New Home, New Friends
Copyright© 2024 by alan14
Chapter 9
Fiction Sex Story: Chapter 9 - After his divorce, Jim moves back north, close to his hometown. Jim is at a loose end until he meets an intriguing pair of 15-year-old twins, Willow and Zac, who live in the house that backs onto his. Willow takes over his life, and this is the turning point he needed. After meeting Maddy, the twins grow even closer to Jim and Maddy. Families aren't always the people you're born with, sometimes they're the people you find and bond with along the way. (check the codes, includes a little MA/MT)
Caution: This Fiction Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa mt/ft Ma/ft Fa/Fa ft/ft Fa/ft Ma/mt Lesbian BiSexual Heterosexual Anal Sex Double Penetration First Oral Sex Big Breasts Size
On Monday morning, about 30 minutes after Willow and Zac had left for school, I was having breakfast with Maddy, enjoying an hour or so of peace and quiet before Maddy had to leave for work.
I’d just set a second pot of coffee brewing when the doorbell rang, Maddy padded to the door in her slippers.
“Oh hey Xenia, we didn’t expect to see you today.”
“Ahh, I’m not here to see you, I’ve come to see Jess, but she’s not in her old house, obviously, and I don’t know where she’s moved to.”
“Oh, no problem, she’s literally behind us, you can cut through our garden ... although you do have to go through a tatty shed, and you’ll get that nice dress covered in cobwebs.”
“I could call her,” I suggested, “then she can get covered in cobwebs coming here ... or is it something private?”
“Well, really it is, but you’re both so good with Jess, I think bringing her here would be a good idea, then I can tell you all at the same time.”
“Ahh, she’s got the kids this morning,” Maddy told Jim, “you’ll be better fetching her, you can bring a child each.”
“Jess has got a full-time job at the clinic now,” Maddy told Xenia, “She’s going to be office manager, a 50% hourly rate increase, plus working full time instead of just four mornings a week. They’ve given her this week off to get the house sorted, then next week my mum will look after the little ones while Jess is at work.”
“That’s really great news, and to think, this all came from her coming to your housewarming.”
“Yeah, and if Dan hadn’t skulked off after he was rejected by a couple of hippy lesbians, I wouldn’t have got chatting to Jess. Dan is absolutely the author of his own misfortune.”
Maddy noticed Xenia tense up when she mentioned Dan.
“Is this something to do with Dan?”
“Yes, but I can’t tell you without Jess.”
“Oh, I understand, totally. Would you like a coffee, or some orange juice?”
“A glass of water would be nice, thank you.”
Xenia was just finishing her drink as they heard a creak in the garden, “what’s that noise?” she asked, turning to look out of the back window.
“Ahh, that’s Jim and Jess, you have to move a panel at the back of our shed aside to get from Willow’s garden to ours. We’ve offered to put a gate in the fence, but Willow enjoyed the clandestine nature of sneaking through the shed. Maybe Jess will be more sensible and opt for a gate.”
Jess was holding Olivia as she followed me into the house, “Hi Xenia, I thought we were meeting tomorrow.”
“I’ve got something to tell you that can’t wait until tomorrow. You might want to give Olivia to Maddy for a minute, then find a comfortable chair.”
“Ahh, OK,” Maddy started as she took Olivia from Jess, “maybe we should move to the lounge, where the comfy chairs live.”
“So, you had some excitement on Friday,” Xenia said as they all took their seats.
“We did, I’m so glad Merv was here,” Jess replied.
“Merv’s a good man. He lost his way for a while in his teens, but I’d trust him with my life now. I kind of have trusted him with my life, because he fitted all my locks at home, and they have to be the best, because we get some very unfriendly people coming around after they’ve lost cases against their wives and girlfriends.”
“Oh my god!” Jess cried, “I hope Dan doesn’t come after you, he has a vile temper.”
Xenia gave Jess a weak smile, “that’s not going to happen.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Well, let’s start with Friday. After he was released on bail, he caught a train up here, then he used a false name, fake ID and a stolen credit card to hire the BMW from a company in Lancaster. That’s three crimes on Lancaster police’s patch. So, Lancaster police wanted to prosecute him first, then they’d send him back to Coventry for the more serious offences. This is standard procedure with police forces, they see crimes that are easy to solve and close, so they jump at the chance.
