You've Got to be Kidding me

2

Feeling much better after the hot shower, Sky dresses quickly. She doesn't feel right making Mr. Legrand wait for her. She feels like a fool coming here like she did, but she needs to have some answers. If only her mother would have given them to her then she would never have come. 

Tandy offers to help her with her hair and then once she is ready leads Sky to Kacey's office.

Tandy knocks and then opens the door when she hears Kacey's comment to come in. "Miss Burnett is ready now, if you are ready for her?"

"Bring her on in. Go get my brothers and the refreshments." Kacey says before dismissing her.

Sky nervously enters the room. She does her best to hide her feelings at seeing a room filled with books, comfortable looking couches and chairs, a fireplace, that is lit and a huge ass desk and the stranger that has opened his home to her.

"Please come in and take a seat Miss Burnett." Kacey says standing up as she comes in.

"Thank you, Mr. Legrand. Please, while I'm here call me Sky. I'm not used to the formality of being called miss."

Kacey smiles happily at her request. "Very well, and I would like for you to do the same for me, call me Kacey. I have four brothers and it gets a bit confusing when we are called Mr. Legrand."

Sky gives a weak smile in return as she sits in front of the desk and Kacey returns to his seat. "Now, what questions did you have for my father?" Kacey doesn't like making small talk especially since he could tell that Sky was uncomfortable with him still.

Sky starts talking as she takes a manila envelop and opens it. "As I was growing up, it was always just my mother and I. She would have a constant stream of boyfriends, and yes, I know what that means, but there was no father in the picture. She would never talk about the past, not even boyfriends that she broke off with just the week prior. She would say you need to stay focused on the here and now and not look to the past.

"For that reason she refused to speak about my father, not even his name. Nor did I have any idea of where I was born. She would never let me see my birth certificate and since she never told me where I was born I couldn't request one for myself. When we went to get my drivers license I wasn't even allowed to see the birth certificate. She handed it over and took it back from the authority requesting it.

"It wasn't until about three months ago when she passed that I was able to find this as I was going through her things." Sky hands him the birth certificate with her name, her mother's name and Lawrence Legrand's name on it. 

"As you can imagine I was curious. So I gathered the money together to come out here and see if he truly was my father, if he knew about me and if so why he didn't want to have anything to do with me? I know that you are unlikely to know the answer to these questions, but that is why I am here."

Kacey hands her back the birth certificate after studying it. He listens to her attentively while she talks then he decides to talk.

"I can indeed answer some of those questions. But before I do I would like to introduce you to my brothers."  Kacey stands up once more and comes around to stand not too far from Sky.

"Sky, starting with the one closest to you: Ellis, Leroy, Floyd and Lloyd Legrand. Brothers this is Sky Burnett."

"Any relation to Choline?" Ellis asks coolly.

"She was my mother." Sky says softly getting the feeling that Ellis doesn't like her much. Well any of them actually. Now that they know who her mother was.

"It really was a mistake for me coming here. I'll find someplace else to stay." Sky says trying not to cry as she starts for the door.

"Forgive my brother, there are some things you should know before you go. Besides, if you are indeed our sister then you will be more than welcome here."

Kacey escorts her back but Sky shakes her head and starts shaking as she looks at the brothers. They are too much like the men that hurt her when she was younger. "It's alright, Sky, I swear to you that no harm will come to you while you are our guest here. They won't hurt you."

"When I was growing up, my mother wasn't the best of mothers. She tolerated me at best, I think she would rather have never had a child. She did provide me with clothes, a warm place to live, food. But some times the boyfriends she would bring over weren't the best."

That makes all five of them stiffen in anger. "Sky, did any of them hurt you?" Kacey demands doing his best to hide his anger.

Sky shakes her head, "Not really. They touched me inappropriately but when mother found out she would get rid of them right quick. After that I would never see them again. It's just," Sky fights back the stupid tears, she doesn't want to cry. "It's just that you five remind me of those men. I'm sorry, I have no reason to doubt you," Sky says and takes a deep breath.

"But you have no reason to trust us either." Kacey says with a frown now in place.

"Would it be easier for you if we moved over to the couches? We could take the couches and you can take the chair, that way you can see us all and we won't be surrounding you."

Sky nods slowly as she takes deep breaths. Perhaps there is something to what her mother said about never looking back.

She moves around the brothers and takes the chair that promises a great deal of comfort. Indeed once she sits down she feels enfolded by the chair, it doesn't really but it is very comfortable and she fights the desire to fall asleep.

She watches as the others take seats as well. Just as they are all settled there is another knock on the door.

Tandy sticks her head in, "Are you ready for refreshments master?"

"Yes, Tandy, perfect timing. Bring it on in." Kacey says relaxing on the sofa.

Tandy comes in and then busies herself getting Kacey his usual drink. Then she makes sure that each of the brothers wants their usual before turning to Sky. "What would you like to drink Miss Burnett?"

"Call me Sky, please, Tandy. I'm not sure what you have."

"Couple of different coffees a bunch of teas, mostly herbal, different hot chocolates some plain, some with marshmallows some flavored."

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble a hot chocolate with marshmallows please."

Tandy smiles and assures her that it would be no trouble. She quickly prepares and hands Sky her drink.

She then sets a tray of small sandwiches on the coffee table so that they can help themselves before being dismissed. 

"Please go ahead and eat, dinner won't be for a couple more hours and your stomach is growling." Kacey teases her a bit.

"Nothing strange, looks like a selection of cheese sandwiches, ham and cheese, turkey and cheese, egg salad and tuna salad sandwiches." Ellis says looking over the tray and making his own selection hoping it will make her more willing to eat some.

Slowly she leans forward and selects a couple of sandwiches.

"Thank you, I was too nervous to eat earlier."