Finding Eva (Highland Creek Series) Read online

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  To Will, Emily, and Amanda. Your support, humor, and dedication has been amazing throughout this whole process. Love you guys!

  This letter is to notify you that at the behest of Ms. Matthews the property at 2502 Idols Road, Highland Creek, North Carolina is yours. You may pick up the keys at your earliest convenience…

  The contents of the letter played over like a slow loop through Eva’s mind. Regardless of what she thought or believed, she couldn’t get away from it. How the hell did she get an inheritance from her mother? The same mother who was supposed to be dead for the past twenty years. There was only one explanation: her mother had been alive all this time, and her father was a liar, which was part of the reason she stood in her parents’ living room having it out with her father.

  “Is it true?!” Green eyes flashed fire at the man sitting on the couch.

  Hazel eyes calmly stared back, his lips curiously pursed. “Is what true?”

  That was what she always remembered—the calming presence her father always brought no matter what was going on in their life. Suddenly, she loathed the one thing she always loved.

  “My …” she stuttered, not wanting to say the words “… my mother was alive this whole time? The mother you said was dead!” She ended with a screech and her finger in his face to force him to react, anything to help her through the muddle that had become her life in the time it took to read a simple letter.

  His eyes widened, letting her know everything she needed to in one look. Her father, her rock, had lied. About everything.

  “Now, Eva …” he pleaded with arms raised, but nothing could sway her.

  “No! I don’t want to hear it! Nothing you say to me will ever justify the fact that you lied to me … for years … about my mother. Did Mom know?” Eva called her stepmother Mom; it was the only one she remembered. His hesitation was all she needed to get her answer.

  “Never mind, don’t worry about answering that. I need to think, and I need to be away from you.”

  “You don’t mean that. I can explain.”

  “It is a little late to explain now, Dad. I don’t know if I can ever forgive you for this.” She snatched her purse on the way out, ignoring the strangled cry from her father on her quest to get out of her childhood home, the place that suddenly seemed too stifling. Her father and her mother both called several times and left numerous texts. She didn’t care; she wasn’t in the mood to talk to them right now, so she ignored them. Let them worry, she thought. She would deal with them later. The only thing she knew was they lied about her biological mother, something she didn’t know if she could forgive. And what the hell was she going to do with a house from a woman who clearly didn’t want her enough to stay?

  Eva Matthews collapsed in her chair with a heavy sigh of relief after the bell rang for lunch, her mind preoccupied by thoughts of her mother.

  Her best friend Gwendolyn Martin popped her head in Eva’s classroom. “You coming?”

  “No, I was going to eat here.”

  “Hoping to avoid dumb-ass Davis? He had a sub today.”

  Eva chuckled and thought of the English teacher down the hall. “No…” she brushed long brown hair behind her ear “…I just don’t feel like being with people right now.”

  “You ok?” Gwen looked at Eva for the first time since coming into the room and noticed her normally full and wavy honey-blonde hair hung limply over her shoulder. Dark circles under her eyes stood out against her pale complexion while her usually bright green eyes now looked dull and listless. “Just had a rough weekend.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t want to get into right now. Come over tonight? We can talk over wine and takeout?”

  “That should work. Nick called earlier and said he had to work late again.”

  With their model good looks and unwavering devotion to each other, Nick and Gwen seemed like the perfect couple. The only downside: Nick was a workaholic, on the fast track to partner at his finance firm. He often worked late, which left Gwen alone most evenings. Eva wouldn’t be able to stand it, but Gwen didn’t seem to mind.

  “It’s a date.”

  “I’ll see you tonight, then. I have to go eat. We all be can’t be fortunate enough to have planning right after lunch, and I need to have sustenance before these students come.”

  Eva laughed. “Have fun. Although, these last days before summer vacation are crowd control more than anything else.”

  “Tell me about it. I’ll bring Chinese,” she said with a wave on the way out the door.

  Eva shook her head ruefully as she heard the doorbell ring promptly at six. That was Gwen, never late and looking perfect. With long auburn hair and light blue eyes Gwen looked like a 1950s pinup girl. She was also so nice Eva often told her she would hate her if she wasn’t her best friend.

  Gwen held up two bags once Eva opened the door. “I got shrimp fried rice, sesame chicken, and egg drop soup with wontons.”

  “A girl after my own heart.” Eva grabbed the bags and led Gwen into the living room. “I decided to eat in the living room tonight. Red or white wine?”

  “Do you need to ask? Red please.” After everything was situated in the living room, food and wine spread out like a buffet, Gwen turned and looked pointedly at Eva.

  “Spill it. I know you tried to avoid whatever is bothering you by being secretive, but I am dying to know.”

  “I inherited a house.”

  “I’m sorry, what?” Gwen continued to stare; sure she hadn’t heard Eva correctly.

  “You heard me. I inherited a house from my mom.”

  “Your mom?” Gwen asked, confused. “Your biological mom?”

  “The one that has been dead for twenty years? Yep.” Eva nodded her head in affirmation. “Only, it turns out that she wasn’t dead before, but she is as of about a month ago. And the real kicker is my dad and stepmother knew the whole time.”

