The Inheritances Game (Jameson Hawthorne)

Middle Names and Dad Problems

"What's the occasion?" I asked, nodding to a nearby bottle of bourbon.

"Westbrook, Davenport, Winchester, Blackwood." Jameson rattled the names off, one by one. "Tell me, Avery, what do you make of that?"

"They're all last names," I said cautiously. I paused and then decided why the hell not. "Your father's?"

"Skye doesn't talk about our fathers," Jameson replied, his voice a little hoarse. "As far as she's concerned, it's an Athena-Zeus type of situation. We're hers and hers alone."

I bit my lip. "She told me that she had four lovely conversations. . ."

"With four lovely men," Jameson finished. "But lovely enough for her to ever see them again? To tell us the first thing about them?" His voice was harder now. "She's never so much as answered a question about our damned middle names, and that" - he picked the bourbon up off the ground and took a swig- "is why I'm drinking." He set the bottle back down, then closed his eyes, standing in the sun a moment longer, his arms spread wide.

"Shall we go?" His eyes opened and his arms dropped.

"Go where?" I asked.

"Come now," Jameson said. "You're better than that."

"We're going to see your mother."

✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿

He took me through the coat closet in the foyer. This time, I paid close attention to the sequence of panels on the wall that released the door. Following Jameson to the back of the closet, pushing past the coats that hung there, I willed my eyes to adjust to the dark so that I could see what he did next.

He touched something. Pulled it? I couldn't make out what. The next thing I knew, I heard the sound of gears turning, and the back wall of the closet slid sideways. If the closet was dark, what lay beyond was even darker.

"Step where I step, Mystery Girl. And watch your head."

Jameson used his cell phone to light the way as we walked in silence through twists and turns. We were walking in silence for five minutes before he stopped.

"What is it?" We stood there for a couple minutes, before I heard footsteps. "Who's that?" Jameson flashed his light around the corner, he turned back smiling before walking around the corner. He just left me there! I stood there in shock until Jameson came back accompanied by Catalina.

"Ok let's go!" Jameson said as I waved to Catalina. Jameson glanced through a peep hole before turning to us.

"Coast is clear." Jameson didn't specify what it was clear of.

"Let's go then." Catalina said stepping forward. "Brace yourselves Avery." I looked at her confused when all of a sudden the wall began to rotate and we rotated with it. Once it stopped Jameson walked forward into another hallway.

"Who's ready for answers?" Jameson said knocking on the door before swinging it open. "Mom?" he called. "Skye?"

"In here, darling." She called from what I learned was the bathroom.

"Got a second?" Jameson stopped right outside the double doors to the bathroom.

"Thousands of them." Skye seemed to relish the reply. "Millions. Come in."

Jameson stayed outside the doors. "Are you decent?"

"I like to think so," his mother called back. "At least a good fifty percent of the time."

"Be prepared she is far from decent." Catalina whispered to me before following Jameson in.

"You said you were decent." Jameson said not sounding the least bit surprised.

"I'm covered in bubbles," Skye replied airily.

"That doesn't count." Catalina responded.

"It doesn't get more decent than that. You should know" she said to Catalina who looked angry.

"Skye." Jameson said in a warning tone.

"Tell your mother what you need." Jameson glanced back at me, as if to say and you asked why I needed the bourbon.

"I'll stay out here," I said turning around before I caught sight of more than bubbles.

"Oh, don't be a prude, Abigail," Skye admonished from inside the bathroom. "We're all friends here, aren't we?" Catalina scoffed. "I make it a policy to befriend everyone who steals my birth right."

"If you're done messing with Avery" Catalina said. "We have more important matters to discuss."

"So serious?" Skye sighed. "Well then go on I guess."

"My middle name." I turned to look at Jameson who I just realized was holding hands with Catalina. "I've asked you before if I was named after my father."

Skye was quiet for a moment. "Hand me my champagne, would you?" Jameson handed her the champagne.

"Well?"

"If you had been a girl," Skye said, with the air of a bard, "I would have named you after myself. Skylar, perhaps. Or Skyla." She took a sip of champagne. "Toby was named for my father, you know." The mention of her long-gone brother caught my attention. I didn't know how or why, but Toby's death had somehow started this all.

"My middle name," Jameson reminded her. "Where did you get it?"

"I'd be happy to answer your question, darling." Skye paused. "Just as soon as you give me a moment alone with your delightful little friend." Catalina and Jameson turned to me as I just looked at Skye in shock.