Sisters of Heart and Snow by Margaret Dilloway Read Free Book Online

figured she’d spend her holiday break in a near-empty dorm like Ebenezer Scrooge in his memory of Christmas Past, her mother phoned her and asked if Drew was coming home. But her mother, rather than sounding like she wanted Drew home, sounded irritated. “You cannot just ignore us. You owe us some respect. We’re your parents. You need to call us.”
    â€œTell her we don’t have to pay her tuition. It’s not required,” Drew heard Killian say in a petulant voice. “She should be thanking us, not the other way around. Tell her that good daughters call their parents and only good daughters get their education paid for.”
    Drew’s heart constricted. Her mind flew to what she’d do if he didn’t pay tuition. “I’m sorry. I was busy,” she said lamely. “I have to practice a lot.”
    Hikari sighed. “Just come. Two hours on Christmas. Your father will be happy.”
    What about you?
Drew had wanted to ask, but was afraid to. She might not like the answer.
    So Drew had gone over there, figuring a couple of hours making small talk with Killian and Hikari was better than forgoing a degree. After college, she continued to come home at Christmas, without fail. It wouldn’t kill her, she thought every year.
    â€œYou don’t have to go every time,” her ex-boyfriend Jonah said to her once a few years ago. “They’re your parents, but look at how they treat you. You don’t owe them anything.”
    Drew thought about it, how Jonah blew off his family because he’d gotten a more fun vacation offer, or thought his uber-conservative mother talked politics too much (though, Drew pointed out to him, his mother tolerated his liberal views without kicking him out). After she was out of college, she had no compelling tangible reason to go. “They’re my family,” was all she could think of to say. “I’m here and alive. Don’t I owe them something?”
    Drew taps her hands on the steering wheel. She tried all night to think of what book Rachel could be talking about, but she had no memory of it. Now the curiosity’s eating away at her.
    This home of Drew and Rachel’s childhood is on a hill in La Jolla, a wealthy community north of San Diego, the houses on this hillside large and worth millions. This was not a separate city from San Diego, though the residents have tried to secede several times. Across the street, the trees that once blocked the house’s ocean view have been cut down. The trees were Torrey pines, a rare and protected type of tree that grows only in certain coastal areas. The trees must have become diseased—it’s the only way to have them legally cut down. That was another thing her father tried to do for years: have those “infernal trees removed.” Drew wouldn’t be surprised if her father had planted some kind of destructive beetle on them, just so he could claim the trees were compromised.
    Killian has been known to skirt the law to get what he wants. During one Christmas visit, Killian told Drew to go in his office and get his checkbook, so he could write her the gift check. On top of a stack of letters, she’d seen a notice from Killian’s lawyer regarding the FCC investigating a company called Himalaya Telecommunications, which was owned by a company that was owned by a trust, which was owned by Killian. Drew stopped breathing—she’d seen Himalaya on the news—they’d roped phone subscribers into illegal contracts, charging them exorbitant fees. The upshot was that Killian had protected himself with layers of trusts and shell companies, enabling him to keep his money while preventing people from collecting.
    If it wasn’t cloudy, even at four o’clock, Drew would be able to see the ocean. October is actually a great time of year to go to the beach in San Diego—few tourists, warm water.
    Liza’s big message to Drew was that