“Coventry police were having none of it, they have him on the hook for some very serious offences; not just bigamy, there’s fraud and they suspect he’s been involved in fixing horse races; so, they sent a couple of officers up to collect Dan. Reluctantly, Lancaster gave him up, he was bundled into the back of a car and they drove off with him at 8 o’clock last night.
“They stopped at a services on the M6 because Dan was complaining he needed the toilet. As soon as one of the escorting officers opened the door he set off running...”
“Oh shit!’ Jess cries, panicking, “he escaped!”
“Only for a little while, about 30 seconds to be exact, then he was hit by a truck.”
“Oh my god! What happened.”
“The usual when someone is hit by a truck, they stop living,” Xenia replied, a little coldly Maddy thought, but she imagined Xenia had more experience in this area than she did.
“You mean ... he’s dead? Dan’s dead?”
“He is. It took a little while for Coventry police to report the death to Lancaster, as there was understandably, a lot of confusion at the scene. Lancaster contacted me first thing this morning, and I’m going to do my level best to contact the other families.”
“I’ll help!” Jess replied, “I think if another wife is on the call, it may go down better.”
“Thank you, that’s a good idea. There’s another thing I need to tell you. There was an envelope in the hire car, containing Dan’s Will.”
“He was carrying his will in the car, why not leave it with his lawyer?”
“Did you know he’d written a Will?” Xenia asked.
“Well, I thought he would have one, don’t most men when they get older?”
“So, you’d not seen his Will?”
“Oh no! Dan wasn’t the kind of man to share his financial life with his wife, especially one he was about to dump.”
Xenia opened her handbag, “the police faxed me a copy. I haven’t received a fax for years, so my machine is low on toner, and it was handwritten, so it’s feint, but still quite clear what his intentions were.”
Jess unfolded the fax sheet, she read it through, then read it aloud.
“I Dan Foster, lately of 68 Winchester Road...” she paused, “his handwriting is normally better than this...”
“But, it is his handwriting?” Xenia asked, “this is very important, did Dan write this?”
“Oh yes, the signature is his, and I recognise Jack Fielding, his solicitor’s signature. Dan used red ink for everything, is the original in red?”
“Ahh, that explains why it’s so feint, red won’t copy as well.”
“Yes, I’ve noticed that at work,” Jess replied quietly, before continuing, “I, Dan Foster ... I don’t need to read the top bit again ... I leave all my possessions to my daughter, Charlee Elizabeth Dawn Foster, the only child who chose to stay with me.”
Jess sat back in her chair, she looked dazed, “are you OK,” Maddy asked her, “do you want a cup of tea?”
“Yes, that would be lovely, thank you.”
A few moments later, Jess sipped her tea, she still looked a bit dazed, but she wasn’t as pale, “you know, I never knew Charlee had so many names. Surely if you’re giving someone so many names, you’d put them in alphabetical order at least.”
Xenia laughed, “that’s what I thought...”
“So, what does this mean?” Maddy broke in, “in relation to ongoing activities. Like, the house belongs Charlee Many Names now, and his yacht, and any other houses he owns.”
“This is true,” Xenia replied, “on the surface, a lot of the work I was about to start can stop. Spencer is still collecting details of his assets, he hopes to know everything in the next couple of days.”
“We need to speak to Charlee!” Jess announced, “should I get her out of school?”
“No,” Xenia told her, “let her stay in school. That way we can tell all the kids at once tonight. I should know more about what happened last night...” she stopped and thought for a moment, then she leant forwards, looking Jess in the eye, “did he ever seem suicidal to you?”
“Dan? No, definitely not.”
“It’s just curious, you know. That will was written and signed on Friday morning. Then on Sunday night, he runs from a police car, still handcuffed, straight into the path of a truck.”
“Maybe he realised his whole world was about to come tumbling down,” Maddy offered, “and he couldn’t cope with the thought of failure.”
“I think you’re right,” Xenia replied, “but I’ll fight tooth and nail with the coroner if they try to rule it as suicide, because that may invalidate his life insurance.”
“So, what happens now?” Jess asked.
“It’s too soon to tell. I need to find out about his life insurance and look for any outstanding warrants that would affect his assets. Then we see what Charlee wants to do.”
“Can you come back later, when Charlee has finished school?” Jess asked quietly.
“Of course I can, I’m looking forward to meeting the kids.”
“Charlee gets home about 4 o’clock,” Jess told her, “Willow and Zac’s school is closer, and they walk home, so they’re usually here a bit before then.”
