Love Me True (Love Me Book 2)

Chapter 25

It was Thanksgiving Day, a day that Faye was going to spend alone. As she prepared her meal for one, she wondered how so much could have changed in one year. Last year she had a full house, Chloe and Lia had been present, along with Hayes and his girlfriend of the moment, and Alyssa with a few of her friends. This year Lia was with Ben's parents, Chloe was working, and Hayes and Alyssa were spending the day at a friend's house. They were in town, they just weren't interested in spending the day with her.

It had been almost three weeks since the rumor at the hospital had started about Chloe and Silas. They had neither confirmed or denied a relationship, but everyone believed that there was one. Especially since they had been out on the town on several occasions since then.

She did her best to pretend that none of it was happening, but it was wearing on her. Her heart hurt because of Silas, but Chloe had hurt her too because she had pulled back from their friendship. Lia had been so absorbed with her concern with Ben she was almost non existent in her life, so even if Faye had wanted a friend to share what was going on in her world, there didn't seem to be anyone with whom she could share.

Faye checked her turkey breast and was closing the oven door when Hayes and Alyssa entered the kitchen on their way out the door.

"Do you two have a minute? We need to decide what you want to do about the house."

"We already told you that we want to sell it," Hayes said, crossing his arms defensively.

"We know you don't want to sell Faye," Alyssa looked upset, "but this house is a burden on you and us, we would rather have the money and be free of it. Wouldn't you?"

"Have you both thought about what that really means?" Faye asked, watching them closely.

"Yes!" Hayes said with impatience as he rolled his eyes and moved to open the door, letting the cold air into the house. He was ready to be gone. "It means we will have some money for a change."

Faye shook her head as she threw her towel down on the table. "No, it means you will lose your home and if things get bad you will have nowhere to go. Right now you have a place to live rent-free, but when this house is sold you won't have that anymore, you will really be on your own. Neither one of you have a job, no security, nothing."

"But once we sell the house we will," Alyssa said, following Hayes's move and crossing her arms defensively.

"You'll be lucky to each come out with two hundred thousand cash. If it is used wisely and is supplemented with a job it will get you through, but without jobs, you are looking at four- or five-years living expenses, less if you travel."

Hayes snorted his disbelief. "You have no concept of what this house is worth, do you? I talked to a friend and he says we could easily get 1.5 million for it." Haye's voice had started to rise.

"Sure, if it was in perfect condition, as it is now, we would be lucky to get half of that. It needs a new roof, new plumbing and electrical, everything in this house is outdated."

"Then why didn't you keep it up better!" Hayes yelled at her. Faye closed her eyes, it was the same argument that she always had with him. Alyssa was watching them with wide eyes. She had only ever heard Hayes's side of things and didn't know the facts because she had never wanted to know them.

"As I've said before, I had to pay for you and Alyssa's education which meant taking out a mortgage on the house and that has to be paid back before you even get your share of the money."

"You did not ask us about a mortgage, that can come out of your share. We're not responsible for that." Hayes insisted.

"The estate is, and the estate owns the house." Faye's voice started to rise. "If you want to talk about fair, you and Alyssa can pay me back all of the money I have sunk into this house to keep it going since most of that came out of my personal savings!"