned to Bella. “I don’t know about you, but this feels . . . awkward as hell.” He threw his hands in the air, and said, “And I have no clue why that is. I could talk nonstop for days about Andy Nolan and, suddenly, I can’t think of a thing to say.”

Bella smiled. “I can relate. I have a million questions to ask you, and right now I can’t think of a single one. I think you probably knew Andy better than I did. That goes for Sara the sister who isn’t his sister, too. Andy and me . . . it was so quick, so fast, not enough time to learn about each other. It was about us and the moment we were in. I guess we both thought we had the rest of our lives to learn about each other. I’m ashamed and embarrassed to admit right now that there are times I barely remember him. Our time was so short. I think if I could condense the hours into days that we were actually together as in face-to-face, it would be ten days, and that’s probably stretching it.”