“OK,” Xenia replied as she picked up her bag and turned towards the door, “I need to visit the police station, I want to see the will with my own eyes, then I have a couple of other case meetings. After the meetings, I’ll catch up with Spencer, see what he and his team have uncovered. I’ll try to be here for 4, but if I’m a bit late, please don’t say anything.”
“On no ... I wouldn’t know where to begin.”
Xenia hugged Jess as she stood to walk with her to the door, “I know this news is shocking, and you have mixed emotions...”
“Oh yes, I hated him, but I didn’t want him to die, especially like that, hit by a lorry in a car park!”
“I know dear, but his death has solved so many problems.”
Charlee was home a little before 4pm, Willow and Zac followed a few minutes later. It was difficult to act normally, and the kids soon sensed an atmosphere.
“Has something happened mum?” Charlee asked.
“mmm ... we’ve got someone coming to see you ... it’s good news, well, mostly good news,” Jess replied uncertainly.
“Why can’t you tell me ... it’s got something to do with dad, I can tell,” Charlee said, standing in front of Jess defiantly, hands on her hips.
“I’m sorry honey ... it’s complicated,” Maddy broke in, saving Jess from further embarrassment, “it’s a developing situation, so it’s best if you wait for Xenia, she’ll be here soon.”
“Xenia is the lady that’s helping you?” Charlee asked, her anger dialling down slightly.
“Yes, she’s the lady that’s helping us all,” Maddy replied as the doorbell rang, “and she’s here to speak to you,” she added as I went to open the door.
“Oh my god!” Willow gasped as she looked past my shoulder and caught a glimpse of our visitor.
Xenia was once more dressed to kill, wearing a figure-hugging black dress with gold embroidery, and a gold chain around her neck.
She acknowledged Willow’s comment with a warm smile, “good afternoon, I’m Xenia. I don’t normally dress like this, I’m meeting our MP and some other lawyers for cocktails soon, so I thought I’d dress up now, rather than call home after our chat.”
“She totally does dress like this normally,” Maddy whispered to Charlee, “I’m in awe of her style.”
“I don’t want to blink, in case I miss something,” Charlee whispered back, her anger evaporating as soon as she caught Xenia’s smile.
“So, I think you’re Willow,” Xenia said to Willow, “because you look exactly as Merv described you.”
“Merv described me?”
“Yes, in great detail. He was very impressed with your intelligence and good humour.”
“As long as he wasn’t all pervy, I’ll be very disappointed with him if he was.”
“He described your hair, and your personality, that’s all.”
Willow beamed at that news, “see, I knew he was a nice guy.”
“So, that means you’re Charlee. Jess is a lucky lady to have you by her side.”
“Thank you,” Charlee whispered nervously, “Maddy said you need to speak to me.”
“I do. I think you’d better sit down first.”
“Can Jess and Willow stay?”
“Oh yes, they can stay. Zac and Jim can stay too, if you want.”
“Yes please,” Charlee replied, taking Willow and Jess’s hands, leading them to the bigger sofa.
Xenia moved my armchair, so she was opposite Charlee.
“So, I hear you had an exciting afternoon on Friday,” Xenia started, keeping her voice neutral and her eyes on Charlee’s face.
“I think Willow enjoyed working with Merv more, she makes friends better than I do.”
“I’m thinking about a little later, after Merv had finished work.”
“Ahh, you mean the Dan incident...”
“Yes, do you know what happened to Dan afterwards?”
“He was arrested, I think the policeman said they’d take him back to Coventry, because he’d breached his bail ... I hear them say that a lot on cop shows, but I’m not sure what it means.”
“When someone is charged with a crime in court, a judge can choose to keep them in custody pending trial. Sometimes, the judge sets bail, this means the person is free to leave the court, but if they don’t return for trial, they have to pay bail. In Dan’s case, his bail was £500,000, and he had to pay £50,000 deposit before he was released.
“By breaching the restraining order, he failed to comply with his bail conditions, so was recalled to jail.”
“Ahh, I see. So, he’s now back in prison in Coventry?”
“That’s what I need to talk to you about. He was collected by a couple of police officers from Coventry last night, they were driving him down to Coventry when they stopped at a service station on the M6, because Dan said he needed the toilet.
“As soon the officer opened Dan’s door he dashed out and ran across the car park...”
“Oh my god! He’s escaped!”
“Only for a little while,” Xenia replied softly, her eyes fixed on Charlee’s, “I’m afraid he ran into the path of an HGV, he was killed instantly.”
