“Hello?” My stupid heart leapt with hope that it would be Luke, that he had finally realized what we had was valuable.
“Miss Tanner?” Not Luke said on the other end.
I slumped. “Yes, this is Addison Tanner.”
The man on the other end was a lawyer for Mrs. Easter, and he asked me to meet him at his office at five but didn’t explain why.
“There are Tuckers involved, I can smell it,” Mom said when I told her about the call. “You should never have spoken to that Michael Tucker, Addie. I don’t care how hot his ass looked in his shorts.”
“Mom!” Amberlynn laughed.
I couldn’t pretend I hadn’t noticed. His ass did look pretty nice. And so did the rest of him, really. But Mom was right. He was a Tucker. Better to stay far, far away.
“It’s probably nothing,” I said, having no idea why Mrs. Easter’s lawyer would want to see me. “I’ll go find out and tell you later.” I checked the clock over the doorway to see it was almost five now. I took off the half-apron I wore and picked up my bag. “Be back soon,” I said, heading outside.
The cool fall air was a relief. Sometimes too much time with Mom was overwhelming, and I’d been with her day and night for the better part of two weeks now.
Don’t Trust the Trust
Michael
“Did you know her really well, Dad?” Daniel was full of questions as we drove from the store into Singletree Square to meet with Filene Easter’s lawyer and find out what, exactly, was in this trust. Considering I hadn’t spoken to her at all over the years except for a few words last week when she’d fallen, I couldn’t imagine it would be much. Based on the few words she’d said—about watching me when I was a baby and everything—I did get the sense she was a little sentimental, so maybe it was some old photographs of me or something.
“No, not really.”
“Maybe she left you a ton of money, and then you can get me a Corvette.” he said hopefully.
“Even if I had a ton of money, you would not be getting a Corvette,” I assured him. “And she didn’t leave me a ton of money, I’m sure.”
“Maybe she left you a Corvette.” Optimism never flagged in this one.
“I never noticed her driving around town in a Corvette, Dan.”
“It was probably really nice, so she kept it in a garage and only took it out on special occasions.”
I smiled over at my grinning son. “And if that was the case, you’re pretty sure this car is destined to be yours one way or another, huh?”
“Well, you’re such a nice dad, and I know you want me to be happy.”
Wasn’t that the truth? “I do, buddy. And that’s why I wouldn’t give you a Corvette, even if I had one.”
We parked near the address Anders had given me. His office, it seemed, was next door to The Shack. I hoped we wouldn’t have a run-in with my ex. The last thing I needed was for Dan to tell her I’d been left a Corvette, though whatever was in this trust, I had no doubt Shelly would know about it sooner or later.
I held the glass door open for my son, and together we climbed the stairs just inside the small entryway. When we reached the landing, I was surprised to find Addison Tanner standing just outside the suite we were looking for, looking a tiny bit lost. She wore slim jeans with a longer shirt, and something about the casual but put together look appealed to me, making me hope I looked okay. I realized it was dumb—it didn’t matter what this woman thought of me. That didn’t stop my hand from going to my hair though, hoping it wasn’t sticking up in thirty directions.
“Hi,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
Maybe asking that question wasn’t the right move. Her open expression shuttered, and her brows lowered over those dark sad eyes. Her mouth opened, but before she spoke, her eyes slid sideways to take in Daniel, and apparently she thought better of whatever she’d been about to say.
“I got a call from this guy, Anders about poor Mrs. Easter. I have a meeting with him at five.”
“Us too,” Dan volunteered.
Addison’s brows rose now, and she looked between us.
“Did you knock?” I asked.
She crossed her arms. “No, is that how these door contraptions work?”