  Eva looked at Gwen to gauge her reaction, hoping she wouldn’t see pity, and laughed out loud. Gwen sat there with a shocked expression on her face; lips open with a piece of chicken midway to her mouth.

  “Gwen?” Eva snapped her finger in front of her face. Gwen seemed to snap out of it, closing her mouth suddenly as she put the chicken down.

  “You mean …?” she started but couldn’t finish.

  “Yes,” Eva nodded in affirmation. “My mother wasn’t dead, but she is now. She gave me her house lock, stock, and barrel. And I don’t know what to do.” Eva finished the last sentence on a whisper, frowning down at her food.

  “I mean, how often does this happen? What do you do when you find out your mother was alive but wanted her child to believe she was dead?” Eva stared at the same picture of her mother she had all weekend, eyes welling with tears as a few leaked down the side of her face before she angrily wiped them away. “I don’t even know why I’m crying. I’ve been so pissed at her all weekend I can’t see straight. How dare she do this to me? She should have said nothing and just left me with my memories. But no,” she raged, screaming as Gwen could only stare in shock, “she had to give me this damn house that is only two hours away. So my mom lived two hours away but ignored me. And my father…” she spat the word as though she didn’t want to think about him “…allowed her to do so, and told me she was dead. Instead of a mother, I got a house, and I am supposed to pretend like this is normal. It’s not.”

  Gwen, who had sat there throughout Eva’s tirade, interrupted before Eva started again. “I was going to say something about this whole fucked-up situation, but first I need wine,” she said and took a gulp of her red wine as she collected her thoughts
. “Whew. I needed that after everything you just told me.” Gwen watched Eva, who looked as though she had been pulled apart emotionally, and sighed deeply because she didn’t know where to begin.

  “I want you to know there is no way I could ever understand what you’re going through. I know my family is not perfect; we both know I have major Daddy issues, but I couldn’t imagine knowing my father was alive and wanted me to think he was dead.” Eva’s eyes pooled with tears again, but she blinked them back before any could escape. “Having said that,” Gwen continued, “I would like to know some logistics before I offer my opinion. How did you find out about the house?”

  “I got a letter in the mail Saturday.” She stood up and brought the letter from the kitchen for Gwen to read. “A law office from Highland Creek wrote to tell me that Elizabeth Matthews died on May thirteenth. She had left me her residence and all of its contents, in addition to a small trust with about a hundred thousand dollars. I called the office and spoke to the paralegal, who told me I am supposed to claim the inheritance at my earliest convenience. I need to go to the office to sign the paperwork and get the keys, but I don’t know if I even want the stuff. What would I do with a house from a woman I don’t know? At this point I don’t want anything to do with her.”

  “Hold on. I was serious when I said I couldn’t understand what you’re going through, but aren’t you even a little bit curious?”

  Indecision weighed on Eva’s face as she considered her options. “I don’t know,” she put her head in her hands. “I shouldn’t have to make this decision. I know I should go see it, but what if I don’t like what I find out. What if it was me?” She stared at the floor, shoulders slumped, prompting Gwen to pull her in for a hug.

  “That’s stupid. You know it couldn’t have been your fault. You were what, two? I think you should go to get some closure. Plus, summer vacation is in less than a week so you have all this time with no plans. It won’t hurt you to see the house, and then you can decide if you want to sell it or keep it; it doesn’t matter. What matters is the fact that your mother reached out to you. Regardless of when she did and under what circumstances, you owe it to yourself to try and find answers. I would kill for my father to reach out to me, and you need the closure,” she explained as she stroked Eva’s honey-blonde hair to comfort her.

  “I have to think about it.” Eva pulled out of Gwen’s embrace to start cleaning up dinner. Gwen followed her in the kitchen with dirty dishes and leftover food as they continued talking. “I’m going to take the week, finish out the school year, and consider going down there.”

  “That’s all you can do.” Gwen glanced down at her phone as it chimed, grimacing at the device as she saw the text message.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nick. That was him telling me he won’t be back until after nine.” She ran her fingers through her hair in agitation. “He is so driven that I don’t know what to do. I want to support him. I’m his wife and I’m in this forever, but sometimes I am so damn lonely. He works late all the time, and I don’t know how much longer I can take it. If these are the hours he’ll be working when he makes partner, then I don’t want it. Everyone says the money is great and I should be so proud of him, but all I want is my husband.” She shakes her head, clearing her thoughts. “Sorry to vent. We weren’t talking about my marriage, we were talking about you.”

  “No problem. I had always thought you didn’t mind when Nick worked so much.”

  “Yeah, appearances are deceiving. But enough about me, because my marriage won’t be solved tonight. I want you to think about what I said. You need to go, not for her, for you. You need the closure.” Gwen hugged her hard and headed toward the door.

  “Thanks for everything. And don’t worry about your marriage. Nick wants you happy. Just talk to Nick about what’s bothering you. I’m sure you can get him to scale back if he realizes how important it is to you.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled. “See you tomorrow. And just remember, four more days!”

  “Mommy, do you like my flower?”

