Moonlight Cottage

    The sun was angry today. The heat blasting down on my little red car was intense, but I was used to it. I had the windows down and my music blaring, trying to relax before arriving at the lawyers office. It had been two days since I was informed of my uncle's death and I wasn't any closer to figuring out how I felt about it. I hoped that it wouldn't hit me all at once during the meeting. I loathed crying in front of other people.

    I had been driving for almost eight hours already, with one more hour to go. I'd only stopped a couple times to relieve my bladder and stretch my stiff legs and back. To say I was ready to escape this car and never get back into again would be an understatement. I was sure I'd look like a hot mess once I arrived, but I wasn't too worried about it. What would they say? Sorry, but you can't come in here looking like you fought with a tornado and lost. Yeah, they would just have to deal with it.

    I finally arrived at my destination and found a parking space. Pulling in, I took a glance around at the small mountain town of Idyllwild California. It was obviously a slow moving, quiet place and my first thought was, why didn't I move HERE? This place was much more my speed compared to Reno. Maybe I'd start saving up to become a Cali girl again. The gears were already turning in my mind.

    I lowered down the visor mirror to check my reflection and groaned at the troll looking back at me. It was pretty obvious by my ratty hair, chapped lips and wrinkled clothes full of crumbs, that I had been in a car all damn day. Oh well, nothing to be done about it now! I quickly finger combed the rat's nest on my head and climbed out of the car stiffly. My legs didn't feel connected to my body anymore. I did a few quick stretches and headed into the small building with Rivia and Associates etched into the front window.

    A middle aged woman with her hair neatly pulled up into a bun was sitting behind a small desk. She glanced up at me as I walked in with a look of confusion that quickly turned into understanding. "You must be Miss Black. We're so glad that you were willing to come all this way to speak in person. I'll let Mr. Rivia know that you've arrived."

    "Thank you", I mumbled as I took a seat along the wall without thinking. I realized quickly that it was a mistake. The last thing I wanted was to sit down again after driving all day, so instead I stood and started pacing the room. I began looking at an assortment of pictures on the wall. There were some landscapes of the forest and a couple of what I assumed were my uncle's lawyer and his wife. In one they were in hiking gear, in the other holding fishing poles. Mr. Rivia could be described as ruggedly handsome with warm brown eyes and shaggy brown hair. He looked like a genuinely happy person and I started to relax a little.

    After a few minutes of pacing and admiring the décor, the receptionist returned with Mr. Rivia on her heels. He was definitely older than the pictures on the wall. He had more wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, but it didn't detract from his looks. His hair was slicked back neatly and his eyes were shining when he greeted me with a handshake and guided me towards his office.

    It was a fair sized room with a beautiful, expensive looking desk in the middle of it. Bookshelves lined the wall to the left and a giant whiteboard took over the entire right hand wall. Behind the desk was a decent sized window showing off the trees behind the business. He grinned at me again, taking his seat before inviting me to sit across from him. I made myself a promise at that moment, as my ass touched that chair. When I got to my motel room tonight, I was going to sleep standing up. He cleared his throat and our meeting started.

    "I'm so glad to meet you Miss Black."

    "You can call me Emma", I said, uncomfortable with the formalities and nervously fiddling with the hem of my shirt.

    "Emma. Perfect. You can call me Jon", he smiled again, "As you know, I called you here to discuss your great uncle's will. I hope you're doing alright with his passing..."