“I’m Birch, by the way,” he said, extending his hand. “I live here and take care of things for the Randolphs.”
She shook his hand. “Thank you, Birch, for looking after my mother. How long have you known them?”
“Going on two years now. Mr. Randolph is in trouble, isn’t he?”
“He was arrested in Atlanta…and while he was in custody, he was attacked. He’s…not well.”
Birch covered his mouth with his hand. “Atlanta—is that where you live?”
“Yes.”
He sighed. “It has something to do with his day trading, doesn’t it?”
So that’s what her father had been up to. “It’s connected to his former job,” she hedged. “In the short time Randolph and I talked, he said he had proof that would exonerate him of the charges, but he didn’t tell me what it was. Do you know if he gave my mother something for safekeeping?”
Birch shook his head. “No. I’ve always had a feeling something wasn’t on the up and up with their situation, but I didn’t want to pry. Bill pays me well, and Melanie and Prissy are like family to me.”
Suddenly Priscilla appeared at his side. “Mom is asleep.”
Carlotta looked over to see her mother had dozed off in the chair with a tiny smile on her face. She drank her in—it was surreal to be near her. And heartbreaking to know she wasn’t well.
“I’ll get her a blanket,” Birch said, then left the room.
Priscilla looked up. “So, you’re my sister?”
She smiled down. “So it seems. My name is Carlotta.”
“Mom gets us mixed up.”
Carlotta nodded, then pointed to a mirror on the wall and leaned down so their faces were side by side. “See?” She grinned to reveal the gap in her front teeth.
Priscilla showed her gap. “We have the same smile.”
“That’s right. And when I take off my wig, we’ll look like twins.”
“We can’t be twins,” the girl said pointedly. “You’re old.”
Carlotta blinked. “I’m not that old.”
The girl’s eyes narrowed. “You made Mommy upset.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“But you did anyway. You really should go now.” Priscilla stared at her, unblinking.
Carlotta bit down on her tongue. Little Miss Priss was a force to be reckoned with.
Birch returned with the blanket and tucked it around their mother’s sleeping form. “Are you hungry, Prissy?”
She nodded.
Birch looked at Carlotta. “Would you like to have dinner with us?”
“She has to go,” Priscilla said, swinging her gaze back to Carlotta. “Don’t you?”
She was going to have to tread carefully around this one. “Actually, a friend is waiting in the car. Would it be alright if I come back tomorrow?”
“We’ll be busy,” Priscilla said, crossing her arms.
“Prissy, mind your manners,” the man chided.
“It’s fine,” Carlotta assured him, then nodded toward the door. “Goodbye, Prissy. I hope you and I will become good friends.”
“Birch is the only person who calls me Prissy.”
“Good to know,” Carlotta said with a nod. “I’ll see you again soon.”
“Or not.” Priscilla turned and marched out of the room.
The girl knew how to make an exit.
“I’m sorry about that,” Birch said. “She’s actually a sweet child. Very smart—maybe too smart.”
“She’s protective of her mother, and that’s understandable. She seems mature for her age.”
“Unfortunately, she has to be,” Birch murmured.
A pang of sympathy barbed through her chest. Randolph and Valerie’s actions had forced all their children to grow up sooner than they were prepared for.
Carlotta gave her sleeping mother one last look and touched her silky hair, just to prove to herself this wasn’t a dream, like the trip she’d once taken across time thanks to some powerful painkillers. In that epic dream, she’d gotten a glimpse of what her life might’ve been like if her parents hadn’t left her and Wesley. In that version of her life, her mother had been a high-functioning alcoholic…but wasn’t that preferable to the future Valerie was facing now?
She walked to the door with Birch. “There’s so much I need to discuss with you. Can we exchange phone numbers?”
“Of course.”
“Also,” Carlotta said, choosing her words carefully, “I don’t mean to frighten you, but my father has enemies who might be looking for something to leverage against him. I need to figure out how to safely relocate my mother and sister. In the meantime, be careful who you open the door to.”