Just You and I: Book 1 (Cody Carson)✔

I Can Do It

"Good morning!" Emerson popped his head into my room. I looked up and sent him a small smile. "Are you up to a coffee run?" "Uh sure." I shut my notebook and got up from my desk. It's been almost 3 weeks since my mom passed. Sean is out of the picture, refusing to talk to me and refusing to believe that she ever existed. The funeral was last week, and I have an appointment with her lawyer later this afternoon to discuss her will. I pulled on my winter gear, it started to get colder this week, and followed Emerson out the door. "How is everything going?" The three boys still made sure to check on me, switching out every week. Cody and the others are just as helpful and supportive. "Good, I feel a little more grounded since the funeral, like I got the closure I really needed. I just wish she didn't have to go like that." I looked down at my dirty combat boots. "I know love, she isn't hurting anymore, which is good." I nodded, the doctor said her last few minutes were most likely excruciating. "Hey Emerson and Lia!" Remington cuaght up to us, going on my right side. "Hey Rem." He smiled softly at me. I felt like since I moved here, I have a family that I can bounce back on, people to keep my grounded. The whole school knew about my loss after it happened, I got many sorrys' and I hope you feel betters'. "So a little birdy told me you signed up to sing in the schools musical performance." I looked up at Remington and shrugged. "Nothing too big, I feel like I should do what my mom always said I could do." We walked out into the cold, huddling together like penguins.

I winced at the sight of the car scraps on the side of the road next to the Café. It was cleaned up, but they left small pieces of the car just in the grass. "Come on." Emerson's freezing hand grabbed mine and tugged me into the warmth. "Hey guys! Your usual?" Martha, the owner, knows us very well. She sent me coffee when I was too sad to leave my room, and she treats us like her own children. We come in here so much that we pretty much know everyone. "Please and thank you." She smiled sweetly at us and we took refuge next to the fire. "One more week before Christmas break!" I got confirmation a few days after the funeral that the boy's parents are okay with me staying with them for Christmas, promising presents too. I felt grateful that the parents are willing to take in a girl who's parent passed a few weeks before Christmas. "I'm so thankful for your parents allowing me to stay with them." Emerson smiled and waved it off like no big deal. "Dr. Way explained the situation and they're both happy to have you as our guest." Martha came over holding a tray of steaming cups. "Here you are lovelies. How are you feeling?" Martha turned toward me to speak. "A bit better, I have the appointment with the lawyer around 4 and then I'm practicing my song for the performance next Friday." "That's good, you'll do great." The bell that signaled someone walked in rang and she walked away to great them.

"Let us know how it went when you get back." Emerson and Remington hugged me and left me by the empty classroom. I walked in and smiled tentatively at the lawyer. "Good afternoon Mrs. Getter." I sat down in front of him and he opened his brief case. "Kelly left you a number of things, most she says you won't get until you come of age so expect that. It states here that if anything should happen to her that you would go to any family willing to take you in, which I understand is already in motion." I nodded slowly. "Like I said before, you won't get some of these things until later in life, those things include the paid off house and the paid off car. For now she has left you her entire life savings of 500,000 dollars, Maxwell, her husky puppy, her wedding ring and expensive jewelry, her book collection...." He went on and on about the things that she passed down to me. "Where is all of that now?" "In a storage space she bought, Maxwell is with your Aunt and the money is in a savings account which is on the paper I gave you."

I sat down on my bed and rubbed my face. "Where were you?" I didn't realize that Maxx and the others are in our room. "I was with my mom's lawyer. She left me pretty much everything." I heard something shift and I felt an arm around my waist. "We haven't had time to just sit and make sure you're coping well." Cody's voice was just above a whisper in my ear. "I'm going to be okay, I'm just ready to get settled into a new home." My phone rang and I leaned behind me to grab it. Cody didn't move his arm and he leaned his head onto my shoulder. "Oh good you picked up, how was the meeting?" Dr. Way's voice rang through the phone. "I got almost everything she owned, and my Aunt is sending me our puppy." I heard him lightly chuckle on the other side. "You can keep the puppy with you for the rest of the year. We're allowing pets next year anyway." I smiled at nothing in particular. "I just wanted to see how you were doing and the boys' mom called, she said that they're talking to a child care agent. You've got a pretty good chance of becoming a part of their family."