“He’s dead?”
“Yes, he died immediately.”
“Did he do it on purpose, do you think?”
“You mean did he commit suicide?” Xenia asked, “because that’s one theory. Do you think that’s something Dan would do?”
Charlee thought for a moment, “yeah, the bastard was a coward, there’s no way he could handle going to prison.”
“OK, you know him better than anyone, so you’re probably right, but if anyone else asks you the same question, the answer is he definitely wasn’t suicidal. His life insurance has a suicide clause, and they won’t pay out.”
“Ahh, I’ve heard about things like that on the TV.”
“Has Jess told you about what we planned to do?” Xenia asked.
“You were going to change Jess’s name legally back to Thompson, we’re quite excited about that ... I’d like to change my name to Thompson as well.”
“We can sort that for you, no problem,” Xenia replied, “I was thinking about your old house, and Dan’s money, to compensate you and the other families?”
“She mentioned about you suing him.”
“That was our plan, yes. He had considerable assets, which we were going to share equally amongst all the families.”
“You said was your plan...”
“Well spotted,” Xenia replied as she pulled a file from her briefcase, “I want you to read this, be careful with it, I need to give it back to the police tomorrow.”
Xenia pulled a clear plastic wallet from the file and passed it to Charlee, “don’t open the wallet.”
Charlee read the sheet, “this is his will?” she asked quietly.
“Yes, it is. Check the date at the top...”
“He wrote it on Friday? Like, last Friday, the day he turned up here?”
“Yes, that’s right. I phoned his solicitor, who confirmed that he completed the new will on Friday afternoon, about an hour before he appeared outside the house. His previous will left most of his possessions to Jess, with a small amount of cash for you. They shredded that will before they signed this one.”
“Why has he left everything to me?”
“I think the text makes that clear, you are the only one of his children to stick with him.”
“Not out of choice, my mum was sectioned, if I hadn’t moved with him, I’d be homeless.”
“As a narcissist, he didn’t see it that way, he saw it as you supporting him.”
“I guess ... so I get the house ... can I sell it, because I don’t want to live there, I want to live in Willow’s house.”
“You get the house, his car, his yacht...”
“He’s got a yacht? Why?”
“I’ve no idea,” Xenia replied, “but it’s yours now.”
“Can I sell the yacht?”
“That would probably be wise...”
“Then we split the money for the house and yacht with the other families.”
“What about his life insurance, and his shares, and his bitcoins?” Xenia asked.
“We split everything, just like you would have done before,” Charlee replied.
“And if I told you this all adds up to around £15 million at the moment, and probably more, because one of my assistants is still digging.”
“Then we still share it out and maybe give some to charity. Yes, the charity where Merv took Dan’s clothes, they can have the money from the house,” Charlee told Xenia, “would that be OK?”
“It’s your money, you could keep it all if you wanted to, the other families know nothing yet, Jess and I will track them down and phone them tomorrow.”
“No, that’s not right, they should have an equal share. My mum ... my birth mum, Marina, she’s still not well, she’s in a home, we should help her.”
“When did you last see your mum?” Jess asked.
“Not since she went to hospital.”
“Then I think we will go and meet her, she needs to know Dan is dead.”
Charlee turned to Jess and threw her arms around her, holding her tight as she started to cry.
“I love you mum, I love you more than I ever loved Marina ... I was always afraid back then ... they were as bad as each other. Marina was never nice to me like you are ... she was always drunk, so was Dan, they argued all the time. One day, Marina told Dan that she’d only got pregnant because she thought he’d love her more if she had a child. That made me feel so bad, because I was only there to be a bargaining chip ... then she just made it worse by telling him it was the biggest mistake she’d ever made, because he’d ruined her life and she wished she’d never had me ... Can you imagine how that made me feel?”
Jess ran her fingers through Charlee’s hair, “Oh my god, Charlee, that’s horrible. Why are some people so cruel?”
“I still want to see her ... I want her to know she’s free now. I think she might get better if she knows Dan is gone, I also want her to know I’m happy ... she might not remember me though...”
“Don’t feel bad if she can’t remember you...” Xenia replied, her voice calm and soothing, “people who’ve been through trauma, and it certainly sounds like she’s been through trauma, they compartmentalise, boxing off the traumatic memories to protect themselves. If you are in those memories, she may have boxed you away.”
“Does that mean I may bring back bad memories if I visit her?”
