Not His Wife novel · Chapter 12 of 24

Chapter 12: March Fourteenth

"Ivy, honey," Alyssa said again, softly, into the microphone. "I didn't want to do this in public."

She unfolded the paper and held it out toward the crowd.

"This is a quitclaim deed for forty-one Linden Road," she said. "It transfers the house to Dorsey Lathrop Holdings."

"It's signed by Ivy Tolbert and notarized."

"The date is March fourteenth."

"Ivy gave her house to our family company of her own free will."

"Then she forgot, because she's had a very hard year."

A murmur went round the ballroom.

I stood on the stage with my mouth dry.

I had never signed a deed in my life.

"May I see it?" I said.

Alyssa came up the last stairs and put it in my hand.

Her smile was gentle and sorrowful.

It was a single page.

At the bottom was a signature, in blue ink, and the loops looked like mine.

I looked at the capital I.

"I don't make that loop," I said.

"You make it when you're upset."

"I make it with a straight line. I've made it since the fourth grade."

I held the page up to the light.

"And I never signed this."

"You did," Alyssa said, still gently. "Reed was there. Joyce was there. You were so sweet about it, you cried."

"What time?"

"Two fifteen."

"On March fourteenth."

"Yes."

"Where did we do it?"

"At Reed's shop," she said, without a flicker. "In the office."

I turned around.

"Bernice," I said.

My aunt rose from table four like a ship leaving a dock.

She had her phone in one hand and her navy hat on straight.

"March fourteenth is my sister-in-law's memorial Mass," she said.

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