Barefoot Season by Susan Mallery Read Free Book Online

concerned, she was ready for the Been There, Done That T-shirt. If she had her way, she would never leave the island again.
She turned her attention to the screen and clicked on the icon for the inn. A box came up, demanding a password. The computer might be new, but the software had obviously been transferred from the one before. She entered her old password and screens flashed in front of her. She navigated easily through reservations, then to the computer version of a check register.
The dates there made her frown. All the entries abruptly ended three months ago. What had—?
Her mother’s death, she realized. Brenda had taken care of the bookkeeping for the inn. She would have been the one using the computer. Carly hadn’t, which meant what? That none of the bills had been paid? She remembered Carly having many flaws, but being irresponsible wasn’t one of them.
She turned her attention to the paperwork stacked on the desk. She looked for a pile of bills but instead found a pad of paper with a neat, handwritten list.
“April 17. Blackberry Island Water. $237.18.”
The entries went back the three months and included two mortgage payments each month for different amounts. Michelle studied the list, recognizing the writing as Carly’s. So she had been paying bills, but by hand. She wasn’t sure if the other woman hadn’t used the computer because she didn’t know how or didn’t think she was supposed to.
Michelle dug in the drawers and found the checkbook. Her mother’s writing jumped out at her, a rambling scrawl that contrasted with Carly’s smaller, neater entries. Michelle stared at the numbers, seeing the actual form of them rather than the amounts. She drew in a breath and braced herself for the inevitable.
Inhale, exhale, and there it was.
The subtle slam of a car hitting the side of a mountain. Guilt. It hit her from every direction, making her writhe in her seat as her breakfast turned from comfort food to something heavy in her stomach.
Self-reproach mingled with shame, but the emotions were elusive. Because she and her mother hadn’t gotten along, because the other woman had blamed her for things that a teenager could never be responsible for, Michelle knew deep down inside she’d been glad she hadn’t been here at the end. And that being glad was wrong.
It wasn’t that Brenda had been alone. Carly had been there, or as Brenda had referred to her in her infrequent emails, “the true daughter of my heart.” But Carly wasn’t family.
Knowing in her head that ambivalence was the cause of the guilt didn’t make it any easier to endure.
“Focus,” she told herself. The hangover had faded enough that the headache was nothing more than dull background noise. After ten years, who knew what kind of financial turmoil the inn had experienced. She would dig into the numbers and come up with a plan. The army had taught her to excel at logistics.
She reached for the mouse, only to have the phone ring. The sharp sound cutting through silence caused her to jump. Her heart raced and a cold sweat instantly coated her body. Fear joined the ache in her hip and made her want to duck under the desk. Instead, she picked up the receiver.
“Sanderson,” she said from long habit, then unclenched her teeth.
“There’s a call for you on line one. Ellen Snow from Island Savings and Loan.”
Carly’s voice was calm. Had Michelle only imagined the thrill of firing her the previous night?
“You’re still here?”
“So it seems. Did you want to take the call?”
By way of answering, Michelle pushed the flashing button, disconnecting Carly and connecting the other call.
“This is Michelle Sanderson. How can I help you?”
“Michelle, how great to talk to you. I’m Ellen Snow from the bank. I don’t know if you remember me.”
Michelle leaned back in her chair. “We went to school together.”
Ellen laughed. “That’s right. I was a year behind you and my brother, Miles, was a year ahead.”
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