Letters From Al by Pieper, Kathleen (i am reading a book txt) 📗

and start living again. But her lack of self-confidence with the opposite sex gravitated from non-existent to awful, especially as of late. It was as if a piece of her heart was missing. Something in her was incomplete.

Maddy thought back to her latest boyfriend, Larry Preston, actually her ex-fiancée. A manipulative but very good-looking guy, who didn't realize being engaged meant you didn't date other girls. He was only the latest jerk in a string of bad choices. It was one of the reasons she had taken off on this pie-in-the-sky road trip, to put a little space between them and do some serious thinking.

The envelope from Jack Drake and Associates from Omaha, Nebraska, had arrived with the news that she was the beneficiary of an inheritance from a long-lost relative. Her father's favorite, eccentric, aunt from the past that she'd completely forgotten about.

After a few calls she found the will had been probated and she was indeed the heir to her great aunt's estate in Nielsen, Nebraska. If she was the great-niece of Mrs. Madeline O'Keefe, she needed to show proof of birth and claim her inheritance. With her friends clucking at her in the background, she called, claimed, and climbed into the rent-a-Honda, since her little Buick was in hock at the repair shop.

This was when Larry Preston showed his true colors.

To her astonishment, it seemed Larry had been advised by her uncles to find out about this situation and report back to them. They were actually his bosses. Her anger only was greater than the shock of realizing the man you were supposed to have no secrets from, one who could be trusted and share a life with, was dishonest and greedy.

By accident they had switched cell phones one night and that was how Maddy then found out Larry was not only dishonest but unfaithful. His secretary called and left a not-so-discreet message on the phone. Thinking it was her phone, Maddy answered and found out Larry was also a cheater.

He even had the gall to act like it was no big deal. That was the last straw. Maddy had decided it was the perfect time to break it off with him. Investigating this windfall herself would be the perfect way to get her life in order. With the money from her parents estate tied up in the family business, she could use a little extra cash. So far, she hadn't done so well with men.

From what she remembered, Great Aunt Madeline had been kind, but cool and classy even if she was a bit old- fashioned. Maddy recalled her Chicago relatives more. Most of them had never met Aunt Madeline. As she grew up and the years passed, the closeness dwindled, especially after Great Grandmother Morris died and the family business became a corporation. The old ways died along with her, except for the greed.

If things worked out perhaps she'd have enough to

start over again. Maybe she'd buy a bookstore or something else exciting and interesting. Larry had been against her even contacting anyone or coming here, preferring she let the local attorney get what money was there and send it on to him/them. He'd invest it for her, he informed her. For the first time she had resisted his advice and now, here she was, alone on the Interstate.

"Where'd you get your license, at a discount store?" She yelled fruitlessly after a big rig swept by her, shaking her hand in frustration. A rest stop appeared out of nowhere and darting in, she breathlessly landed in the last parking spot.

Sweat trickling down making her shirt stick uncomfortably to her back. The air-conditioner was on full blast but only now did she notice it was blowing warm air, not cool.

"Great. That's all I need in the middle of the Nebraska summer, no air." She twisted knobs and pushed levers but to no avail. Resting her head on the steering wheel in defeat she noticed the envelope had blown on onto the floor.

"This is all thanks to you and my own greed, thank you very much. I should have known better when I saw it was from an attorney. What am I doing out here in the middle of nowhere?" She stuffed the letter in her pocket and got out of the rented economy car, kicking the front tire with the remaining energy she had left.

"That definitely wasn't worth it," Madeline said through gritted teeth, holding her throbbing toe. Her impatience often got her in trouble. Her Dad used to tease her it was all that red hair. Thinking of him made her smile, feel sad, but still smile. If he and her mom were still alive she wouldn't have to deal with this.

She hopped on one foot for a moment until she realized she was the main attraction for the rest stop crowd and limped into the women's restroom. After splashing cold water on her face, she felt a little better and went out to look around at the tourist information.

She bought a coke from the pop machine and was immediately accosted by a pretty Blonde with a big, too-cheerful smile.

"Chicago." Madeline replied tonelessly without looking up from the giant map. She had just found a yellow arrow that said, "You, are here," when the Blonde told her the same thing.

"Okay, I'm here, but where is Nielsen, Nebraska?" Maddy had directed the question to the guide but got no reply. Blonde guide was now immersed in a lecture of the Oregon Trail with a hunky-looking guy from Detroit.

"Abandoned again," Maddy said and sighed, thinking of her ex-boyfriend and her life in general.

Using her finger and following the yellow sticker detour sign, there was Nielsen, Nebraska, fifty miles to go. Relief flooded her and even her toe stopped throbbing. She might make it yet.

All the thoughts and fears she had as she started out on this ill-conceived trip were coming to pass. The fight with her boyfriend, Larry, had started it. People telling her what to do,