“Maybe, but I’m willing to bet remembering she has a daughter, a beautiful daughter, will outweigh the bad stuff. Plus, you’re going to tell her the reason for her trauma has gone.”
“I suppose I won’t know until I’ve seen her ... can you take me on Saturday, mum.”
“Of course ... Maddy’s mum works at the weekend, who will look after Noah and Olivia?”
“We’ll look after them,” Willow offered, “Zac and I will take them to the park so Maddy and Jim can have some alone time.”
The rest of the week was busy, Xenia visited at least once a day with updates and paperwork for Jess to sign, including official deed poll documents for both Jess and Charlee. On Wednesday she brought forms for Jess to sign that annulled her marriage.
“What does this mean?” Jess asked as she signed the form.
“It means you were never married. If you marry someone in future, it will be your first marriage.”
“Yesterday, Charlee and I, we signed forms to change our names, I went back to Thompson, Charlee changed from Foster. Will having the same name cause problems if Charlee does want to marry me in future?”
“I can’t see why it would. The only possible reason you couldn’t marry Charlee would be if you’d adopted her ... you haven’t adopted her, have you?”
“Oh no ... I wanted to, but Dan was against it. I realise now that this is because he didn’t want anything to stand in the way of him leaving and taking Charlee away from me.”
On Friday evening, Xenia told told Charlee that she’d finally tracked Marina down.
“She in an independent living community near Blackpool.”
“What does that mean,” Charlee asked.
“It’s like a half-way point between a nursing home and living on your own,” Maddy told her.
“Does that mean she’s getting better?” Charlee asked brightly.
“Well, we don’t know how she was before,” Xenia replied diplomatically, “but this does mean she’s able to do her own cooking and shopping. I’ve done some reading and the place she’s at has two sections, one is like a traditional nursing home, where you’re in your own room, but staff are on hand 24/7 to give medication, serve meals, move residents from place to place if they need help...”
“Is mum in a wheelchair!” Charlee cried.
“I don’t think so, that was just an example,” Xenia replied quickly, “Marina is in a different section, she has her own small apartment with a kitchen and bathroom. She is allowed out to do her own shopping, and she’s near the sea.”
“Ahh, I had a panic then. I know mum took some bad drugs for a while, and I’ve seen on TV how they can cause people’s body to collapse.”
“Would you like to see her tomorrow?” Xenia asked.
“Oh yes, I’d love to ... Can you take me tomorrow, Jess?”
“Of course I can,” Jess replied.
“We could all go,” Xenia said, “I’d like to meet her, so we can discuss your future, Charlee.”
“What do you mean?”
“Marina is still your mother; she has parental responsibility. We need to assure her that you are well, that Jess has been treating you well, and what your future intentions are.”
“You mean, my wanting to marry Jess?”
“Exactly that ... mmm ... this is kind of complicated, and the last thing I want to do is make you worry. Marina is your mum, if she wishes, she can insist you live with her. Now her situation is such that there would be a danger that Children’s Services could remove you. We can avoid this by Jess adopting you, and I can facilitate that, but that would make it illegal for the two of you to marry later.”
Charlee’s face fell, “so what do we do?”
“I can see two paths – one, we manage to assure Marina that you are well and happy with Jess, and that you choose to live with Jess forever; or if the worst comes to the worst, Jess adopts you and you can’t marry – if we have to use Plan B, it’s not the end of the world, you can continue to live together, you just can’t marry.”
Charlee turned to Jess and looked at her for a long time before she spoke again, “I want to live with you forever, I feel the same connection to you that Willow has to Zac. If we can’t marry, we will still spend the rest of our days together.”
Jess threw her arms around Charlee, her daughter, her lover, her forever companion.
The rest of us turned to Xenia, giving them some privacy.
“So, road trip to Blackpool tomorrow?” Xenia offered.
“All of us?” Willow asked.
“I have a seven-seater car, I count seven of us, so it’s perfect.”
“What about Jess’s little ones, Sheila works on Saturdays, so there’s nobody to look after them.”
“Luckily, I met Sheila this morning, and she’s taking a sick day. She told me Eileen fancies a trip to Happy Mount Park, so if you could pack some spare clothes for the kids, they can spend the afternoon in the splash park.”
Sheila collected the little ones from Jess’s house before 9 o’clock, promising Noah a McDonalds breakfast and a run along the beach before they go to the park.
With the little ones safely despatched, Jess and Charlee joined us for coffee as we waited for Xenia.