  “Yeah, baby, it’s beautiful.” Her mother took the rose from her hand and inhaled deeply with her eyes closed, smiling slightly. “The only thing more beautiful is you…” she poked Eva’s stomach, causing her to giggle “…and you will always be my beautiful girl.”

  Eva launched herself into the safety of her mother’s arms. “I love you, Mommy.”

  “Love you too, baby.” Elizabeth kissed her on the forehead as she held Eva tightly. “Don’t ever forget, I will always love you.”

  Eva jerked up in the bed, a hand on her chest as her heart raced wildly. Why the hell am I dreaming about you now? she thought with disgust. Four thirty. The clock eerily glowed green, taunting her as she lay back down and stared at the ceiling.

  What to do? What to do? Part of her would admit that she was curious. How could the mother she remembered abandon her only daughter, the one she claimed to love so much?

  “I shouldn’t care,” she said into the empty room, her voice echoing in the dark as she furiously wiped tears as they poured from her eyes. “I shouldn’t,” she declared vehemently, turning on her side, “but I can’t seem to stop.” She stared at the wall until the morning sun shined through her windows, her decision made.

  “We would like to thank everyone for a successful school year. I hope to see you back in August, but enjoy your summer break,” Principal Fields’ voice rang through the loudspeaker right before the bell rang dismissing students for the last time that school year. Not that you could actually hear the bell, Eva thought. The sounds of happy children as they screamed loudly down the hall drowned out everything else. She sat at her desk, taking stock of what she needed to finish before she was done for the year.

  “And … they’re off,” Gwen said with a glee as she sat in a desk chair.

  “Thank goodness.” Eva laughed, there was nothing quite like the final bell on the last day of school.

  “That’s what I was thinking. Are you packed?”

  “Not quite. I was going to finish up tonight and leave tomorrow.”

  “Are you scared?”

  “A little,” Eva admitted sheepishly. “I know she has been dead for over a month, and I won’t see her, but I am worried about what I’ll find when I get there. Right now I’ve planned a quick trip, just in and out in three days.”

  “Wow. You don’t mess around. Have you spoken with your parents?”

  “I haven’t really talked to them since I stormed out last week, but I was going to see them tonight. They planned a celebration dinner for Brad and Katie tonight. Brad got home last week and Katie finished her internship, so they want a dinner for the five of us. I was going to tell them after dinner.”

  “How have the twins been?” Brad and Katie were her younger half-siblings about to finish college. Katie was finishing her communications degree in August, while Brad had one more year before he earned his degree in architecture. Younger by seven years, the fraternal twins couldn’t be more different if they tried.

  “They were doing great last time I talked to them. Katie was looking for a job and Brad finished with school in December.”

  Gwen propped her feet on one of the nearby chairs. “Where was she looking?”

  Eva began straightening the papers on her desk to leave for the day. “She wanted something close. She says four years at school was long enough to be away.”

  “Well I hope she can find something.”

  Eva smiled. “I know.” Her sister was one of her best friends, and she missed having her close by the last four years.

  “Has anyone told the twins about your mom?”

  Eva shook her head, shoving the last of her papers in her bag. “Not that I am aware of. Katie hasn’t called me and she would be blowing up my phone if she knew. I haven’t heard from Brad either, and he would have at least called to check on me. I guess could tell them tonight if need be.”

  “Yeah, I guess so. I know I would want to know
if it was my sister. I can’t believe you leave tomorrow. I almost want to go with you.” Gwen frowned. “What am I going to do all summer without you?”

  Eva brushed her off with a flick of the wrist and slung her bag over her shoulder. “It’ll be fine. I’ll call and tell you about it after I get there.”

  “Ok,” she drawled, lips still turned down.

  Eva wanted to laugh at how pitiful she looked but knew Gwen would be pissed off because she hated being laughed at, so she changed the subject instead. “I forgot to ask you with everything going on, how are things with Nick?”

  Gwen swung her feet on the floor, getting up to leave. “Better. We had a long conversation the other day and he has made it a point to be home a couple nights this week before eight. That’s more than I had before, and he said he’ll make an effort to pull himself away from work. I hope with summer vacation that we can find more time to reconnect.” She smiled.

  “I told you that man adores you. I’m glad you guys have tried to make your way back to where you were before.”

  “Fingers crossed…” she mimicked the gesture “…and actually I need to leave with you because Nick said we have a date tonight. I was just stopping in to check on you and tell you to call me anytime. And I mean that.” She pointed her finger at Eva while they walked to the door. “I know that you have dealt with a bunch of shit lately and I wanted you to know I am here if you need me.”

  “Thank you, I’ll probably need it. I am going to tell my parents tonight and leave tomorrow after I get everything squared away here.” Eva hugged Gwen at the door. “You are a great friend. Have fun reconnecting with your husband.”

  “Thanks, girl! See you when you get back!”

  Eva dragged herself up her parents’ walkway, weary with everything that happened recently. She hadn’t spoken to her parents for the last week and had needed the time to regroup and figure out what to do. The door opened with a jerk mid-knock as Eva and her father stared at each other.