Nick Kritselis

The Incentive She Needed

A single teardrop rolled down Caroline's cheek as she looked at the envelope in her hand. She closed her eyes, wiped the tear away, and took a deep breath to steady herself. Jessie, a second cousin by marriage who was also Gran-momma’s lawyer, left a voicemail last week to tell Caroline that Gran-momma’s estate had been settled and her inheritance had been mailed. The small, padded manila envelope had been the only piece of mail that day, face down as she pulled it out of the box, so she didn’t see the sender until she was in the house.