Charlee nervously paced across the kitchen until Willow pulled her onto her lap, using her love to calm her friend.
Within moments, Charlee had visibly relaxed, her breathing slowed, her mouth slowly changing to a smile.
Xenia collected us in a seven seat Audi Q7, the rumble from the quad exhaust pipes suggested this was the sporty V8 model.
On the way, Xenia filled us in on the latest developments, “Giles tracked down the last family yesterday, and I spoke to them in the evening, Carol was Dan’s second wife, and the first he divorced ... I think I mentioned his first wife died in mysterious circumstances, Spencer spoke to a detective that worked on the case, they’re certain she was killed, but could find no compelling evidence. So, Polly, his first wife, and Silvie his fifth wife, are both dead, and neither had families, so we have nobody to contact. This leaves us with 8 families, including you, Jess...”
“Does Marina get included in my share?” Charlee asked, “or am I included in Jess’s share?”
“That’s a complication I’ve been thinking about,” Xenia replied, “I have an idea what to do, but I think we need to see her first, before we make any decisions in that area.”
Willow was very excited when she was the first to spot Blackpool Tower as we drove along the M55, after that, we were mostly quiet for the last few miles.
Xenia turned off the motorway and headed for Lytham, Blackpool’s genteel neighbour. The road was lined on both sides by large homes with high fences, beyond the homes was a small industrial park, then she pulled off the road and stopped at a sturdy gate with an intercom.
Xenia pushed the intercom button, frowned at a squawk of static, then announced herself, “good morning, my name is Xenia Hawthorne, I’ve brought Marina Carter’s daughter.”
“She’s gone back to her maiden name,” Charlee whispered to Jess, “I think that’s a good sign.”
The gate swung open, and Xenia drove past a well-kept lawn and rose garden, and around the main building to the indicated visitor car park.
“This is much fancier than I expected,” Charlee said as we stretched our legs, the car was big but still cramped for seven full-size people.
“Yes,” Xenia replied, “the website is impressive, but I just thought they’d used very carefully chosen images. It can’t be cheap living here, I wonder who’s paying the bills,” she mused.
“Where does Marina live?” Charlee asked.
“I think we need to check in with reception first,” Xenia replied, “I don’t think we all need to go, I saw an ornamental garden in the website gallery, I think it’s over by that building. It’s probably best if just Charlee and I go to Marina’s room, then will see if she wants to meet everyone.”
“That’s a good idea,” Maddy replied as she steered the rest of the group towards the garden.
Charlee grabbed Willow’s hand as she passed, “can you come with me please...”
“Of course I can,” Willow replied, and joined Charlee and Xenia as they walked across the car park to the reception building.
The reception was very bright and airy, helped by the blonde wood furnishings, high ceiling and big windows.
A young woman with a welcoming smile emerged from an office behind the reception desk, “can I help you?”
Xenia checked the woman’s badge, “good morning, Kerry, my name is Xenia Hawthorne, I’m working on behalf of Charlee Thompson, I believe my associate Spencer Brady contacted you yesterday regarding our visit.”
Kerry tapped a few keys on her computer before smiling broadly at Charlee, “Marina sometimes mentions a daughter...”
“She does?” Charlee replied brightly, “I was worried she’d have forgotten me ... she wasn’t well when dad took me away.”
“This place looks very plush, Kerry,” Xenia said, “could I ask who is paying the bills.”
“You can ask, but I can’t answer, as I don’t have that information. Is there a reason you need to know?”
“It’s more curiosity. Dan, Charlee’s dad, married 10 times, and each time he left his wife without paying any alimony. It’s my understanding, therefore, that Marina has no money, so I’m curious about who is funding her accommodation.”
“Let me make a call...” Kerry replied, before returning to her office.
Xenia noticed a chilled water dispenser; she scowled at the paper cup before filling it with water and sipping it slowly. Willow, meanwhile, made use of the canned pop vending machine she’d seen outside and grabbed a couple of cans of Dr Pepper.
Kerry returned a few minutes later, “the manager is on the way, she’s been clearing the dining room.”
Two minutes later, a back door they’d not noticed previously opened, and a middle-aged woman with a sunbed tan and jet-black hair arrived. She greeted the group warmly, but she didn’t seem as genuinely friendly as Kerry.
“Good morning, I’m Grace, I manage this facility.”
“Good morning, Grace, my name is Xenia Hawthorne, I’m working on behalf of Marina Carter’s daughter, Charlee.”